Detroit Pistons Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Three Players Ejected In Magic-Pistons Game; Suspensions Likely

December 28th, 2022 at 8:24pm CST by Rory Maher

Magic big man Moritz Wagner, Pistons guard Killian Hayes, and Pistons wing Hamidou Diallo were all ejected for an incident in Wednesday’s game, tweets Mike Curtis of The Detroit News.

As shown in the video and multiple replays courtesy of Bally Sports Orlando (Twitter video link), Wagner initiated the altercation by hip-checking Hayes into the Pistons’ bench, which obviously riled everyone nearby. Diallo then caught up and shoved Wagner in the back with a forearm, followed by Hayes punching/forearming Wagner in the back of the head, which appeared to cause Wagner to lose consciousness.

Officially, Wagner and Hayes were both given flagrant 2 fouls, while Diallo received two technical fouls.

Hayes is almost certain to face a pretty significant suspension for his part in the altercation, as ESPN’s Bobby Marks notes (via Twitter). Several Magic players left their bench area to join the fray, and while nothing really transpired beyond a few mild shoves (it looked like most were just trying to get Wagner out), leaving the bench typically draws an automatic suspension by the NBA, per Vincent Goodwill of Yahoo Sports (Twitter link).

Since so many of Orlando’s players left the bench, it seems probable that the suspensions will be staggered so the Magic will still have eight available players, the minimum required to play a game, Goodwill adds (via Twitter). The suspensions are likely to be handed down sometime on Thursday.

Both teams’ next games are on Friday; the Pistons play in Chicago, while the Magic are home against the Wizards.

Pistons Waive Braxton Key, Sign Jared Rhoden To Two-Way Deal

December 27th, 2022 at 6:38am CST by Rory Maher

DECEMBER 27: The Pistons officially waived Key and signed Rhoden on Monday, per NBA.com’s transaction log.

DECEMBER 26: The Pistons are waiving two-way forward Braxton Key and signing guard/forward Jared Rhoden to fill their open two-way spot, reports Shams Charania of The Athletic (via Twitter).

Rhoden, 23, went undrafted over the summer after four years with Seton Hall. He played for Sacramento’s Summer League team and then signed an Exhibit 10 deal with the Trail Blazers, but Portland doesn’t have a G League affiliate and he was waived before the season started.

The College Park Skyhawks (Atlanta’s affiliate) secured Rhoden’s G League rights in the NBA G League draft in October. In 16 games (25.3 minutes) with the Skyhawks, he put up 13.9 points and 6.4 rebounds on .547/.514/.821 shooting.

Rhoden is the second Skyhawk who will be promoted to a two-way deal today, joining A.J. Lawson, who is reportedly signing with the Mavericks.

Key, 25, spent most of last season in the G League with Philadelphia’s affiliate, the Delaware Blue Coats, earning a spot on the NBAGL All-Defensive Team. He signed a 10-day hardship deal with the Sixers and appeared in a couple games, then caught on with the Pistons at the end of 2021/22, first on a 10-day contract, then a two-way deal, averaging 8.6 points, 5.3 rebounds, 1.0 steal and 1.2 blocks in nine games (21.2 minutes).

The 6’8″ forward has rarely seen the court for the Pistons this season, making just three appearances for nine total minutes. He has spent most of ’22/23 with their G League affiliate, the Motor City Cruise, averaging 17.0 points, 7.9 rebounds, 3.2 assists, 1.5 steals and 1.1 blocks on .441/.256/.615 shooting in 13 games (31.3 minutes).

Casey: Bojan Deserves All-Star Recognition

December 25th, 2022 at 5:32pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The Pistons may have the league’s worst record, but that won’t deter Dwane Casey from proclaiming that Bojan Bogdanovic deserves All-Star recognition, Mike Curtis of the Detroit News writes.

“I hope people don’t look at our record as a rebuilding team and punish him for that because to me, Bogey’s an All-Star,” the Pistons’ head coach said. “I’ve coached a lot of offensive players in my career when you talk about (Dirk) Nowitzki, (DeMar) DeRozan, a lot of those guys, Kevin Garnett. Offensively, he’s right up there with those guys as far as scoring the basketball.”

Bogdanovic, who signed a two-year extension with the Pistons early this season, is averaging a team-high 20.8 points.

Ivey, Duren Have Improved Pistons' Long-Term Outlook

December 23rd, 2022 at 5:08pm CST by Luke Adams

The Pistons have the NBA’s worst record at 8-26, but they haven’t been disappointed by what they’ve seen from rookies Jaden Ivey and Jalen Duren. As Keith Langlois of Pistons.com writes, Detroit’s long-term outlook looks better than it did a few months ago due to the promise the team’s two lottery picks have shown.

Coach Casey Says Pride Is Needed To Avoid Repeating Mistakes

December 22nd, 2022 at 10:59am CST by Arthur Hill

The Pistons believe they’re better than their league-worst 8-26 record, per James L. Edwards III of The Athletic. Coach Dwane Casey said pride is necessary to avoid the mistakes that have been leading to losses, such as turnovers, defensive lapses and poor showings coming out of halftime.

Lakers Notes: Davis, Trade Market, LeBron, Bryant, Christie

December 21st, 2022 at 6:24pm CST by Arthur Hill

The foot injury that Anthony Davis suffered last week has decreased the chances that the Lakers will gamble on a major trade, multiple sources tell Jovan Buha of The Athletic. He adds that the only exception would be if the team can acquire a young star that it believes can succeed alongside Davis over the next few years.

Even before the Davis injury, the Lakers’ front office wasn’t confident that there was a trade available that would turn the team into contenders, Buha states. He suggests the most likely current scenario is a deal that would include some combination of Patrick Beverley, Kendrick Nunn and a protected first-rounder in either 2027 or 2029 in exchange for a 3-and-D wing or a combo forward.

Along with the players who have already been linked to the Lakers in trade talks, Buha’s sources point to the Suns‘ Jae Crowder, the Rockets‘ Eric Gordon, the Pistons‘ Alec Burks, the Hornets‘ Terry Rozier, P.J. Washington and Kelly Oubre Jr. and the Spurs‘ Josh Richardson and Jakob Poeltl as players to watch.

There’s more on the Lakers, all from Buha:

LeBron James has posted four straight 30-point games, but his playing time is starting to become a concern. He’s averaged 39.2 minutes over the past five games, and the Lakers need to be careful that they don’t rely too heavily on him. Buha notes that James, who will turn 38 next week, ranks sixth in minutes per game among players with at least 50 total games over the past two seasons.
The loss of Davis has been eased somewhat by the emergence of Thomas Bryant. Buha states that Bryant was considered “almost unplayable” before Davis got hurt, but he’s averaging 17.7 points and 7.0 rebounds in the last three games while shooting 61.1% from the field and 55.6% from three-point range. The 25-year-old center joined the Lakers during the offseason on a veteran’s minimum contract and will be a free agent again next summer.
Rookie shooting guard Max Christie recently moved into the rotation and may be playing well enough to stay there. The second-round pick provides a much-needed 3-and-D option for coach Darvin Ham, and he’s one of the best rebounders among the team’s guards.
The starting backcourt of Beverley and Dennis Schroder hasn’t performed well, and Buha wonders why Ham keeps playing them together. The Lakers are minus-50 in 161 minutes when they’re on the court at the same time, and their skills seem to be redundant.

Pistons Sign GM Troy Weaver To Contract Extension

December 21st, 2022 at 12:46pm CST by Luke Adams

The Pistons have signed general manager Troy Weaver to a contract extension, sources tell Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link).

According to Vincent Goodwill of Yahoo Sports (Twitter link), Weaver’s extension was agreed to months ago. It’s unclear if the team simply didn’t announce it at the time or if it wasn’t officially finalized until now. Either way, it’s a done deal now.

Charania’s report doesn’t specify how many years the Pistons have added to Weaver’s contract or how long he’ll be under team control going forward. However, when he first joined the franchise in 2020, Weaver reportedly signed a four-year contract — he’d be in the third year of that deal now, which means his current contract was set to expire in 2024. I’d be surprised if his extension doesn’t tack on at least two more years.

Since arriving in Detroit, Weaver has been guiding the Pistons through a rebuilding process and stockpiling young talent. During his first offseason, he added Killian Hayes, Isaiah Stewart, and Saddiq Bey in the draft and landed Jerami Grant in free agency. He selected Cade Cunningham with the No. 1 overall pick the following year and then drafted Jaden Ivey and Jalen Duren in this year’s lottery while trading Grant to Portland and acquiring Bojan Bogdanovic from Utah.

With Cunningham out for the season following surgery on his leg, the Pistons haven’t taken the step forward they’d hoped to this year — they currently rank last in the NBA with an 8-25 record. Still, team owner Tom Gores has expressed optimism about the direction of the organization.

“We’re growing,” Gores said last month. “Right now, we have an amazing core group and a lot of confidence. We’re better than our record is. We’re much better than that and I like the way that this team has a lot of heart. I feel great about it. (head coach) Dwane (Casey)‘s doing good work. Troy continues to think about growth and everything, so I feel great about it.”

Casey received a contract extension in 2021 that runs through the 2023/24 season, so the Pistons will face a decision on his future within the next 18 months or so.

"No Disrespect" Making Bey, Bagley Reserves

December 20th, 2022 at 9:40pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Saddiq Bey and Marvin Bagley III have been moved to the Pistons’ second unit by coach Dwane Casey. It has led to better bench production, though the team has lost six of its last seven after falling to Utah on Tuesday, Mike Curtis of the Detroit News writes. “It’s no disrespect to Saddiq, no disrespect to Marvin at all being in the second unit,” Casey said. “We need that. I love the way our second unit is coming in and changing the game and kind of having an identity, defensively, offensively, some go-to actions that they can click with.”

Pistons Adamant About Keeping Bogdanovic

December 19th, 2022 at 5:34pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Veteran forward Bojan Bogdanovic has become one of the hottest names on the trade market. However, the Pistons have been telling potential suitors that they plan on holding onto Bogdanovic, according to Marc Stein in his latest Substack post.

Bogdanovic, who signed a two-year extension this season, is the Pistons’ leading scorer with Cade Cunningham out. They’re hoping when Cunningham returns next season they can make a playoff push with the aid of Bogdanovic. Detroit’s current stance could eventually change prior to the trade deadline and it’s also possible the front office is posturing in order to secure an unprotected first-round pick, and possibly more, for Bogdanovic.

Pistons forward Saddiq Bey isn’t upset about being moved to the second unit, he told James L. Edwards III of The Athletic. Bey has been thrust into a scoring role off the bench, as coach Dwane Casey has opted to go with a bigger lineup on the first unit. “It’s a good challenge because I’ve always wanted to be one of the guys that does whatever the team needs, whatever role,” he said. “I just try to be that glue guy who can adapt to any role. I think that holds value.”

Nwaba’s G League Rights Acquired By Pistons’ Affiliate

December 18th, 2022 at 6:53pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The Motor City Cruise, the Pistons’ G League affiliate, have acquired veteran guard David Nwaba from the Lakeland Magic in exchange for Micah Potter and a second-round pick in the 2023 NBAGL draft, Marc Stein tweets.

Stein reported on Friday that Nwaba was signing a G League contract. Lakeland claimed him off waivers, then dealt him to the Cruise.

Nwaba spent the past couple seasons with Houston, but he was traded to Oklahoma City in September and subsequently waived before the season started. However, his contract for 2022/23 was fully guaranteed at just over $5MM, so the Thunder are paying his salary.

Nwaba is still free to sign with any NBA team. The G League Showcase takes place this week in Las Vegas, so the six-year veteran will be looking to make a strong impression with the Cruise ahead of January 5, when NBA teams can start signing players to 10-day contracts.

Potter is on a two-way contract with the Jazz. His G League rights were technically held by the Cruise, though he has been playing for the Salt Lake City Stars, Utah’s affiliate. If Potter gets waived by the Jazz or his contract expires, Utah loses any G League rights to Potter and Lakeland would control them.

Potter has appeared in two games for the Jazz. He has started 12 games for the Stars, averaging 14.8 points and 6.9 rebounds per night.