- Pistons lottery picks Jaden Ivey and Jalen Duren are showcasing their explosive athleticism during training camp, per Keith Langlois of Pistons.com. “When you say Jalen and Jaden, those guys can run. They can fly,” Hamidou Diallo smiled, shaking his head. “It’s going to be exciting. Jalen, a great shot-blocker – he’s caught me a couple of times. Having him protecting the rim and Jaden, a guy that can dribble up and go by anybody, that’s something in itself.”
- Isaiah Stewart and Marvin Bagley may be more suited to playing center but they’ll both see action at times at power forward this season, Keith Langlois of Pistons.com writes. That will allow Nerlens Noel and rookie Jalen Duren to get some minutes off the bench. “It’s tough,” Pistons coach Dwane Casey said. “What’s going to have to manifest itself is – it’s not natural right now – for Isaiah to kind of slide to the four just to open some spots for everybody.”
- While most of the attention regarding the Pistons is focused on their young backcourt of Cade Cunningham and Jaden Ivey, third-year forward Saddiq Bey has served notice that he could be an offensive force this season, according to James Edwards III of The Athletic. “He’s putting the ball on the floor a lot better, finding guys a lot better,” reserve guard Cory Joseph said. “We know how he can score and the attention he’s going to get. He’s making the game better for himself and everyone around him right now. He’s playing really well.”
- Bojan Bogdanovic is another veteran forward in his 30s who is looking for a new deal as he enters a contract year. Stein suggests that Bogdanovic’s desire for a multiyear extension may have cooled his trade market a little, dissuading some potential suitors from pushing harder for him. Presumably, Bogdanovic is seeking more years and/or dollars than teams would have been comfortable offering, and those clubs weren’t prepared to surrender valuable assets for a one-year rental. The Pistons ultimately acquired the 33-year-old from Utah for Kelly Olynyk, Saben Lee, and cash.
When the Lakers signed Matt Ryan and Dwayne Bacon to non-guaranteed training camp contracts earlier this month, both players received Exhibit 9 clauses in their new deals, but not Exhibit 10s, Hoops Rumors has learned.
Exhibit 9 contracts are non-guaranteed camp deals that don’t count against the cap during the preseason and offer teams some protection in the event of an injury. Exhibit 10s are similar, but also allow teams to convert the player to a two-way deal (if he’s eligible) or to give him a bonus worth up to $50K if he’s waived and then spends at least 60 days with the team’s G League affiliate.
As a general rule, a player who signs a training camp contract without an Exhibit 10 clause is usually just competing for a spot on his team’s 15-man regular season roster and won’t end up playing for the club’s G League affiliate if he doesn’t make the cut.
Langston Galloway (Pacers), Dennis Smith Jr. (Hornets), LiAngelo Ball (Hornets), Cody Zeller (Jazz), Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot (Suns), and Wes Iwundu (Trail Blazers) are among the other recently signed free agents who signed Exhibit 9 – not Exhibit 10 – contracts.
Here are a few more contract details from around the NBA:
- The exact cap hits on CJ McCollum‘s new extension with the Pelicans are $33,333,333 for 2024/25 and $30,666,666 for ’25/26, Hoops Rumors has confirmed. The deal is fully guaranteed, with no options or bonuses.
- Veteran players who recently signed Exhibit 10 contracts include Justin Anderson (Pacers), Norvel Pelle (Pacers), Jalen Harris (Knicks), Kostas Antetokounmpo (Bulls), PJ Dozier (Timberwolves), Brodric Thomas (Celtics), Juwan Morgan (Clippers), Zylan Cheatham (Pelicans), Zavier Simpson (Magic), and Aleem Ford (Magic), Hoops Rumors has confirmed. Anderson and Pelle were subsequently waived by Indiana.
- RaiQuan Gray (Nets), Justin Bean (Grizzlies), Jacob Gilyard (Grizzlies), Jules Bernard (Pistons), Stanley Umude (Pistons), John Butler (Pelicans), Garrison Brooks (Knicks), and Nuni Omot (Knicks) are among the rookies who recently signed Exhibit 10 contracts with their respective teams, Hoops Rumors has confirmed. Brooks and Omot have since been waived by New York.
- The Lakers and Suns were among the teams reportedly pursuing Bojan Bogdanovic but he wound up getting traded to the Pistons. The former Jazz forward says he wasn’t concerned where he ended up, according to Keith Langlois of Pistons.com. “I didn’t have any preference,” Bogdanovic said. “There’s a lot of rumors. Who knows if that’s true or not? I’m super happy and excited to be part of the Pistons.”
- Pistons forward Isaiah Livers wound up playing 19 games during his rookie season after recovering from a foot injury. He’s aiming to become a regular part of the rotation this season, he told James Edwards III of The Athletic. “I wanted to build off those last 19, 20 games,” the 2021 second-round pick said. “Coaches and everyone seemed to love the way that I was playing. It was working effectively.”
- Killian Hayes needs to improve his shooting to be in the Pistons’ long-term plans. He spent the offseason altering his shooting motion, according to James Edwards III of The Athletic. “I’m confident in my shot,” Hayes said. “I worked with different shooting coaches. We tweaked some things. I’m excited.” The former lottery pick has shot 37.4% from the field and 26.8% from long range during his first two NBA seasons.
- Bojan Bogdanovic is officially a member of the Pistons and the veteran forward is thrilled with the direction of his new team, Mike Curtis of the Detroit News writes. “I kind of knew that I was going to be traded. I was just waiting to see where I’m going to end up,” Bogdanovic said. “Super excited to be here with this young group of guys and a coach that is really experienced. Everything is great so far.”
- The Pistons made a series of intriguing roster additions this summer, drafting Jaden Ivey and Jalen Duren and trading for Bojan Bogdanovic. But in their comments to the media on Monday, general manager Troy Weaver and head coach Dwane Casey both stressed the importance of “internal growth,” writes Rod Beard of The Detroit News. “We’re hoping that our players in-house can continue to grow and develop at a pace that allows us to push and grow and compete, and then contend the way we want to,” Weaver said.
SEPTEMBER 26, 9:00pm: The Jazz and Pistons both issued press releases on Monday evening confirming the trade, which signals that all the required physicals have been completed.
As previously reported, Utah received $1,752,638 in cash along with Olynyk and Lee, which is the exact amount of Lee’s 2022/23 salary.
SEPTEMBER 22, 5:00pm: The trade is official, according to NBA.com’s transaction log. In addition to Olynyk and Lee, the Jazz acquired cash in the deal, per RealGM’s transaction log.
SEPTEMBER 22, 8:39am: The Pistons and Jazz are finalizing a trade that will send forward Bojan Bogdanovic to Detroit, sources tell Shams Charania and James L. Edwards III of The Athletic (Twitter links). According to Charania and Edwards, Utah will receive big man Kelly Olynyk and guard Saben Lee in the deal.
Bogdanovic is set to earn $19.55MM in the final year of his contract after averaging 18.1 points, 4.3 rebounds, and 1.7 assists per game in 69 appearances (30.9 MPG) for the Jazz in 2021/22. A strong frontcourt scorer and shooter, Bogdanovic has made his 39.2% of his career three-point attempts, including 40.3% over the last five seasons.
With the Jazz in the process of tearing down their roster, Bogdanovic was widely viewed as a strong candidate to be moved before the start of the season. On Wednesday, Andy Larsen of The Salt Lake Tribune cited a source close to Bogdanovic who said the forward expected to be traded soon.
Still, while a trade had been anticipated, Bogdanovic’s destination comes as a surprise. Teams like the Suns, Lakers, Mavericks, and Knicks had been cited as possible suitors for the 33-year-old, but it will be the retooling Pistons who land him. Bogdanovic’s ability to stretch the floor and hit outside shots should help create more room in the paint and play-making opportunities for Detroit’s dynamic young guards, Cade Cunningham and Jaden Ivey.
The Pistons will take advantage of their leftover cap room in acquiring Bogdanovic, sending out only Olynyk ($12.8MM) and Lee ($1.75MM) in the deal. The move will also help clear a roster logjam in Detroit — the club had 17 players on fully guaranteed salaries, but will have just 16 after completing the trade for Bogdanovic. Buyout candidate Kemba Walker is expected to be the odd man out.
As for the Jazz, they’re trading yet another productive veteran after having already found takers this offseason for Rudy Gobert, Donovan Mitchell, and Royce O’Neale. It appears they won’t continue to add to their collection of future draft assets in the Bogdanovic swap, but they’ll add a much-needed center in Olynyk to their roster, will take a shot on the 23-year-old Lee, and will create some additional breathing room below the luxury tax line.
As Yossi Gozlan of HoopsHype observes (via Twitter), the trade should move Utah from about $2MM below the luxury tax threshold to $7MM below the tax line. The team also should create a trade exception worth about $6.75MM in the deal.
While they’ll reduce this year’s team salary, the Jazz will now be on the hook for Olynyk’s $3MM partial guarantee in 2023/24. They’d owe the big man that $3MM, instead of his full $12.2MM salary, if they waive him before next year’s free agent period. Lee, meanwhile, has a $1.9MM team option for ’23/24.
The Jazz will now have 18 players on guaranteed contracts, so they’ll have to trade or release three players before opening night to get their roster down to 15.
- Pistons general manager Troy Weaver believes that after a complete overhaul during his regime, the roster is well-stocked at every position, James Edwards III of The Athletic writes. “I feel like we finally have a full complement of players,” he said. “The first two years, we didn’t. It’s my job to make sure we have a roster in place that can come out and compete. I feel like we have a full complement of players, so we can go out and compete now. We’ll be short in experience in some areas, but I’m excited about the roster and where we are.”
- Pistons second-year guard Cade Cunningham has added nearly 20 pounds and he believes he’ll be more prepared to handle the physicality of the league. “Having a stronger body … it’s a lot harder to get hurt,” he said. “I think I’ll be able to take more bumps and handle the physicality of the NBA. I’ll be a lot more prepared for it this year.”
The Pistons have exercised their 2023/24 team options for Cade Cunningham, Killian Hayes, Isaiah Stewart and Saddiq Bey, the team announced (via Twitter). The moves were expected, as all four players have been productive in different aspects of the game on their rookie contracts.
Cunningham, the No. 1 overall pick of last year’s draft, finished third in Rookie of the Year voting in ’21/22 after averaging 17.4 PPG, 5.5 RPG, 5.6 APG and 1.2 SPG on .416/.314/.845 shooting in 64 games (32.6 MPG). He put up big counting stats post-All-Star break, averaging 21.1 PPG, 5.7 RPG, 6.5 APG and 1.1 SPG, though his three-point percentage dipped (.457/.275/.833 shooting line). ’23/24 will be Cunningham’s third season, and he’ll earn $11,055,360.
Hayes was the only player of the group who might not have been viewed as a lock to have his team option picked up, as he’s dealt with injuries (he’s appeared in 92 of 154 games) and has struggled to score (6.8 PPG on .374/.268/.780 shooting) through two seasons. However, he’s a solid play-maker (6.4 assists per 36 minutes) and an above-average defender for a guard, plus he was the No. 7 overall pick in 2020 and is only 21 years old, so it’s not like the Pistons were in a rush to give up on him. Hayes will earn $7,413,955 in his fourth season.
Stewart, the No. 16 overall pick in 2020, started all 71 of his games last season (25.6 MPG), averaging 8.3 PPG, 8.7 RPG and 1.1 BPG on .510/.326/.718 shooting. A tenacious offensive rebounder, Stewart will earn $5,266,713 in year four, making him a relative bargain.
Bey, the No. 19 overall pick in 2020, appeared and started in all 82 games (33.0 MPG) for Detroit in ’21/22, averaging 16.1 PPG, 5.4 RPG and 2.8 APG on .396/.346/.827 shooting. He had a memorable 51-point outburst in a win over Orlando in March and will make $4,556,983 in the final season of his rookie deal.