Detroit Pistons Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Trade Rumors: Kings, Wizards, THJ, Grizzlies, Rockets

June 26th, 2024 at 10:07pm CST by Luke Adams

In the minutes and hours leading up to their No. 13 pick in tonight’s draft, the Kings were engaged in trade talks involving that selection, according to Jason Anderson of The Sacramento Bee (Twitter link).

Sacramento ultimately used that pick to select Providence guard Devin Carter and it doesn’t appear that there are any plans to trade him, but it seems safe to assume the Kings will remain on the lookout for help on the wing. Anderson says Wizards forward Kyle Kuzma and Nets sharpshooter Cameron Johnson were among the names he heard linked to the Kings, while Jake Fischer of Yahoo Sports (Twitter link) notes that Sacramento expressed interest in another Net, Dorian Finney-Smith, prior to February’s trade deadline.

Here are a few more draft-day trade rumors:

The Wizards have emerged as another “viable” trade partner for the Mavericks with Tim Hardaway Jr., according to Marc Stein (Twitter link), who previously identified Detroit as a possible landing spot for Hardaway. Unlike the Pistons, Washington doesn’t project to have cap room this offseason, so Dallas would likely have to take back some salary in a deal with the Wizards. As Stein points out, the two teams have already made one trade this year, with Washington sending Daniel Gafford to the Mavs in February.
Before drafting Ron Holland at No. 5, Detroit talked to the Grizzlies about a trade back to No. 9, but Memphis didn’t present anything “substantial” to convince the Pistons to make a deal, reports James L. Edwards III of The Athletic. The Grizzlies, who were believed to be eyeing Donovan Clingan, also spoke to the Hornets about the No. 6 pick, according to Fischer (Twitter link). Clingan ultimately went to Portland at No. 7, with Memphis opting for another center, Zach Edey, at No. 9.
Despite rumors that the Rockets want to turn around and immediately trade the draft assets they got from Brooklyn for a star – possibly Kevin Durant – Jonathan Feigen of The Houston Chronicle believes the team will take a longer-term outlook. As Feigen writes in a subscriber-only story, if Houston were prioritizing making a deal in the short term, the Nets picks they gave up would’ve been valuable assets. By kicking those picks down the road, the Rockets created a longer runway to explore the trade market and pursue possible deals.

Good Chance They'll Trade Pick

June 26th, 2024 at 3:41pm CST by Dana Gauruder

There’s a “very high” chance the Pistons will trade the No. 5 pick and move into the back half of the lottery, according to James Edwards III of The Athletic. He views the Bulls, Grizzlies, Thunder and Trail Blazers as the most likely candidates to work out a deal for that pick. Cody Williams and Tidjane Salaun could be targeted in the back half of the lottery if Detroit moves down. ESPN’s Jonathan Givony has reported that the Jazz, who have the No. 10 overall pick, might look to move into the No. 5 slot.

Draft Rumors: Knicks, Sixers, Dillingham, Heat, Jazz, Lakers, More

June 26th, 2024 at 8:17am CST by Luke Adams

After surrendering several future first-round picks in their trade agreement for Mikal Bridges, the Knicks are now considered more likely to keep their three picks – No. 24, No. 25, and No. 38 – in this year’s draft, which begins on Wednesday night, Jonathan Givony writes in ESPN’s latest mock draft (Insider link).

The updated mock draft from Givony and ESPN’s Jeremy Woo includes several more notable tidbits, including the fact that the Sixers have conducted perhaps the fewest pre-draft workouts of any team with a first-round pick, resulting in speculation that the No. 16 selection will be traded.

Givony also provides an update on Kentucky’s Rob Dillingham, who wasn’t able to work out for teams for most of the pre-draft process due to an ankle injury. According to Givony, teams picking both earlier and later in the first round are trying to figure out where they might need to get to in order to land Dillingham, who has been considered a candidate to fall further than initially anticipated.

The Heat at No. 15 would be one option for Dillingham, as rival teams expect them to select a guard at that spot. Jared McCain, Isaiah Collier, and Carlton Carrington have also been mentioned as candidates for Miami at No. 15, Givony writes.

Here’s more on the 2024 NBA draft, which gets underway in less than 11 hours:

According to Givony, the Jazz (No. 10) have looked into some trade-up scenarios involving the Pistons‘ No. 5 overall pick. Their likely target would be UConn’s Stephon Castle, who is considered a possibility for the Hornets at No. 6 but may also come off the board at No. 4 to the Spurs, Givony explains.
Some rival executives think the Lakers will attempt to move up from No. 17 in the draft in order to target a specific player, according to Dan Woike of The Los Angeles Times, who says Providence’s Devin Carter and Baylor’s Ja’Kobe Walter are two prospects the team likes.
Within his final look at the Spurs‘ draft options at No. 4 and 8, LJ Ellis of SpursTalk says a rumor that San Antonio has made a promise to French forward Tidjane Salaun has been “spreading like wildfire in the draft world,” though he hasn’t been able to confirm it himself. Ellis lists Salaun at No. 5 on his big board of Spurs draft prospects.
Salaun is also a potential target to watch for the Trail Blazers at No. 7, according to Sean Highkin of The Rose Garden Report (Substack link), who identifies Donovan Clingan, Cody Williams, Dalton Knecht, and Salaun as the prospects he believes Portland is most interested in. At No. 14, Highkin views Kyshawn George, Tristan Da Silva, Kel’el Ware, and Zach Edey as the Blazers’ most likely targets.

Fischer’s Latest: Draft Rumors, Marshall, Young, Kings, Topic, Knicks, Lowry

June 26th, 2024 at 7:10am CST by Luke Adams

As several of this year’s green room invitees gathered on Tuesday to speak to the media, there was a sense of uncertainty about how Wednesday’s draft will play out, according to Jake Fischer of Yahoo Sports, who says that many prospects don’t have a real sense of where they’ll be picked.

According to Fischer, the Spurs conducted a meeting with Donovan Clingan over Zoom this past weekend and have been linked to the UConn center more in recent days than they were earlier in the pre-draft process. However, many people around the league believe that’s a smokescreen to entice a team like the Trail Blazers or Grizzlies to trade up to No. 4 to draft him.

If the Grizzlies end up trading down from No. 9, the Heat (No. 15) are viewed as a team that may have interest in moving up, Fischer writes, adding that the Cavaliers at No. 20 have also received a number of calls from teams drafting near the end of the first round with interest in trading up.

The Thunder, who hold the No. 12 pick, have more than enough ammunition in future picks to move up from there if they want to, but if they stand pat, Pittsburgh’s Carlton Carrington is viewed as one possibility for that pick, Fischer reports. Meanwhile, Indiana big man Kel’el Ware has been repeatedly mentioned by league personnel as a candidate to be drafted at No. 19 by the Raptors, Fischer says.

As for the Bucks at No. 23, with rumors circulating that they could move Brook Lopez this offseason, rival teams believe they may be targeting a possible center of the future at that spot. Sources tell Yahoo Sports that Dayton’s DaRon Holmes is one player Milwaukee tried to bring in for a workout, but he declined that invitation. However, Fischer confirms – as Michael Scotto of HoopsHype previously reported – that Holmes, who has also been linked to the Kings, doesn’t have a promise from the Nuggets.

Here’s more from Fischer:

If the Mavericks are unable to re-sign Derrick Jones and have a hole to fill on the wing, they’re expected to show interest in Pelicans free agent Naji Marshall, sources tell Fischer, who adds that the Pistons are another potential suitor to watch for Marshall.
The Lakers, Pelicans, and Spurs are among the possible destinations that would appeal to Trae Young if the Hawks decide to move him, Fischer says.
While the Kings continue to explore the market for a potential deal involving the No. 13 pick and one or both of Harrison Barnes and Kevin Huerter, they don’t appear to have gained any momentum toward a deal for either Hawks guard (Young or Dejounte Murray), Pelicans forward Brandon Ingram, or any other player of that caliber, Fischer writes.
The Magic hired Milenko Topic – Nikola Topic‘s father and a former coach in Serbia and Hungary – to a front office role this past season, per Fischer. That’s a key reason why people around the league believe Orlando at No. 18 is the floor for Nikola in Wednesday’s draft, though he may not make it that far.
After agreeing to acquire Mikal Bridges from Brooklyn, the Knicks might not be done adding former Villanova Wildcats. In a separate Yahoo Sports story on the Bridges deal, Fischer cites sources who say veteran point guard Kyle Lowry has been mentioned as a possible free agent target for New York.

Pistons To Hire Mavs Exec Dennis Lindsey As Senior VP

June 25th, 2024 at 6:46pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The Pistons are hiring Mavericks executive Dennis Lindsey as their senior VP of basketball operations, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski tweets.

Lindsey will serve as one of Trajan Langdon‘s top assistants in the restructured Detroit front office. Langdon was hired away from the Pelicans to become the Pistons’ president of basketball operations.

Lindsey was the other finalist for Detroit’s top executive job, which was previously held by general manager Troy Weaver. That didn’t stop the Pistons from continuing to pursue Lindsey in a secondary role. He met with owner Tom Gores multiple times during the process for hiring a team president. Prior to getting hired by Dallas, Lindsey was Utah’s GM from 2012-19.

The Pistons are also reportedly hiring Michael Blackstone as their executive VP of basketball operations, so it’s unclear when Lindsey or Blackstone will be Langdon’s right-hand man or if they’ll have equal say.

Detroit, of course, is still in the midst of a coaching search after dismissing Monty Williams last week.

Pistons Considered Potential Trade Destination For Mavs’ Hardaway

June 25th, 2024 at 3:43pm CST by Luke Adams

The Pistons have emerged as a possible landing spot for Mavericks wing Tim Hardaway Jr., league sources tell Marc Stein (Twitter link).

Stein previously reported that Hardaway would be a prime trade candidate to watch this offseason and that Dallas was more likely than ever to find a taker for the 32-year-old, who is entering the final season of his four-year contract, with his cap hit declining to $16.2MM.

According to Stein, finding a deal involving Hardaway is a “key element” of the Mavs’ plan to re-sign starting small forward Derrick Jones. Dallas only holds Non-Bird rights on Jones and can’t offer him a contract worth more than 20% above the minimum without dipping into its mid-level exception. The club projects to operate over the tax in 2024/25, so trading Hardaway and shedding some salary could open up the full non-taxpayer mid-level exception ($12.9MM) rather than just the taxpayer form of the MLE ($5.2MM).

Meanwhile, new Pistons president of basketball operations Trajan Langdon has spoken openly about his club’s willingness to take on unwanted contracts if they’re attached to more valuable assets. Detroit projects to have a significant chunk of cap space available this summer (potentially $60MM+) and could easily absorb Hardaway’s expiring $16.2MM salary while still having plenty of room left over.

In a subscriber-only article for The Detroit Free Press published prior to Stein’s report, Pistons beat writer Omari Sankofa II suggested that a deal sending Hardaway and a pair of future second-round picks to Detroit might make sense for both sides. The Pistons made a similar move last offseason when they acquired Joe Harris‘ $19.9MM expiring contract along with two second-rounders from Brooklyn.

Detroit had envisioned Harris bringing much-needed shooting to the roster, but the veteran swingman battled injuries and wasn’t productive when he did play. Hardaway would theoretically be a more effective rotation piece for the Pistons. He’s coming off a season in which he averaged 14.4 points, 3.2 rebounds, and 1.8 assists in 26.8 minutes per game across 79 appearances, with a shooting line of .402/.353/.852. Since he played a limited role in the playoffs though, there has been a sense that his days with Dallas may be numbered.

According to Stein (Twitter link), the two teams don’t have the framework of a trade in place yet, but scenarios involving Pistons wing Quentin Grimes have been discussed. Grimes’ cap hit for 2024/25 is just $4.3MM, so a deal that includes no additional players besides him and Hardaway would still create substantial cap savings for the Mavs on top of giving them a potential rotation player.

However, Grimes was the primary piece Detroit got back in the February trade that sent Bojan Bogdanovic and Alec Burks to New York, so the Pistons will presumably be seeking more than a second-round pick or two if they agree to send him out and take on Hardaway’s salary.

Stein’s Latest: O’Neale, George, Pelicans, Murray, Anunoby, Pistons

June 25th, 2024 at 12:22pm CST by Luke Adams

Rumors have begun to circulate that free agent forward Royce O’Neale will end up signing a four-year contract to remain with the Suns, Marc Stein writes in his latest Substack story.

The Suns have long been expected to re-sign O’Neale, since they’ll be over the second tax apron and wouldn’t be in position to sign an equivalent replacement if he heads elsewhere. However, there has been a belief that they’ll likely have to go up to three or four years in order to retain the three-and-D wing to make up for the fact that other suitors may offer him a shorter-term deal with a more lucrative starting salary.

Phoenix has five more days left in its exclusive negotiating window with O’Neale. If he hasn’t agreed to terms by the time the free agent period opens on Sunday evening, he’ll be able to negotiate with other clubs.

Here’s more from Stein’s latest rumor roundup:

Securing a four-year contract is a goal for Paul George this summer, according to Stein, who suggests that chatter about George’s willingness to consider signing with a cap-room team or pushing for a change of scenery in an opt-in-and-trade scenario may be aimed at convincing the Clippers to put that fourth year on the table. There has been a sense that staying in Los Angeles would ultimately be George’s preference, but the club has seemingly only offered him a three-year deal thus far.
While it remains unclear whether the Hawks would prefer to trade Trae Young or Dejounte Murray this offseason, it’s worth noting that the Pelicans are “known to be longtime admirers” of Murray, Stein writes. New Orleans is believed to be open to a roster shake-up this summer, with forward Brandon Ingram viewed as a strong candidate to be dealt.
It’s still hard to find many people around the NBA who think OG Anunoby will leave the Knicks as a free agent, Stein writes, pointing out that Sam Rose – one of Anunoby’s agents at CAA – is the son of Knicks president of basketball operations Leon Rose.
The Pistons‘ head coaching search may move quicker than initially anticipated, Stein writes, adding that James Borrego, Sean Sweeney, and Micah Nori are the “foremost known candidates.” Borrego is believed to have a leg up due to his time together with new Pistons head of basketball operations Trajan Langdon in New Orleans, Stein notes. However, both Sweeney and Nori have spent time in the organization, having worked on Dwane Casey‘s staff from 2018-21.

Central Rumors: LaVine, Bulls, Pistons, Cade, Bucks, Cavs, More

June 24th, 2024 at 2:01pm CST by Luke Adams

The Bulls continue to seek a deal involving Zach LaVine, but last week’s four-year, $78MM contract agreement between the Kings and Malik Monk may have removed a prime suitor from the picture, according to Michael Scotto of HoopsHype, who says some rival executives believe retaining Monk will take Sacramento out of talks for LaVine. As Scotto has previously reported, Kings wing Kevin Huerter has fans within Chicago’s front office, so if the two teams did explore a trade involving LaVine, it seems safe to assume Huerter would be involved.

In other Bulls news, Chicago is interested in re-signing center Andre Drummond, league sources tell Scotto. The big man will be an unrestricted free agent this summer after spending the past two seasons backing up Nikola Vucevic.

Scotto also states that – prior to last week’s Alex Caruso/Josh Giddey swap – there was a belief around the league that the Bulls and Thunder would consider a possible sign-and-trade deal involving Patrick Williams. It’s unclear if that idea is off the table now or if the two clubs will look into making a second offseason trade.

Finally, Scotto reports that before they struck deals to add Wes Unseld Jr. and Dan Craig to Billy Donovan‘s coaching staff, the Bulls also reached out and talked to former head coaches Nate McMillan and Dwane Casey.

Here are a few more items of interest from around the Central:

The Pistons – along with the Magic – were expected to be in the mix for Monk before he reached an agreement to return to Sacramento, according to Scotto, who says Detroit will continue to explore the trade and free agent markets for shooting help this offseason.
Elsewhere on the Pistons front, Scotto writes that a number of executives around the NBA believe Detroit will come to terms on a maximum-salary rookie scale extension for former No. 1 pick Cade Cunningham.
The Bucks, still very much in win-now mode, are open to the idea of trading the No. 23 pick in the draft, league sources tell Scotto. Executives with rival teams also get the sense that Milwaukee would be willing to move Bobby Portis and/or Pat Connaughton in order to upgrade the roster, though Scotto notes that both players have come up in trade talks in the past and nothing has come of it to this point.
James Borrego was considered the frontrunner for the Cavaliers‘ head coaching job last week before the front office met with team owner Dan Gilbert, per Shams Charania, Joe Vardon, and Jason Lloyd of The Athletic. After that meeting between management and Gilbert, Kenny Atkinson‘s candidacy “gained considerable momentum,” The Athletic’s trio adds. Assistant coaches Jordan Ott and Trevor Hendry, who worked with Atkinson in Brooklyn, are viewed as potential additions to his new staff in Cleveland, notes Scotto.

Troy Weaver To Join Wizards As Senior Advisor

June 24th, 2024 at 7:48am CST by Arthur Hill

Former Pistons general manager Troy Weaver will become a senior advisor with the Wizards, sources told Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN.

As rumored last week, Weaver will reunite with Monumental Sports/Wizards president Michael Winger and GM Will Dawkins, who took over the team last summer. The three executives spent more than a decade together in Oklahoma City’s front office.

Wojnarowski hears that Weaver’s agent, Andy Miller of Klutch Sports, is finalizing a contract to have Weaver in place in time for Wednesday’s draft and the start of free agency this weekend. A team executive tells Woj that Winger and Dawkins consider Weaver to be a “truth teller” who is willing to challenge them regarding difficult decisions.

Weaver is also viewed as an expert on prospect evaluation and player development, according to Wojnarowski, who cites his role in creating the powerful Thunder team built around Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook and James Harden.

Weaver is a Washington, D.C., native, and Wojnarowski notes that he launched his career as head coach of DC Assault, a successful AAU program. That led to assistant coaching jobs in the college ranks with Pittsburgh, New Mexico and Syracuse and eventually an NBA opportunity as the head scout in Utah.

Weaver and the Pistons parted ways in what was termed a “mutual decision” earlier this month as part of an organizational housecleaning after Trajan Langdon was hired as head of basketball operations. Detroit also dismissed head coach Monty Williams and is still searching for his replacement.

Although he didn’t produce much on-court success during his four years with the Pistons, Weaver assembled a promising collection of young talent. Draft picks during his tenure produced Cade Cunningham, Jaden Ivey, Jalen Duren and Ausar Thompson.

Pistons Notes: Langdon, Offseason, Williams, Draft, Gores

June 23rd, 2024 at 8:30pm CST by Dana Gauruder

New Pistons president of basketball operations Trajan Langdon said he’s willing to use a chunk of his cap space to take on unwanted contracts from teams looking to shed salary. He’ll look for sweeteners as he tries to build assets during the franchise’s latest rebuild.

“One thing we are looking for with the cap space we do have is bringing in contracts maybe from other teams and gathering assets as well,” Langdon said. “Hopefully, with the players that come in, they can bolster the growth (of the younger players). If we can interweave those two things, that would make our summer successful.”

The Pistons could have more than $60MM in cap space to utilize. However, Langdon isn’t looking for a quick fix, even if the team’s fan base is weary of losing. Detroit hasn’t won a playoff series since 2008.

“I don’t think there’s a timeframe for us to get to the playoffs,” he said.

We have more on the Pistons:

Team owner Tom Gores gave the green light to Langdon to dismiss head coach Monty Williams, even though Williams had five years and $65MM remaining on his contract. Gores had no qualms about eating that much money in order for a fresh start. “When you have to adjust, you adjust,” Gores said, per Omari Sankofa II of theDetroit Free Press. “This franchise means everything to me. It’s not like I didn’t think about it for a second, but the right thing has to survive. I think it was the right move for all of us, including for Monty, but it’s not like I didn’t think about it at all. It’s significant. We’ve just always got to do the best thing for the franchise.”
The Pistons will be picking fifth in this week’s draft, though Langdon is willing to move that selection if the right offer comes along, Sankofa writes in a separate story. “We like five a lot,” he said. “Obviously we’re going to look to be strategic. If someone comes along and blows us away for that fifth pick, I think we have to understand and analyze what’s the best decision. Do we pick at five, or do we move back? We’re not looking at moving out of the draft, but again, if decisions come and offers come that we think will make us better as an organization going forward, we’re going to have to look at everything. If we stay at five, we’ll find a good player.”
Langdon spoke about punctuality during Friday’s press conference, expecting players and employees to be on time and return phone calls and texts promptly. Those words rang hollow to the media, who waited for over an hour after the scheduled start of the press conference due to Gores being stuck in traffic, Shawn Windsor of the Free Press notes. It fed into the notion that Gores is disconnected from the franchise, something he denies. “I know some people think I’m not attached enough to the organization, that I’m detached. But I want to give this organization everything I can,” he said.