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Pistons Notes: Bogdanovic, Morris, Livers, Duren

September 16th, 2023 at 8:26pm CST by Arthur Hill

Bojan Bogdanovic‘s high trade value makes him the Pistons player most likely to be dealt this season, James L. Edwards III of The Athletic writes in a mailbag column. Detroit considered several offers for the veteran swingman last season before opting to hold onto him. The Pistons are hoping to contend for a play-in spot, and they view Bogdanovic as an important part of that effort.

Part of Bogdanovic’s appeal is his team-friendly contract, which pays him $20MM for the upcoming season and carries just a $2MM guarantee on his $19MM salary for 2024/25. The deal won’t become fully guaranteed until late June of next year.

Second on Edwards’ list is Monte Morris, who was acquired from the Wizards during the offseason. Morris has a $9.8MM expiring contract, and he’ll be competing for playing time with young guards Cade Cunningham, Jaden Ivey and Marcus Sasser, who are all expected to be part of Detroit’s long-term future.

Rounding out the list, in order, are Alec Burks, Joe Harris and Marvin Bagley, but Edwards cautions that things could change if the Pistons are still in contention for a postseason spot around the trade deadline.

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Isaiah Livers will head into training camp with the widest range of outcomes, having a chance to be the starting power forward or out of the rotation entirely, Edwards adds. He says Livers has the skills to be a 3-and-D forward, but his playing time will depend on how reliable he becomes from beyond the arc. He connected on 36.5% of his three-point attempts last season.
Coming off a strong rookie season, Jalen Duren is the pre-camp favorite to win the starting center job, according to Keith Langlois of NBA.com. Duren was the NBA’s youngest player last season, but he managed to lead all rookies in total rebounds, offensive rebounds and dunks. He continued to impress at Summer League and as a member of the Select Team that scrimmaged against Team USA in Las Vegas. “I just feel good. Coming in last year, trying to figure everything out, trying to get to know the new game, the new league, it was a lot,” he said. “Now, going through my first offseason, coming back into my second year in the NBA, a lot more confidence, a lot more understanding of how it works.”
Former Pistons great Richard Hamilton, who’s now a CBS Sports analyst, likes the young roster that general manager Troy Weaver has put together, per Tony Paul of The Detroit News.“It’s gonna take time, you know, I don’t want to rush it, but I just feel as thought we got a great core of young guys,” Hamilton said. “And we’re starting to build around young guys. And the young guys are eventually gonna become veterans.”

Central Notes: Pistons, Cavs, Pacers, Craig

July 4th, 2023 at 10:16am CST by Luke Adams

The Pistons didn’t have the “loud and exciting” free agency that some fans were anticipating, but they’ve added veteran depth to their young roster, according to James L. Edwards of The Athletic, who notes that former lottery picks like Marvin Bagley III, James Wiseman, and Killian Hayes project to be low enough on the depth chart that they’ll have to earn their minutes.

Edwards does believe that all three of Bagley, Wiseman, and Hayes are candidates to be traded before or during the 2023/24 season. While more established veterans like Bojan Bogdanovic or Alec Burks could theoretically be moved too, none of the public statements made by general manager Troy Weaver about the team’s roster suggests that’s in the cards at this point, Edwards writes.

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The Cavaliers‘ 2023 offseason hasn’t been as splashy as in 2022, when the club acquired Donovan Mitchell. However, the team has accomplished virtually everything it set out to do by lining up deals to add a starting-caliber wing (Max Strus), a frontcourt shooter (Georges Niang), and a reserve center (Damian Jones), says Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com. The club also re-signed its own top free agent, Caris LeVert, and will bring in a player Koby Altman has targeted in the past: Ty Jerome. Cleveland tried to sign Jerome to a two-way contract a year ago, per Fedor, but he joined Golden State instead.
The Cavaliers announced minor some changes within their front office, having promoted Brendon Yu to be the team’s director of scouting. Yu previously held the position of Cleveland Charge general manager, a role that will be taken over by Liron Fanan, the first female G League GM in team history.
Some of the top forwards on the free agent market – including Harrison Barnes and Kyle Kuzma – may have used the Pacers‘ interest as leverage to get better deals with their own teams, notes Dustin Dopirak of The Indianapolis Star. Still, even if it wasn’t Indiana’s Plan A in free agency, Bruce Brown and Obi Toppin represent solid additions who won’t necessarily compromise the team’s financial flexibility beyond 2023/24, as Dopirak details.
Besides being able to play both forward spots and defend multiple positions, Torrey Craig will also bring some much-needed shooting to the Bulls, writes Darnell Mayberry of The Athletic. As Mayberry observes, Chicago has ranked dead last in the NBA in each of the two seasons. Craig, who agreed to a two-year deal with the team, made a career-best 39.5% of his attempts from beyond the arc last season.

Central Notes: Bucks, Pistons, Parker, Pacers’ Coaches

July 2nd, 2023 at 10:35am CST by Arthur Hill

The Bucks kept their core intact by re-signing Khris Middleton and Brook Lopez, but it will be challenging to fill out the roster while remaining under the second tax apron, writes Eric Nehm of The Athletic. The two new contracts bring Milwaukee’s projected spending for next season to nearly $170MM for eight players, leaving six more to be added without reaching the $182.79MM apron. Nehm points out that they can’t avoid the apron if they use their full $5MM taxpayer mid-level exception and will have to complete the roster mostly through veteran’s minimum contracts and re-signing their own players through Bird rights.

A new one-year deal with Jae Crowder will help, Nehm adds. The Bucks parted with five second-round picks to acquire the veteran forward in February, but he wasn’t a lock to return because he didn’t have the impact on defense that the team was expecting. Thanasis Antetokounmpo will likely be back, according to Nehm, but the Bucks are expected to wait until later this summer to officially sign him to retain their financial flexibility.

Nehm notes that finding a backup point guard will be a priority after losing Jevon Carter to the Bulls. He names Kendrick Nunn as a potential low-cost option, along with Cory Joseph, who is on the market after spending the last two seasons in Detroit.

Nehm suggests that Milwaukee could look for bargains with its other open roster spots. He mentions Kings shooting guard Terence Davis and Raptors point guard Dalano Banton as possibilities, as well the Lakers’ Malik Beasley and Lonnie Walker if they’re willing to accept minimum offers for one year to join a title contender.

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Instead of signing free agents, the Pistons used their cap room to trade for two veterans, which sets them up for big moves at the deadline and next summer, observes Omari Sankofa II of The Detroit Free Press. Joe Harris at $19.9MM and Monte Morris at $9.8MM use up virtually all of Detroit’s $30MM in cap space, but they both have expiring contracts that could be valuable at the deadline in February. Sankofa notes that the same is true for Alec Burks‘ $10.5MM deal, while Bojan Bogdanovic is virtually expiring because his 2024/25 contract only carries a $2MM guarantee.
A family matter will prevent Jabari Parker from joining the Bucks for the Las Vegas Summer League, Nehm tweets. The former No. 2 overall pick is hoping for another NBA opportunity after sitting out all of last season.
Pacers assistant Ronald Nored will join Quin Snyder‘s staff with the Hawks, tweets Scott Agness of Fieldhouse Files. Indiana will move Jenny Boucek to the front of the bench and make Jim Boylen an assistant after he served as a consultant last season.

Pistons To Pick Up Alec Burks’ 2023/24 Option

June 27th, 2023 at 7:25pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The Pistons are picking up Alec Burks‘ $10.5MM option for next season, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski tweets.

Burks appeared in 51 games for the Pistons last season, including six starts. One of the top 3-point shooting reserves in the league, Burks averaged 12.8 points in 22 minutes per game while draining 41.4% of his 3-point attempts. He also averaged 3.1 rebounds and 2.2 assists per night.

Burks was acquired from the Knicks last offseason when New York was opening up cap room to sign Jalen Brunson. In his last season with the Knicks, Burks appeared in 81 regular-season games, including 44 starts. He averaged 11.7 points, 4.9 rebounds and 3.0 assists in 28.6 minutes.

Burks provides a veteran option off the bench for new coach Monty Williams in an otherwise young guard rotation. He could also be included in a trade if the Pistons need his salary to facilitate a deal.

Detroit remains one of the few teams with cap space, projected at $30MM or more.

Pistons Notes: Barnes, Burks, Livers, McGruder, Hayes, Sasser, Thompson

June 26th, 2023 at 10:35pm CST by Dana Gauruder

There’s been plenty of speculation about the Pistons making offers to restricted free agent Cameron Johnson and unrestricted free agent Jerami Grant. The Athletic’s James Edwards III believes another forward might make a nice fit in the short-term — Kings unrestricted free agent Harrison Barnes.

Edwards doesn’t think a big one- or two-year offer to Barnes is out of the question, noting that the veeteran could provide a stabilizing force to the team’s young core.

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In the same piece, Edwards said the Pistons are likely to bring back several veteran reserves. It’s expected they’ll exercise their teams options on Alec Burks ($10,489,600) and Isaiah Livers ($1,836,096). Unrestricted free agent Rodney McGruder could also return, presumably on a veteran’s minimum deal, for a fourth consecutive season.
It’s not only unlikely the Pistons will pursue a rookie scale extension with Killian Hayes, the 2020 lottery pick may have to scrounge for playing time, Omari Sankofa II of the Detroit Free Press opines. With the addition of Marcus Sasser in the draft, Hayes will have to fight for minutes off the bench with the rookie and Burks behind starters Jaden Ivey and Cade Cunningham. The Pistons will also have plenty of options at the wing, including rookie Ausar Thompson and Bojan Bogdanovic, so the Pistons may use fewer three-guard lineups.
GM Troy Weaver has placed a premium on high character, low-maintenance players since he joined the franchise. Thompson and Sasser fit that mold, Keith Langlois of Pistons.com writes. “These two young men represent what we want to be about here in Detroit,” Weaver said. “We doubled down hard with these two. These two young men are about the right things.”

Pistons Notes: Sasser, Burks, Hayes, Thompson, Summer League

June 24th, 2023 at 7:35pm CST by Arthur Hill

After they selected Ausar Thompson with the No. 5 pick in Thursday’s draft, the Pistons started making phone calls in hopes of landing Marcus Sasser, writes James L. Edwards of The Athletic. General manager Troy Weaver had been hearing rave reviews from his scouts all season about the Houston guard, whose combination of shooting, defense and self-confidence made him a target late in the first round or early in the second round.

Detroit found a willing trade partner in the Celtics, who agreed to swap their newly acquired pick at No. 25 in exchange for the 31st selection and two future second-rounders. While it could be viewed as a high price to move up six spots, Weaver wanted to be sure he was in position to grab Sasser.

“You can talk about his shooting, defense, but he’s a rock … steady,” Weaver said. “He brings it every game. You never have to worry where he’s going to be, what he’s going to do. He’s rock solid. We wanted to add this stabilizing player and personality to the restoration. We pushed our chips in and went and got him.”

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If Sasser is going to have an immediate role, it will create a logjam in the backcourt for a team that used first-round picks on Killian Hayes, Cade Cunningham and Jaden Ivey over the past three years, Edwards adds. The Pistons hold a $10.4MM option on veteran guard Alec Burks that Edwards expects them to exercise, so a battle for playing time is shaping up. Edwards suggests that Weaver may look to trade either Burks or Hayes, who is eligible for a rookie-scale extension this offseason.
Thompson spent a few days in Detroit when he and his brother traveled there for a workout and he got a strong indication that the Pistons were going to draft him, Edwards adds in a separate story. “They told me I fit where the modern NBA was going — having multiple facilitators on the court, being able to come off screens, play defense.” Thompson said Thursday shortly after hearing his name announced. “That was one of the main things. I just felt the chemistry while being there. I was excited being there. I left there impressed. I thought this would be a place that I’d be very happy ending up. Now look at me.”
Ivey, Jalen Duren, James Wiseman and Isaiah Livers are all expected to play at least one game in the Summer League, Edwards tweets.

Pistons Rumors: Burks, Grant, Johnson, Bogdanovic, Frontcourt, More

June 9th, 2023 at 12:37pm CST by Luke Adams

The Pistons are expected to pick up their $10.5MM team option on veteran swingman Alec Burks for the 2023/24 season, Michael Scotto said during the latest episode of The HoopsHype podcast. However, Scotto’s guest James L. Edwards of The Athletic believes Detroit will be in the market for at least one more three-and-D wing in free agency, naming Jerami Grant and Cameron Johnson as potential targets.

If the Trail Blazers hang onto Damian Lillard and continue trying to contend immediately, Grant may simply re-sign in Portland. But if the Blazers pivot to a rebuild, the Pistons should be considered a prime suitor for the veteran forward, according to Edwards, who notes that Grant still has a great relationship with general manager Troy Weaver and loves the city of Detroit.

Should the Pistons strike out on top-tier targets like Grant and Johnson, they could pursue lower-level free agents such as Torrey Craig and Yuta Watanabe, per Edwards.

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Scotto has heard that the Pistons still consider Bojan Bogdanovic a core piece, and Edwards agrees that the team seems to want to keep him rather than move him. Still, Edwards notes that if the team makes a big addition at forward (such as Grant or Johnson) and gets a good offer for Bogdanovic, a trade isn’t out of the question.
Scotto has spoken to rival executives who think the addition of James Wiseman to a frontcourt that also includes Jalen Duren and Marvin Bagley III could land Isaiah Stewart on the trade block. Edwards is skeptical though, suggesting that the Pistons saw an opportunity to roll the dice on Wiseman and still like the big men they’ve drafted. “As someone who’s on the ground floor, I think the situation has been misinterpreted a little bit,” Edwards told Scotto. “I think it’s far more likely that Duren and Stewart are the frontcourt. I think Wiseman was a guy they had a chance to get that they liked coming into his draft and see if they could unlock some potential as a backup big or starting big. Right now, it’s Duren and Stewart’s frontcourt job.” Stewart is more likely to be extended than traded this summer, Edwards adds.
Killian Hayes is open to signing a rookie scale extension with Detroit this offseason, according to Scotto. Edwards expects the Pistons to hold off on a new deal though, suggesting the team will wait another year and then evaluate Hayes’ situation in 2024, when he’s eligible for restricted free agency.
Before the Pistons made a last-minute push to hire Monty Williams as their head coach, they were preparing to offer the job to Charles Lee. “His second interview really sealed that home for a lot of people, everyone in the front office, until they sat down as a group, I’m told, and explored and made sure this was what they wanted to do,” Edwards said. “The owner brought up bringing one more run at Monty. They make the run, break the bank, and Monty is the coach.”

Cavs Notes: Mitchell, Next Season, LeVert, Garland, Wing Upgrades

April 27th, 2023 at 10:49pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The Cavaliers traded for Donovan Mitchell to make them a true contender. Mitchell felt personally responsible for the team’s 4-1 series loss to the Knicks, according to Kelsey Russo of The Athletic.

“I don’t feel like I was the player I needed to be for this group,” Mitchell said. “That’s what’s gonna keep me up at night. I’ve done it all year. You know what I mean? So I just didn’t deliver like I expected myself to, my teammates and everybody expects me to. And like I said, I take that upon myself, man, like I gotta be better.”

Mitchell averaged 23.2 points — five below his season average — and shot 43.3 percent and 28.9 on 3-point attempts in the series.

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This year’s playoff flop puts immense pressure on the team to get deeper into the postseason next year, Jason Lloyd of The Athletic opines. Even though Mitchell is signed through the 2025/26 season, he can opt out in the summer of 2025. If the Cavs can’t get a long-term commitment from Mitchell after next season, they may need to trade him, Lloyd writes. They also don’t have many assets to upgrade the roster.
Caris LeVert is headed to free agency but he “absolutely” wants to re-sign, Chris Fedor of the Cleveland Plain Dealer tweets. LeVert averaged 18 points in the last four games of the series.
Darius Garland learned some lessons during the series, Fedor writes at Cleveland.com. Garland’s eyes were opened by the different tempo and intensity in the playoffs. “The pace is just so fast, it’s just coming to you really quick,” Garland said. “It’s a lot to process. Go back and watch this film, see what we did wrong. Trying to learn from it as much as I can. It hurts, but we know what it feels like. We know how playoff basketball is. We know the physicality of it. We know the mental aspect of it. It’s going to make us work hard and we’re going to remember this feeling.”
How can the Cavs upgrade at the wing? Yossi Gozlan of HoopsHype explores that topic in his offseason primer. They could target Josh Richardson, Jalen McDaniels or Kelly Oubre with their mid-level exception. They could also try to trade for a forward with the MLE since the new CBA allows it to be used as a trade exception. Potential targets in that case could include Royce O’Neale, Reggie Bullock or Alec Burks.

Pistons Notes: Burks, Livers, Coaching Search, Diallo, Offseason

April 20th, 2023 at 11:00am CST by Arthur Hill

The Pistons are likely to exercise their team options on Alec Burks and Isaiah Livers for next season, but the decision on Eugene Omoruyi appears to be less clear, writes Mike Curtis of The Detroit News (subscription required).

Burks, who will make $10.5MM if Detroit decides to keep him, was a valuable member of the team’s reserve unit because of his ability to create shots for himself and his teammates, Curtis notes. There was speculation that Burks might be moved at the trade deadline, but Curtis believes the front office sees him as a valuable component for a team that hopes to contend for a play-in spot next season.

Livers seems like a safe investment at his $1.8MM price tag for next season. Although injuries have slowed his progress, Curtis notes that he has responded to the nightly challenge of guarding the opposing team’s best player. He has also improved his mid-range game and shows promise of developing into a reliable scorer.

Omoruyi joined the Pistons in February on a pair of 10-day contracts and landed a deal that included a non-guaranteed $1.9MM salary for 2023/24. If his option is picked up, he’ll likely be part of Detroit’s Summer League team.

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General manager Troy Weaver appears to be open to hiring an unproven head coach, observes Omari Sankofa II of The Detroit Free Press (subscription required). Pistons assistant coaches Rex Kalamian and Jerome Allen are both candidates for the job, and other names mentioned include Bucks assistant Charles Lee, Heat assistant Chris Quinn, Nets assistant Brian Keefe, Pelicans assistant Jarrod Collins and Bulls assistant Josh Longstaff. Sankofa notes that the first-time coach strategy has paid off recently for teams such as the Grizzlies, Thunder, Jazz and Pelicans.
The Pistons could have up to $30MM in cap space this summer, but there’s a chance they may lose some of their own free agents while they concentrate on the bigger names on the market, Keith Langlois of Pistons.com states in a mailbag column. One possibility is Hamidou Diallo, who Langlois said may appeal to a team with limited resources to offer.
James L. Edwards of The Athletic examines what a perfect offseason would look like for Detroit. It starts, of course, by winning the draft lottery and drafting Victor Wembanyama, and may include bringing back Jerami Grant in free agency and trading Bojan Bogdanovic.

Central Notes: Allen, Antetokounmpo, Matthews, Bagley

March 12th, 2023 at 9:58pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Cavaliers center Jarrett Allen didn’t suffer any structural damage to his right eye after getting hit in the face by Miami’s Bam Adebayo on Friday, Chris Fedor of the Cleveland Plain Dealer reports. Allen’s eye is bloodshot and puffy but he shouldn’t miss significant time.

“We’re extremely fortunate and he’s extremely fortunate,” Cavs coach J.B. Bickerstaff said. “Any time you take a shot to the eye like that, there are so many different things that can happen. There’s the other guy’s fingernail and the placement of the hit and all those things that come to mind that it could have been. … It’s something we believe he will recover from pretty quickly.”

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The right hand soreness that caused Bucks superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo to miss Saturday’s game against Golden State is a byproduct of an earlier ailment, Eric Nehm of The Athletic tweets. Antetokounmpo’s current injury stems from the right wrist injury he suffered against the Bulls before the All-Star Game, coach Mike Budenholzer told the media.
Bucks guard Wesley Matthews appears close to returning from a calf strain, according to Budenholzer, Jim Owczarski of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel tweets. Matthews hasn’t played since Feb. 16.
Add Marvin Bagley III to the list of sidelined Pistons players. He’ll miss the rematch with the Pacers on Monday after departing early in Detroit’s loss to Indiana on Saturday due to right ankle soreness, Omari Sankofa II of the Detroit Free Press tweets. Jaden Ivey will miss the game due to health and safety protocols, while Bojan Bogdanovic and Alec Burks are nursing injuries. Isaiah Stewart, Hamidou Diallo and Cade Cunningham are not expected to play the remainder of the season.