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Pistons Exercise 2025/26 Options On Four Players

October 21st, 2024 at 5:36pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The Pistons have exercised their 2025/26 contract options on Jaden Ivey, Jalen Duren, Ausar Thompson and Marcus Sasser, the team’s PR department tweets.

For Ivey and Duren, the options cover their fourth NBA seassons. Ivey, the fifth pick in 2022, will now get a guaranteed $10,107,163. Duren, chosen 13th overall that same draft after the Pistons swung a deal to acquire him, will make $6,483,144 next season.

Both players will either start or be regular second-unit players this season. They will be eligible for rookie scale extensions next summer.

Thompson and Sasser were first-rounders last season. Thompson, the No. 5 pick in 2023, will make $8,775,162 in 2025/26, while Sasser, the No. 25 pick last year, will receive $2,886,431. The Pistons will have until October 31, 2025 to pick up their fourth-year options for ’26/27.

Notably, the Pistons also have a fifth player who has a rookie scale team option for 2025/26: Wendell Moore, acquired over the summer in a trade with Minnesota, would make $4,574,283 if his option is picked up.

While Detroit still has another 10 days to exercise Moore’s option, teams typically announce all of those decisions at the same time, so his omission from today’s press release is a strong indication that option won’t be picked up. Assuming that’s the case, he’d become an unrestricted free agent next summer.

We’re tracking all of the ’25/26 rookie scale option decisions right here.

Pistons Notes: Beasley, Klintman, Point Guards

October 6th, 2024 at 1:47pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

New floor-spacing Pistons shooting guard Malik Beasley has been a critical addition to Detroit’s revamped three-point shooting attack, writes Keith Langlois of Pistons.com.

Last year, Detroit ranked 29th in made three-pointers, 27th in attempts, and 26th in conversion rate. Beasley — along with fellow veterans Tobias Harris and Tim Hardaway Jr. — was brought in expressly to address that issue this year.

Across 79 contests as the Bucks’ (mostly) starting shooting guard last year, Beasley was an elite high-volume, long-range sniper. He averaged 11.3 points per game on .443/.413/.714 shooting splits, with 6.9 of his 9.1 nightly field goal attempts coming from the beyond the arc.

“We’re more talking about the type of [three-point] shots that we’re trying to create and how we’re going to create them,” new head coach J.B. Bickerstaff said of how he plans to approach his fresh optionality from beyond the arc. “Right now, the emphasis is on we want to create as many feet-set, catch-and-shoot threes as we can and then what do we have to do before that to get to those shots. That’s where we’re at right now.”

There’s more out of Detroit:

Rookie Pistons combo forward Bobi Klintman missed a team practice late last week with a calf contusion, reports Omari Sankofa II of The Detroit Free Press (Twitter link). Klintman will miss a few days as a precaution, Sankofa adds. Detroit selected Klintman out of Wake Forest with the No. 37 overall pick this summer.
Detroit is looking to share ball-handling duties when starting point guard Cade Cunninghamis on the bench, Sankofa writes in a story for The Free Press. Without another traditional point guard currently on the team, Bickerstaff is looking to spread the wealth and build the confidence of his other players as passers and play-makers. “We may not have guys who are historically initiators, but we’ve got guys that can handle the ball and make plays and use their intelligence,” Bickerstaff said. “You’re going to see, from us, a ton of guys that have the ball in their hands and are making decisions. We may not have a primary ball-handler all the time, but we can split it up and make ourselves a little more difficult to guard.” Combo guards Jaden Ivey and Marcus Sasser are among the players who figure to see minutes in that role.
In case you missed it, the Pistons are looking to transition veteran big man Isaiah Stewart back to his preferred role of center for most of his minutes. Stewart had spent more time at power forward in recent years.

Eastern Notes: Larsson, Johnson, McConnell, Ivey, Sasser, Long Island Nets

September 3rd, 2024 at 8:48pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Heat second-round pick Pelle Larsson and two-way rookie Keshad Johnson were teammates at Arizona. The Wildcats head coach believes they’ll fit right in with the Heat culture, he told Anthony Chiang of the Miami Herald.

“I think one of the things that makes them impressive prospects is they’re both wired and willing to be great role players,” Arizona coach Tommy Lloyd said. “You know, 100 percent of their focus is going to be contributing to the team’s overall success. These aren’t like shoot first, ask questions later type of guys. So they’re going to give you a well-rounded effort on both ends of the floor. On offense, they’re going to play their role and stay in their lane. Then defensively and in all the effort areas, they’re going to max that stuff out.”

Larsson looked like he could quickly contribute. During Summer League competition, he averaged 15.5 points, 3.5 rebounds, 4.3 assists and 1.3 steals per game. He signed a three-year contract starting at the rookie minimum.

We have more from the Eastern Conference:

T.J. McConnell‘s four-year extension with the Pacers includes a partial guarantee in the third year of the contract and a team option in the final season, according to Bobby Marks of ESPN (Twitter link). The four-year, $44.8MM extension breaks down like this — $10.2MM in 2025/26; $11MM in 2026/27; $11.8MM ($5MM partial guarantee) in 2027/28; and a $11.8MM team option in 2028/29.
Though Jaden Ivey and Marcus Sasser are not natural point guards, The Athletic’s James Edwards believes one of them will back up Cade Cunningham rather than the Pistons making another roster move. Adding a free agent point guard would take away some of their playing time and the Pistons already brought in Tim Hardaway Jr. via trade and Malik Beasley via free agency. That duo will likely soak up a lot of minutes at shooting guard.
The NBA G League’s Long Island Nets will play six home games at in Montreal, two each in January, February and March, NetsDaily.com relays. Most of the team’s games are held at Nassau Coliseum. It’s speculated that the club is looking to extend its brand internationally.

Central Notes: Turner, Pistons Guards, Herd Arena

August 11th, 2024 at 9:08pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Myles Turner believes the Pacers need to be a better rebounding team to reach their ultimate goal, he said on a Club 520 podcast (hat tip to HoopsHype).

“I think one, we’ve gotta be a better rebounding team, we’re still kind of small,” he said. “We just got James Wiseman ,so that helps a bit you know I mean he’s like 7-1 but outside of me, Isaiah Jackson was 6-9, Jalen Smith at the time was 6-9, 6-10… So we just (need) to have more frontcourt presence, especially off the bench.”

Turner also mentioned that rebounding was cited as the main reason why he’s never won a Defensive Player of the Year award. Turner has twice led the league in blocks.

“What they always told me was like, ‘Well, you don’t rebound,’ and I was like ‘all right’ — you know, I’ll take that on the chin, cool,” he said (hat tip to HoopsHype). “But I feel like defense is more than being just a defensive rebounder, like I’m leading like a like a number two defense in the league, and know we have a decent record. But bro, we don’t play on TV, we didn’t get very far in the playoffs so no exposure, so it’s like they had to justify who they get this award to, and it became like a popularity contest.'”

We have more from the Central Division:

To varying degrees, Pistons guards Cade Cunningham, Jaden Ivey and Marcus Sasser have something to prove this upcoming season, Omari Sankofa II of the Detroit Free Press writes. Cunningham received a max rookie scale extension and he’ll need to show his late-season surge is closer to his norm. Ivey has to be more efficient, coming off a disappointing sophomore campaign, and improve defensively. Sasser needs to show he’s worthy of being the main backup at the point.
The Wisconsin Herd, the Bucks’ NBA G League team, is close to an agreement that would keep the franchise in Oshkosh for the foreseeable future, Justin Marville of the Oshkosh Northwestern reports. The Herd’s future at the arena was uncertain because of claims that the arena’s management had violated the current lease. A judge granted a motion for a different venue management company to oversee the operations of Oshkosh Arena. The Herd had opt-out provisions that could have released the team from its lease agreement due to the arena’s financial difficulties.
The Cavaliers have numerous roster openings but aren’t in a rush to fill them. Get the details here.

Central Notes: Mitchell, Sanogo, Bulls, Sasser, Green

April 13th, 2024 at 8:22am CST by Tristan Tucker

Cavaliers guard Donovan Mitchell is looking like he’s regained his All-Star form over the past two games after a rough combination of injuries and off-nights following Valentine’s Day, The Athletic’s Joe Vardon writes. Mitchell appeared in just nine games since the mid-point of February and averaged 16.9 points per contest on 37.8% shooting, well below his season averages of 26.6 PPG and 46.2%.

His return to form began on Wednesday against the Grizzlies when Mitchell shot 52.9% from the field (9-of-17), his highest mark since Feb. 27. According to Vardon, Mitchell’s knee injury sapped him of the ability to get by defenders and get to the rim since mid-February, but he moved around much better against Memphis and he was more vocal and animated than he had been in recent weeks. For what it’s worth, coach J.B. Bickerstaff expects Mitchell to fully get back into form before the postseason begins.

“To me, there is no doubt that he’ll get there,” Bickerstaff said. “We’ve got three games in almost 14 days, so he has an opportunity to do some really good work on his body, on the court. We know who Donovan is and what he is capable of.”

Mitchell followed his game against Memphis with a 33-point outing against the Pacers that saw him record five assists and four steals, the latter of which matched his season-best mark. As a result of the win, Cleveland clinched a playoff berth and a top-four seed. During the nine games Mitchell struggled, the Cavs went 4-5. In the two wins this week, Mitchell scored a combined 62 points, three m0re than he had in his previous four games combined.

“The biggest thing for me is just to continue to build my confidence back up in my body,” Mitchell said after Wednesday’s game. “The biggest cure for this is rest. I don’t have time for that. … I consider myself a pretty mentally strong person, so just being able to find ways to adapt to the situation. I felt really good tonight, and just continue to build on that.”

We have more from the Central Division:

The Bulls clinched home-court advantage in next week’s play-in game against the Hawks, and coach Billy Donovan said he’d consult with the players and medical staff for their final two regular-season games, according to K.C. Johnson of NBC Sports Chicago. Much of the Bulls’ rotation went on to not play on Friday against the Wizards as they manage injuries. As a result, several of Chicago’s end-of-roster pieces got extended playing time. Two-way center Adama Sanogo became just the second rookie this season to post a 20-point, 20-rebound game, joining Victor Wembanyama. “I don’t think I got here by chance,” Sanogo said, per The Athletic’s Darnell Mayberry (Twitter link). “I got here because these guys believe in me. These guys think I can have a chance. I’ve got to show that, too, that I can do this.” Other role players like Javonte Green (24 points), Jevon Carter (12 assists) and Henri Drell (23 minutes, career-nine points) also had big nights.
The Bulls started the season at 5-14 but have since gone 33-28 despite injuries to Zach LaVine and Patrick Williams, prompting Donovan to acknowledge how far the team has come, Johnson writes in the same NBC Sports Chicago story. “I’m happy for these guys,” Donovan said. “I think sometimes when you just look in the moment of where you’re at, sometimes you don’t get a chance to look at where you started. I’ve said before: It was a rough start for us. And I really appreciate the guys in that locker room sticking together, fighting, not quitting, not making excuses or pointing fingers and trying to rally and pull together and play better.“
Rookie guard Marcus Sasser has been a bright spot in a nightmarish Pistons season that has resulted in the franchise’s worst win percentage of all time. Sasser has appeared in 70 games, starting 10, and averaged 8.1 points and 3.3 assists while making 37.3% of his three-point shots. The Houston product reflected on his rookie year, saying he wants to get mentally stronger for next season, per The Athletic’s James L. Edwards III (Twitter link). “It’s definitely a big jump, but that’s what makes this job fun,” Sasser said. “It’s not for everybody“
Bucks guard A.J. Green departed Wednesday’s game against the Magic in the second quarter with a left ankle injury. The Bucks announced that he underwent an MRI on Thursday which revealed a left ankle sprain; he was ruled out for at least the team’s final two regular season games (Twitter link via The Athletic’s Eric Nehm). Green has averaged 4.5 points in 11.0 minutes per night while shooting 40.8% from three.

Central Notes: Cavaliers, McDermott, Sasser, Bitim

March 25th, 2024 at 9:20am CST by Arthur Hill

The rigors of a long season and the toll of injuries caught up with the Cavaliers Sunday night in Miami, writes Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com. The Cavs looked “disinterested, distracted and exhausted,” according to Fedor, as they trailed by 21 points at halftime and fell behind by as many as 45 in the second half.

“We’ve asked these guys to do so much,” coach J.B. Bickerstaff said. “We have asked them to carry a burden of everybody having to do more because of all the injuries and the things we are going through. I think it just showed tonight. It caught up with us. I think mentally and physically, we are worn. It’s on us all to figure it out. No excuses. It doesn’t get any easier. I think tonight was one of those nights where collectively it just set in on us. It was uncharacteristic of this group. I think we had one of those nights.”

Cleveland welcomed back Evan Mobley, who played 21 minutes in his return from a left ankle sprain that had sidelined him since March 5. However, Donovan Mitchell, Max Strus and Dean Wade all remain sidelined, and Bickerstaff pulled his starters early in the third quarter to save them for tonight’s second game of a back-to-back.

“These games happen in the NBA where you just get knocked out in the first half and you can never really get back up and start swinging,” Georges Niang said. “Nobody is going to feel bad for us because everybody has had to go through the same thing this year. You just have to have amnesia and flush this one. There is nothing that we can gain from this. Nobody likes getting beat like we just got beat. I think we will remember the feeling of what it felt like to get whooped and fight to never have that feeling again.”

There’s more from the Central Division:

Doug McDermott has become a dangerous weapon for the Pacers since returning from a strained right calf that kept him out of action for nearly a month, observes Dustin Dopirak of The Indianapolis Star. Over his last three games, McDermott is 9-of-15 from the floor and 5-of-11 from three-point range. “With shooting, there’s going to be some weird pockets every once in a while,” McDermott said. “I wasn’t shooting it great. I knew every time I shoot the ball it has a chance of going in. I just gotta have that belief and just keep firing away. These guys are so unselfish. They kept finding me. It will fall.”
Pistons rookie Marcus Sasser is a natural scorer who’s learning to play point guard in the NBA, per James L. Edwards of The Athletic. Sasser is shooting 44.1% from the field and 39.3% from three-point range, but at 6’1″ he needs to develop his play-making skills to fully unlock his game. “There’s a difference learning when to score, when to pass,” he said. “The main thing, right now, I’m just trying to get better in pick-and-rolls, to make the right reads. I feel like the scoring and stuff will come. It’s a learning experience for me.”
Joe Cowley of The Chicago Sun-Times examines whether Onuralp Bitim can develop into a Max Strus-type player for the Bulls.

Central Notes: Pistons, Giannis, Lopez, Craig, Phillips

March 15th, 2024 at 12:33pm CST by Luke Adams

The Pistons entered this season hoping to push for a spot in the postseason. They currently have the NBA’s second-worst record (12-53), so they’ll fall well short of that preseason goal. Still, they’ve won as many times (six) in their past 16 games as they did in their first 49 contests, and have shown real signs of growth as of late, according to Keith Langlois of Pistons.com and Omari Sankofa II of The Detroit Free Press.

During their past 16 games, the Pistons rank 20th in the NBA in net rating (-3.0) and 16th in defensive rating (113.0). Their pieces also seem to fit together in a way that they didn’t before their trade deadline overhaul, Langlois observes.

“We’re coming together as a team,” center Jalen Duren said, per Sankofa. “We’re all feeling good playing, I feel like everyone is catching their rhythm. You see (Marcus Sasser) coming in and doing his thing, Big Wise (James Wiseman) coming in and doing his thing. … Everyone’s contributing in their own way. That’s helping us.

“… We talk about running through the tape as a team and finishing the year strong, so that’s kinda been my mindset these last whatever games it’s been since All-Star break. Just running through the tape.”

Here’s more from around the Central:

In a conversation with Sam Amick of The Athletic, Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo offered some interesting thoughts on the integration of Damian Lillard, the team’s multiple recent coaching changes, and the MVP race, among other topics. Antetokounmpo admitted this might be “the hardest season” of his career due to the adjustments to the personnel and coaching changes, as well as the procedure he underwent on his knee last summer.
Bucks center Brook Lopez tells Mark Medina of Sportskeeda that he believes the ups and downs of the season have made the team more resilient, adding that Doc Rivers‘ impact on the club has been “incredibly noticeable” since he replaced Adrian Griffin. “He’s given us a great energy and a great confidence,” Lopez said. “Things have been simplified. We have a lot of people on the same page right now.”
Torrey Craig made his ninth start of the season on Thursday, replacing injured Bulls guard Coby White. As K.C. Johnson of NBC Sports Chicago details, Craig made a strong impression, knocking down four three-pointers and serving as the primary defender on Kawhi Leonard.
The Bulls announced today in a press release that rookie forward Julian Phillips has been diagnosed with a right foot sprain. The team didn’t offer any sort of recovery timeline for Phillips, simply stating that he’s wearing a walking boot and that his status will be updated as appropriate.

Central Notes: DeRozan, Caruso, Pistons, K. Brown

March 5th, 2024 at 7:15pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The league leader in minutes played per game is a 34-year-old. The Bulls’ DeMar DeRozan is averaging 37.8 MPG, followed by 20-somethings Luka Doncic, Tyrese Maxey and Miles Bridges. It’s a source of pride for DeRozan that he’s receiving such a heavy workload at this stage of his career.

“I love it,” the Bulls forward told K.C. Johnson of NBC Sports Chicago. “I love the game. As a kid when you’re young, you play until your Momma scream at you and those streetlights come on. Same thing here. You love it. You try to relish in these opportunities.”

We have more from the Central Division:

Bulls guard Alex Caruso believes this season has probably been his best from an individual standpoint, though it depends on how he finishes, he told Johnson. “We’re only 75 percent of the way through. We have to finish strong for this to be a completed sentence,” he said. “But to this point, I think it’s up there. I think offensively it’s probably my best. I think the numbers show that. I think I’m close to 10 points a game. And I’m pretty sure I’m close to 2-to-1 assist-to-turnover ratio. Defensively, it’s been different for me. I’ve been guarding big wings or posts a lot more rather than lead guards. In turn, I have more blocks than I ever have and about the same for steals. That’s been a unique challenge defensively.”
Due to a steady diet of roster moves, Pistons head coach Monty Williams has been constantly tinkering with the rotation. James Edwards III of The Athletic suggests that Williams should cut his rotation down to eight players, staggering the starters’ minutes to make it work. In that scenario, recent acquisitions Simone Fontecchio and Quentin Grimes, along with rookie Marcus Sasser, would be the only reserves getting steady minutes.
Kendall Brown‘s rookie season with the Pacers was cut short by shin surgery. Brown, a second-round pick, has shown enough this season in the G League to get his two-way deal promoted on Monday to a three-year standard contract. “It’s been a long two years,” Brown said, per Dustin Dopirak of the Indianapolis Star. “… The reward feels so much better when the path has been hard. My path has been different than a lot of other players in my class. I was just staying the course, just staying focused. Good things don’t come easy a lot of times. This is a good feeling to finally get that done.”

Central Notes: Wiseman, Sasser, Merrill, Bitim

March 3rd, 2024 at 1:51pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

The Pistons are still hoping reserve center James Wiseman can produce on a more consistent basis, per Omari Sankofa II of The Detroit Free Press (Twitter link). During his first full season in Detroit, the seven-footer out of Memphis is averaging 5.8 points, 4.2 rebounds, and 0.6 blocks across 40 appearances. The No. 2 pick in 2020 is now playing just 14.3 minutes per night for a 9-50 Pistons club.

“I just want him to be consistent,” head coach Monty Williams said. “The effort is always there. Communication in defense is improving. We love his presence in pick-and-rolls. We just want to see consistency.”

There’s more out of the Central Division:

Pistons rookie swingman Marcus Sasser, who’s dealing with a knee injury, is considered probable to suit up for today’s bout with the Magic, reports James L. Edwards III of The Athletic (via Twitter). Edwards notes that, should Sasser actually play, Detroit will field a completely healthy roster for the first time all season.
Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com wonders if, after scoring 12 points on 4-of-9 shooting – all from long range – during a 110-100 victory over the Pistons on Friday, Cavaliers shooting guard Sam Merrill might have earned further consideration for legitimate rotation minutes. Merrill is already enjoying a career year with Cleveland. In 41 games this year, the Utah State product is averaging a career-best 7.8 PPG on a .435/.435/.917 shooting line, with career highs in rebounds (1.9) and assists (1.5) per game as well.
Bulls rookie shooting guard Onuralp Bitim has enjoyed a pair of solid games since being promoted from a two-way contract onto the injury-plagued club’s standard roster. He’s averaging 21.9 minutes across his last two contests and scoring 8.0 PPG on .455/.571/1.000 shooting, along with 5.0 RPG. As Joe Cowley of The Chicago Sun-Times details, the 24-year-old was a seasoned pro long before making his NBA debut with Chicago. The 6’6″ wing has been playing with Turkish clubs since he was 19. ‘‘Playing professionally since such a young age helped me a lot because, in the end, basketball is universal,’’ said Bitim, whose parents both suited up for professional Turkish teams. ‘‘[My mom] tells me that I got my IQ and vision from her… My dad says that the athleticism and other things are from him.’’

Injury Notes: Paul, Santos, Simmons, Isaac, Sasser

February 26th, 2024 at 1:57pm CST by Rory Maher

Future Hall-of-Famer Chris Paul is not listed on the Warriors‘ injury report for Tuesday’s contest vs. the Wizards, tweets Shams Charania of The Athletic. That means the 38-year-old will be active for tomorrow’s game, which will be his first contest since January 5.

Paul has been sidelined for most of the past two months after fracturing his left hand, which required surgery. While he was mentioned in several rumors leading up to the trade deadline, the Warriors decided to keep him for the home stretch of the 2023/24 season.

In his first season with Golden State, the 11-time All-NBA point guard has averaged 8.9 PPG, 7.2 APG, 3.8 RPG and 1.1 SPG on .424/.361/.833 shooting in 32 games (27.6 MPG), mostly off the bench (11 starts).

Here are a few more injury notes from around the NBA:

The lone member of the Warriors who is on tomorrow’s injury report is rookie Gui Santos, who is out with right knee inflammation. According to Monte Poole of NBC Sports Bay Area (Twitter link), the Brazilian forward had an MRI, which showed no structural damage. Santos thinks he could return at some point next week, Poole adds.
Nets guard Ben Simmons injured his leg in Saturday’s loss to Minnesota, which saw him exit the game in the third quarter. However, the issue seems to be a minor one, as he’s questionable for Monday’s contest vs. Memphis with left leg soreness, writes Brian Lewis of The New York Post. Simmons has only played 14 games in 2023/24, mostly due to a nerve impingement in his lower back. It’s worth noting that he missed one game last month with a left knee injury, though it’s unclear if the two issues are related.
Another oft-injured player, Magic big man Jonathan Isaac, underwent an MRI on his left knee/leg, but it revealed “no significant injuries,” the team announced (via Twitter). The defensive stalwart is questionable for Tuesday’s contest vs. Brooklyn with a left knee strain. Isaac was limited to two minutes of action in Sunday’s loss to Atlanta due to the injury.
Pistons guard Marcus Sasser will be reevaluated in one week after sustaining a knee contusion, tweets Keith Langlois of Pistons.com. The former Houston Cougar has had an impressive rookie season for Detroit, averaging 7.7 PPG and 3.0 APG on .468/.424/.850 shooting in 50 games off the bench (16.3 MPG). Sasser was the 25th overall pick of last year’s draft.