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Jordan Clarkson, Ron Holland, Paul Reed Fined By NBA

December 21st, 2024 at 6:17pm CST by Arthur Hill

The NBA has levied fines against three players for their roles in an incident during Thursday’s game between the Jazz and Pistons.

The league announced (via Twitter) that Utah guard Jordan Clarkson was fined $35K for “escalating an on-court altercation” and throwing his headband into the crowd after being ejected. Detroit forward Ron Holland was fined $25K, also for escalation, while center Paul Reed was fined $15K for his role in initiating the altercation.

The brief fracas took place late in the third quarter after Reed scored on an offensive rebound, according to Omari Sankofa II of The Detroit Free Press. Clarkson impeded Reed’s path as they ran downcourt, Sankofa adds, and they collided twice. Holland confronted Clarkson, stepping between him and Reed, and they squared off to fight before teammates intervened (Twitter video link).

Reed and Clarkson were both assessed technical fouls, while Holland and Clarkson were ejected for getting into fighting stances. Pistons coach J.B. Bickerstaff objected to the officials’ decision after the game.

“The double-technical foul is ridiculous,” Bickerstaff said. “If a guy hits your player first, the technical foul should be on the player who hit your guy. The double-technical foul is a cop out. He literally hit him with his body, what’s a guy supposed to do? You get the guy who laid the first hit and you move on. You don’t exacerbate it by giving somebody else a technical foul who had nothing to do with the play, was just standing up and got hit. So that’s ridiculous.”

Central Notes: Bucks, LaVine, Reed, LeVert

December 18th, 2024 at 10:16pm CST by Rory Maher

Perhaps wary of the fate of the Lakers and Pacers, who both struggled in the immediate aftermath of the finale of last season’s inaugural in-season tournament, the Bucks‘ post-game celebration after winning Tuesday’s NBA Cup final was decidedly muted, writes Sam Amick of The Athletic.

The NBA had set up a champagne celebration room for the winner of Tuesday’s game, but it went untouched following Milwaukee’s victory (Twitter link via Ben Golliver of The Washington Post).

“The NBA puts a big tournament in front of you, and you go win that motherf—-er. It’s as simple as that,” forward/center Bobby Portis said as part of a larger quote. “They put something in front of you. You set a goal. You chop wood every day. Carry water. And eventually, you get here and you get a medal around your neck. … And then you get back to work on Thursday, which is what we signed up for. It’s part of the gig.”

Here’s more from the Central:

Citing a source, Joe Cowley of The Chicago Sun-Times says there’s “light momentum” on the possibility of the Nuggets pursuing a trade for Bulls star Zach LaVine. According to Cowley, Chicago’s front office remains steadfast in its desire to avoid adding draft capital to move off LaVine’s maximum-salary contract, though the team is open to potential pick swaps.
Paul Reed‘s new one-year deal with the Pistons is fully guaranteed, Michael Scotto of HoopsHype confirms (via Twitter). Reed, who was waived and then re-signed for financial flexibility, will receive the prorated portion of the veteran’s minimum.
He hasn’t received much, if any, national recognition, but Caris LeVert is playing arguably the best — and most efficient — basketball of his career for the Cavaliers and is making a strong case for Sixth Man of the Year consideration. Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com (subscriber link) has the story and quotes on LeVert, who will be an unrestricted free agent in 2025.

Pistons Re-Sign Paul Reed, Waive McCoy

December 16th, 2024 at 4:47pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The Pistons have re-signed center Paul Reed and waived wing Javante McCoy, according to the team’s PR department (Twitter links).

Detroit signed McCoy to a standard, non-guaranteed contract on Sunday. That turned out to be just a stopgap in order for the Pistons to reach the minimum salary floor while Reed was on waivers.

Detroit needed to fill a roster spot after cutting Reed on Saturday because that move dropped the Pistons to $1,417,937 below the minimum salary floor, which they were required to reach by the end of Sunday. Detroit is now back at the minimum salary floor as a result of bringing back Reed and is still the only NBA team with cap room, holding about $14MM in space, ESPN’s Bobby Marks tweets.

Reed had a $7.7MM salary this season that would have become fully guaranteed next month. Instead, he will return as Detroit’s third-string center on a more team-friendly deal. He’ll get the veteran’s minimum, Omari Sankofa of the Detroit Free Press tweets.

Reed, 25, was the 58th overall pick of the 2020 draft out of DePaul. He spent his first four seasons with the 76ers, who waived him in July to create enough cap room to sign all of their external free agents. The Pistons claimed him a couple days later.

Reed was a rotation regular with Philadelphia last season, averaging 7.3 points, 6.0 rebounds, 0.8 steals and 1.0 blocks in 82 games (19.4 MPG). He has appeared in 12 contests this season, averaging 4.8 PPG, 1.9 RPG and 0.8 SPG in 10.4 MPG.

Despite being on the roster for just 24 hours, McCoy will be paid for four days — the two he spent on the roster and the two he’ll spend on waivers. That will result in a prorated salary of $32,596, as cap expert Yossi Gozlan tweets.

It’s likely that McCoy will just rejoin Detroit’s G League team. The 6’5” McCoy has appeared in 12 games this season for the Motor City Cruise, averaging 14.7 points, 4.4 rebounds and 2.8 assists in 26.1 minutes per game. McCoy is also shooting 51.4% from 3-point range.

Stein’s Latest: Schröder, Johnson, Pelicans, Lakers, Kings, Reed

December 15th, 2024 at 7:05pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The Warriors acquired a valuable rotation piece in Dennis Schröder this weekend, but it’s possible he won’t last the season with his new team. Schröder can traded again this season and could be part of a package to get a star-level player before February’s trade deadline, according to Marc Stein in his latest Substack post.

Miami’s Jimmy Butler could be among the players targeted by the Warriors, whom many rival teams believe will make a splashier move this season. Stein notes the Warriors aggressively pursued Lauri Markkanen and Paul George during the offseason.

The timing of the Warriors’ trade for Schröder was significant. The latest CBA instituted a new exception that allowed players who are traded by Dec. 16th to be aggregated in another deal before the trade deadline.

Golden State had interest in trading for Nets’ forward Cameron Johnson as well as Schröder but would likely have needed to include Jonathan Kuminga in a deal for both players, Stein suggests.

Here’s more from Stein:

The Pelicans aren’t inclined to trade young pieces Herbert Jones, Yves Missi and Trey Murphy but they are open to trade inquiries for virtually anyone else on the roster.
The Lakers aren’t looking to make a blockbuster move but they’d like to add depth and are expected to make at least one trade.
The Kings are dangling the contracts of Kevin Huerter and Trey Lyles in order to upgrade the roster.
The Sixers have some interest in a reunion with Paul Reed, who waived by the Pistons on Saturday. However, it’s unlikely they’d attempt to add him prior to the trade deadline in order to maximize their roster and cap flexibility. Reed was waived by Philadelphia during the offseason.

Pistons Waive Paul Reed

December 14th, 2024 at 5:54pm CST by Rory Maher

5:54pm: Reed has officially been waived, the Pistons announced in a press release.

2:05pm: The Pistons intend to waive forward/center Paul Reed, sources tell Shams Charania of ESPN (Twitter link).

According to Charania, Detroit is releasing Reed with an eye on maximizing its roster and financial flexibility ahead of the Feb. 6 trade deadline. Reed has an unusual contract structure, as his $7.7MM salary for 2024/25 is non-guaranteed, as is his $8.1MM cap hit for ’25/26. Every other player in the NBA whose contract is non-guaranteed this season is either on a minimum-salary deal or very close to it.

The timing of the move almost feels like a precursor to something else. The Pistons didn’t have to make a decision on Reed until Jan. 7, but chose to waive him three-plus weeks early.

Assuming Reed clears waivers, Detroit will carry a $2.48MM dead-money cap hit for having him on the roster the first two months of the season, per ESPN’s Bobby Marks (Twitter link). The Pistons will soon have approximately $15.5MM in cap space and be about $1.42MM below the minimum salary floor, which they’re required to reach by the end of Sunday, Marks adds (via Twitter).

According to Marks (Twitter link), as of Sunday, the prorated portion of the veteran’s minimum is $1.44MM, so Detroit can safely reach the floor by signing a different player tomorrow. Of course, a trade remains a possibility as well.

The Pistons have been carrying an open roster spot to begin the 2024/25 season in order to maintain roster and financial flexibility. Cutting Reed means they’ll have two standard openings, but at least one will be filled in short order.

Reed, 25, was the 58th overall pick of the 2020 draft out of DePaul. He spent his first four seasons with the 76ers, who waived him in July to create enough cap room to sign all of their external free agents. The Pistons claimed him a couple days later.

While Reed was a rotation regular with Philadelphia last season, averaging 7.3 PPG, 6.0 RPG, 0.8 SPG and 1.0 BPG in 82 games (19.4 MPG), he has only appeared in 12 of Detroit’s 26 contests to open ’24/25, averaging 4.8 PPG, 1.9 RPG and 0.8 SPG in 10.4 MPG. He’s been the third-string center behind Jalen Duren and Isaiah Stewart, who shifted back to the middle after spending much of last season at power forward.

The Sixers have an open roster spot and are reportedly looking for frontcourt help, so a reunion with Reed could be possible. However, he’d have to clear waivers first and be willing to sign a minimum-salary deal, which is all Philadelphia can offer.

Central Notes: Rivers, Middleton, LaVine, Harris, Reed

October 30th, 2024 at 11:04pm CST by Arthur Hill

Bucks head coach Doc Rivers may have missed out on a chance to lead the Celtics to more championships, but he told Steve Bulpett of Heavy that he doesn’t regret his decision to accept an offer from the Clippers in 2013. According to Bulpett, the team was “fairly pleading” for Rivers to stay and oversee a rebuilding project after trading Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett to Brooklyn, but Rivers was attracted by the money and the chance to coach a team filled with stars in Los Angeles.

“I thought about it that first year with the Clippers, like, ‘Uh, I may have made a mistake,’” Rivers said. “But after that, I didn’t really think about it at all. … One thing I’ve never done is I never look back. I just don’t. I’ve never done that.”

Rivers said he was confident that Boston would rebuild quickly, which it did, largely from the draft picks the team received in the deal with the Nets. Rivers wasn’t able to get the Clippers past the second round of the playoffs before his time with the organization ended in 2020. He spent three years coaching in Philadelphia, then took the Milwaukee job midway through last season. Although he hasn’t come close to winning a title since leaving the Celtics, Rivers takes pride in what he’s accomplished.

“Everywhere I’ve gone, I’ve won,” he said. “I got fired in Philly, and we were .653 in the three years I was there, you know what I mean? So, like, I’m fine with my legacy. I’m eighth in (career) wins, fourth in playoff wins, so I’ve got a great legacy. But I want more. That’s why I’m still doing it.”

There’s more from the Central Division:

There’s still no timeline for Khris Middleton to return, but Rivers was encouraged by what he saw at today’s practice, per Jim Owczarski of The Journal-Sentinel. “He did a lot today,” Rivers said as the Bucks held their first full practice session since the season began. “A whole lot. Stayed out on the floor with our guys. So, he’s getting close.” Middleton still hasn’t been cleared to practice in a five-on-five setting, which likely needs to happen before he can return to action.
X-rays were negative on Bulls guard Zach LaVine‘s left shoulder after a collision in tonight’s game, according to K.C. Johnson of Chicago Sports Network (Twitter link). LaVine said he got treatment on the shoulder during the game, and he hopes to be ready for Friday’s contest at Brooklyn. He called it a “subluxation,” and Johnson expects him to be listed on the team’s injury report with a shoulder sprain.
Tonight marked a homecoming for a pair of former Sixers who joined the Pistons this summer. Tobias Harris, who signed as a free agent after five-and-a-half years in Philadelphia, wasn’t surprised to get a mixed reaction from the crowd, relays Omari Sankofa II of The Detroit Free Press (Twitter link). “I think the fans here get a bad rep as far as their passion,” he said. “I’ve played in different cities and this is one of the cities where you can get booed by fans, but you’ll be out at a restaurant and they’ll put a baby in your hands for a photo.” Paul Reed, who got claimed by Detroit after the Sixers waived him in July, was happy to be back in Philadelphia for a night, per Gina Mizell of The Philadelphia Inquirer (Twitter link). “The city gave me a lot, I ain’t gonna lie,” he said. “A lot of trust. A lot of love. A lot of passion. So I really love Philly. I definitely felt some type of way when I left. But it is what it is. That’s the business.”

Central Notes: Pistons, Bucks, Cavs, Collet, Haliburton

October 9th, 2024 at 2:56pm CST by Luke Adams

Pistons owner Tom Gores is pleased with the way that new president of basketball operations Trajan Langdon identified three-point shooting and veteran leadership as priorities in his first summer on the job and made moves to address those areas, according to Omari Sankofa II of The Detroit Free Press. Langdon and the Pistons’ front office signed Tobias Harris, Malik Beasley, and Paul Reed as free agents and traded for Tim Hardaway Jr.

“The core of the way we thought is we have this young group of players that need to be developed and also need to be complemented with the right players,” Gores said. “I feel really good about the veterans we’ve added. Tobias, who I’ve known for a long time, we have Beasley and Hardaway and Reed that’s come in. I feel very good about the offseason with the veterans.

“We knew these young men were good, they have a lot of potential. All of them. You see (Jaden) Ivey‘s really coming along well. But all of that said, we needed to complement them with the right thing so they could grow properly. I’m pretty excited. That’s how we approached it. We have a core that we believe in and we’ve got the veterans added in.”

The other major move that Gores signed off on during Langdon’s first offseason was the decision to part ways with Monty Williams even though the veteran head coach had five years left on the lucrative contract he signed with Detroit a year ago. Gores has no regrets about approving that coaching change after seeing the way J.B. Bickerstaff has handled the job so far.

“I think J.B.’s doing an incredible job communicating with the players and getting us organized,” Gores said. “I feel good. Everybody knows we have a lot of work to do, but we turned the page and we’re ready to go.”

Here’s more from around the Central:

Bucks head coach Doc Rivers shared some positive health updates on Tuesday, telling reporters – including Jim Owczarski of The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel – that Gary Trent Jr. will be “fine” after hyperextending his left elbow and may even play on Thursday and that Khris Middleton, who is recovering from surgeries on both ankles, could suit up for a game or two before the end of the preseason.
Bucks newcomer Taurean Prince spoke this week about the role he expects to play in Milwaukee, expressing that he believes his ability to play power forward “can serve the team very, very well.” Eric Nehm of The Athletic has the details.
Vincent Collet, the former head coach of the French men’s basketball national team, is reuniting with Cavaliers head coach Kenny Atkinson, according to reporting from L’Equipe (hat tip to Eurohoops). After Atkinson worked under Collet as an assistant coach for the French team over the summer, Collet will reportedly serve as a consultant for Atkinson and the Cavs this season.
Speaking to James Boyd of The Athletic, Pacers guard Tyrese Haliburton discussed what he learned from his summer experience with Team USA and explained why he’s so excited about the continuity Indiana has established heading into the 2024/25 season. “We have the same coaching staff, let alone the same group of guys,” Haliburton said. “So, this is really refreshing, really exciting, because it’s less about teaching and more of the detail work and complex stuff and getting to those (stages) quicker. That’s been so refreshing and so fun for me, and I think that’s gonna make us so good moving forward.”

Pistons Notes: Veteran Additions, Cunningham, Goals, Reed

October 1st, 2024 at 10:31pm CST by Dana Gauruder

New Pistons president of basketball operations Trajan Langdon used the team’s cap space to acquire veterans such as Tobias Harris, Tim Hardaway Jr. and Malik Beasley to provide more balance to the roster. Third-year center Jalen Duren believes that was the right approach for an otherwise young team.

“Their voices have been huge for us,” Duren said, per Keith Langlois of Pistons.com. “Those older vets, they’ve brought a sense of balance. Just hearing them talk, everybody wants to know what they have to say. Everybody cares about their opinions on things. I feel that’s been great for us.”

Fellow third-year lottery pick Jaden Ivey feels the same way.

“They’ve been amazing already,” Ivey said. “I’ve learned a lot already from Tobias, working with him, pick his brain from what he’s been through. Being in that playoff atmosphere for a long time, he knows what it’s like. … I’m looking forward to competing with those guys. They’re going to bring a lot to this team and, most importantly, that winning mindset is what we need and they’re going to bring it for us on this team.”

We have more on the Pistons:

While the veterans will lend their voices, Langdon expects Cade Cunningham to be the unquestioned leader of the group, according to Omari Sankofa II of the Detroit Free Press. Cunningham signed a max five-year extension this offseason. “He wants to lead,” Langdon said. “I think that was a big thing for him and we’re fortunate he wants to be here as well. A young man of his caliber, both playing and as a young man who’s high-character, he embodies what we want to be as a franchise. The re-signing of him, we’re all very excited about. Seeing him progress every day in terms of his leadership and also his compete level, both sides of the floor. And then playing winning basketball and figuring out what that means night in and night out because hopefully we can stay in games.”
There are several rebuilding teams in the Eastern Conference — opening the door for a potential run for a play-in tournament slot — but Langdon isn’t focused on the team’s record this season, Sankofa adds. “I don’t think the goal for us is wins and losses,” he added. “Obviously we want to win as many games as possible but it’s putting a group together that establishes a Detroit Pistons identity. At some time of the season, we want to be able to say, and (head coach J.B. Bickerstaff) has reiterated to our guys, that this is Detroit Pistons basketball and when we walk into the arena, the other team knows exactly what we’re going to bring. And they better be ready for it because we’re going to come and compete every night.”
Don’t underestimate the addition of Paul Reed, Langlois writes. Reed was claimed off waivers from Philadelphia and could be a valuable backup big man. He’ll compete with Duren and Isaiah Stewart for playing time at center. “I know those guys are super strong, super physical, super athletic,” Reed said of Duren and Stewart. “I’ve got to match their energy. I feel they make my job a lot easier just because we have more bodies I can go bang with. It’s going to be super tough for the opposition. We know we have to protect the paint.” If Reed doesn’t claim a rotation spot, he may not last the season. His $7.7MM salary remains non-guaranteed until early January.

Central Notes: Stewart, LaVine, Sheppard, Walker, Mathurin

September 8th, 2024 at 12:59pm CST by Arthur Hill

Isaiah Stewart‘s role under new head coach J.B. Bickerstaff is among the questions facing the Pistons as they prepare for training camp, writes Keith Langlois of NBA.com. Stewart played nearly all his minutes at center during his first two NBA seasons, but that changed when the team added Jalen Duren in 2022. Langlois notes that Stewart was used at power forward 75% of the time last season, but his primary position is less certain than ever with a revamped roster.

Other than Stewart and Duren, offseason addition Paul Reed is Detroit’s only player who projects as a center. The Pistons claimed the four-year veteran after the Sixers waived him in July. Reed has shown promise backing up Joel Embiid in Philadelphia.

Detroit also added ex-Sixer Tobias Harris in free agency, and Langlois notes that he and Simone Fontecchio are examples of modern stretch fours. It’s possible that Bickerstaff could choose to dedicate the power forward minutes to those two proven three-point shooters, leaving Stewart to battle for playing time in the middle.

There’s more from the Central Division:

Mending fences with Zach LaVine should be one of the priorities for the Bulls as they get ready for camp, observes Joe Cowley of The Chicago Sun-Times. The front office began trying to trade LaVine last fall in what was hoped to be the first step of a roster makeover. However, his massive contract and injury history doomed trade efforts and forced the team to keep him. LaVine is still owed $138MM over the next three years, so the Bulls need to build up his trade value ahead of the February deadline. Cowley states that coach Billy Donovan took the first step toward mending their relationship when he visited LaVine in Los Angeles this summer.
With their roster virtually set for the upcoming season, the Pacers are facing three option decisions that should be easy, per Tony East of Sports Illustrated. Indiana has until October 31 to pick up the third-year options for Ben Sheppard and Jarace Walker, along with the fourth-year option for Bennedict Mathurin. All three players appear to be part of the team’s future, so there’s no reason to part with any of them. The options would pay Sheppard $2.8MM, Walker $6.6MM and Mathurin $9.1MM for the 2025/26 season.
The Pacers announced in a press release that they have added Dr. Jaimie Rubin as Director of Sport Psychology and Team Wellness.

Pistons Claim Paul Reed Off Waivers

July 9th, 2024 at 4:17pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The Pistons are claiming former Sixers big man Paul Reed off waivers, The Athletic’s Shams Charania tweets. The Pistons have confirmed the move in a press release (Twitter link).

Reed was placed on waivers on Saturday when Philadelphia chose to sign free agent forward Caleb Martin. He had been due to clear waivers and become a free agent at 4:00 pm CT if he had gone unclaimed.

The Pistons will use some of their available cap room to claim Reed, who signed a three-year, $23,555,150 contract last summer with Philadelphia. Only the first year was guaranteed — his $7.7MM salary for next season remains non-guaranteed until early January, and his $8.1MM salary for 2025/26 will stay non-guaranteed as long as his team doesn’t advance to the second round of the playoffs.

The Pistons could retain Reed to compete with or back up incumbent center Jalen Duren, use Reed as a trade chip, or waive him again if they need to clear cap room to make another move.

Reed has evolved into a serviceable backup in the frontcourt over the past few seasons. In 2023/24, he averaged 7.3 points, 6.0 rebounds, 0.8 steals and 1.0 blocks, appearing in all 82 of Philadelphia’s regular season games.