February 9: The moves are official, according to a team press release.
February 8: The Pistons are converting Daniss Jenkins from a two-way contract to a two-year standard deal using a portion of their bi-annual exception, reports Shams Charania of ESPN.
Jenkins will receive a two-year, $8MM contract, league sources tell Michael Scotto of HoopsHype (Twitter link). His salary will represent the largest single-season sum a two-way player has ever received on a conversion, Scotto notes.
The second-year guard’s new contract will feature a team option for 2026/27, Charania adds.
To make room on their standard roster, the Pistons are expected to waive veteran forward/center Dario Saric, sources tell Brett Siegel of ClutchPoints (Twitter link). Hunter Patterson of The Athletic confirms Saric will be the odd man out (Twitter link).
Jenkins will now be eligible to play for the rest of the regular season and the playoffs. Two-way players are not playoff-eligible.
Pistons head of basketball operations Trajan Langdon said prior to Friday’s game that the team planned to promote Jenkins this weekend. Jenkins reached his 50-game active limit on Friday evening in the blowout victory over New York.
Jenkins reportedly turned down a two-year, minimum-salary contract offer near the end of January, which turned out to be the right call. The 24-year-old point guard recently told Omari Sankofa II of The Detroit Free Press that he was motivated by going undrafted out of St. John’s in 2024.
“If I’m being honest, and everybody knows I’m a very humble guy, but in college, most of these dudes that got drafted, what was the difference between me and them?” he said. “What? You tell me, what was the difference? For me, going undrafted is insanity to me, literally insanity, and that burns inside of me every single day.”
In 42 games this season (16.8 minutes per contest), Jenkins has averaged 8.2 points, 3.3 assists, 1.8 rebounds and 0.9 steals on .430/.391/.800 shooting. He has been Detroit’s primary backup behind Cade Cunningham for much of 2025/26.
The bi-annual exception, as its name suggests, is only available to teams once every two years. Detroit will not have access to the exception in ’26/27.
Saric is earning a guaranteed $5,426,400 this season, but most of that total was already paid by Sacramento, which traded him to Chicago on February 1. The Bulls sent him to the Pistons a couple days later in the deal that saw Kevin Huerter land in Detroit and Jaden Ivey in Chicago.
Saric, 31, only appeared in five games in 2025/26 after playing in 16 contests with Denver last season.
Warriors could use him
He sucked last he was with the GS. Why would he be any better now.
No. Time for Saric to head back home to Croatia.
I would say Dario maybe going back to Denver due to Watson and Gordon being out but he is not like them in style. Houston lost Adams and could use a replacement but PG is there main need.
Dario in Denver literally killed his career. He is not going back there. His NBA career is over.
Is Dario even healthy ???? Hasn’t played in yrs it seems. You can’t use that in playoffs.
Pistons are still playing. I guess I will have to wait to playoffs. To see how good they really are. Imo they still need size. They are a top defensive team. Could use more rebounding.
Sent the Knicks a message. Even though they were down players. Got my attention. Don’t forget about Cavs. They are better now.
Pistons don’t need size. They dominate the paint like no other team and they have one of the best rim protecting big in Stewart.
And they have a massive point guard.
Cleveland got easier to play against with the Harden moves imo.
Detroit and NY imo are the 2 best teams in the East and I see it going 7.
He’s barely 6’8”. But you keep believing that. He is a good defender. Can’t handle a real center. You lose Duren or he gets in foul trouble. Playoffs you have to win 4 gms. Good luck …
6’8″ with a 7’4″ wingspan. With incredible toughness and timing.
He was East Defensive Player of the Month in December while only playing 23 MPG. Who are the “real” centers? Joel Embiid?
He just cooked the Knicks on both ends. Good luck indeed.
Wes Unseld was 6’7″. He used to beat up Wilt Chamberlain. Was Wilt a “real” Center?
Good for Jenkins for betting on himself and making good on it! Dario seems donezo; he must have a really good agent or else I feel like we could’ve stopped talking about him years ago as an nba player
what happens to Dario? He has fallen off ever since he got injured on the Suns
And people are insisting on playing him at C when he is a PF only
Give Jenkins and his agent credit. By turning down the original offer, he’s going to earn about $3 million more over the next two years.
Well deserved, too — someone would’ve scooped him up at that price for sure this summer.