Community Shootaround: Pistons’ Future
The team with the league’s worst record was the most active before the trade deadline.
The Pistons reshuffled their roster, though it’s fair to wonder just what all that activity accomplished. It started a few weeks earlier, swapping some backup forwards and draft capital with the Wizards mainly to shed Marvin Bagley Jr.‘s contract.
They also made three trades before Tuesday’s deadline, most notably giving up sharpshooters Bojan Bogdanovic and Alec Burks to the Knicks. Detroit general manager Troy Weaver failed to get a first-round pick in return, instead picking up two second-rounders, a young rotation wing in Quentin Grimes and more future cap space.
A trade with the Jazz netted forward Simone Fontecchio, who scored 20 points in his Pistons debut on Saturday. Outside of Grimes and Fontecchio – and perhaps Troy Brown Jr. – the players they added probably won’t be on next year’s roster.
The Pistons are projected to have $58-$64MM in salary cap space this offseason. The question is ‘What do they do with it?’
There have been rumblings of a reunion with Tobias Harris when the Sixers forward hits free agency but that doesn’t solve Detroit’s fundamental issue – it doesn’t have any superstars.
Cade Cunningham was supposed to be that type of player as the top pick in the 2021 draft. His sophomore season was a washout due to a shin injury. He has posted solid numbers this season but hasn’t played at an All-Star level.
Jaden Ivey and Jalen Duren, the 2022 first-round picks, have shown the ability to be quality starters but haven’t produced on a consistent basis.
A bigger question is whether Cunningham and Ivey can develop true chemistry. Both are more comfortable with the ball in their hands, with Cunningham playing a craftier, more deliberate style while Ivey thrives at a higher pace.
Owner Tom Gores continues to express confidence in Weaver, even though the GM’s four-year rebuilding project has been a colossal failure. Given the team’s activity at the trade deadline, it seems as if Weaver will continue in his role during the offseason.
That brings us to our topic of the day: What should the Pistons do this summer to turn their fortunes around? What players should they target in free agency and trades with their cap space? Should they be patient with the backcourt pairing of Cunningham and Ivey or trade one of them?
Please take to the comments section to weigh on this topic. We look forward to your input.
Shaedon Sharpe Undergoes Core Muscle Surgery
FEBRUARY 9: Sharpe has undergone his core muscle procedure, according to a press release from the Trail Blazers, who stated that the guard will be reevaluated in six weeks.
FEBRUARY 6: Trail Blazers shooting guard Shaedon Sharpe will undergo corrective surgery to fix a core muscle injury, the team announced in a press release.
Sharpe hasn’t played since January 11 due to a lower abdominal strain. While attempting to ramp up his basketball activities during his rehab, Sharpe experienced worsening of his symptoms. Due to his lack of progression, it was determined that surgery was necessary. The procedure is tentatively planned for later this week.
While a timetable has yet to be determined, it’s fair to assume Sharpe’s injury could end his season, especially given that the Blazers are well out of the playoff race. The No. 7 pick in the 2022 draft, Sharpe is averaging 15.9 points, 5.0 rebounds and 2.9 assists in 33.1 minutes per game this season. He has started 25 of 32 games.
As a rookie, Sharpe appeared in 80 games (15 starts), averaging 9.9 points, 3.0 rebounds and 1.2 assists in 22.2 minutes per game.
Bucks Send Robin Lopez, Cash To Kings
10:13pm: The trade is official, per a press release from the Bucks. Milwaukee acquired the draft rights to Dimitrios Agravanis, the 59th overall pick in 2015, from Sacramento in the deal.
1:59pm: The Bucks are dealing little-used big man Robin Lopez to the Kings along with cash considerations, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reports (Twitter links). He’s expected to be waived by Sacramento and become a free agent.
The cost-cutting move by Milwaukee will open up a roster spot and save it $8.6MM in luxury tax penalties. This trade deadline is the last time teams in the second tax apron are allowed to send out cash in trades, ESPN’s Bobby Marks notes (Twitter links).
Lopez was on a veteran’s minimum salary deal, so Sacramento didn’t have to match a salary or use a traded player exception to pull off the deal. The Kings had an open roster spot to make the trade.
Lopez, 35, has appeared in 16 this season, including two starts, but averaged just 4.1 minutes in those appearances.
Suns Acquire Royce O’Neale In Three-Way Deal
7:22pm: The trade is official, according to a press release from the Grizzlies, who classified the draft asset they’re getting from the Suns as a “future first-round pick swap.”
Memphis will be able to swap its own 2026 first-round pick for the least favorable of the Suns’, Wizards’, and Magic’s first-rounders that year, tweets Chris Herrington of The Daily Memphian.
As previously reported, Brooklyn waived Thaddeus Young and Memphis cut Victor Oladipo to make room on their respective rosters for the incoming players.
4:58pm: The Suns hung onto Boston’s 2028 second-round pick, tweets Gambadoro, which means the three future second-rounders they’re sending Brooklyn are as follows:
- Either the Pistons’, Bucks,’ or Magic’s 2026 second-round pick (whichever is least favorable).
- The Grizzlies’ 2028 second-round pick.
- The Grizzlies’ 2029 second-round pick.
12:18pm: The Nets are finalized a trade to send forward Royce O’Neale to the Suns for matching salaries and three second-round picks, Shams Charania of The Athletic tweets.
Phoenix is also acquiring forward David Roddy from the Grizzlies in exchange for a pick swap, Charania adds. (Twitter link).
The Suns are sending out Keita Bates-Diop, Yuta Watanabe, Jordan Goodwin and Chimezie Metu, John Gambadoro of 98.7 FM Phoenix tweets. They are all on minimum salary deals.
Watanabe and Metu will head to the Grizzlies, while Brooklyn will acquire Bates-Diop and Goodwin, per Duane Rankin of The Arizona Republic (Twitter link).
O’Neale is in the final year of a four-year, $36MM contract and could enter unrestricted free agency this summer with full Bird rights. He’s making $9.5MM this season.
He’ll be extension eligible with the Suns for a maximum of two-years and $20.5MM, Yossi Gozlan of Hoops Hype tweets.
Roddy is making $2.72MM this season and already had $4.83MM option for next season picked up by Memphis. Phoenix can use the $4,975,371 traded player exception it generated in the Dario Saric trade with Oklahoma City last season to absorb Roddy’s salary. That exception expires on Friday.
The Suns were considered the top suitor for the Hornets’ Miles Bridges. However, Bridges reportedly told Charlotte’s front office he wouldn’t approve any trade. Phoenix pivoted to O’Neale, who will immediately jump into its rotation.
O’Neale gives Phoenix a playoff-tested, defensive-minded veteran. He has been coming off the bench most of this season but could slot into Phoenix’s star-laden lineup if the Suns want to use Grayson Allen in a sixth-man role.
O’Neale is averaging 7.4 points, 4.5 rebounds and 2.8 assists in 24.5 minutes per game this season. He’s a career 38.1% 3-point shooter and should get plenty of open looks playing with Phoenix’s stars.
Phoenix will see its luxury tax bill rise by $13.5MM, Gozlan tweets. Overall, the Suns will have a payroll and luxury tax penalty adding up to more than $254.5MM this season, Gozlan notes in another tweet.
By swapping out four players for a pair, Phoenix will also have to add another player to reach the league minimum or 14. That will also increase their tax bill.
Watanabe and Bates-Diop are signed through next year. Metu has an expiring contract and Goodwin’s contract includes a team option for next season.
Pacers Acquire Cory Joseph, Will Waive Him
5:53pm: The trade is official, the Warriors confirmed in a press release (Twitter link).
3:47pm: The Pacers intend to waive Joseph, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (Twitter link). Essentially then, Indiana’s motive in the deal was to sell off the worst of its 2024 second-round picks.
2:23pm: The Pacers are acquiring veteran guard Cory Joseph from the Warriors, according to The Athletic’s Shams Charania. Indiana is sending out a second-round pick for Joseph and cash (Twitter links).
The pick will be in this year’s draft and will be the least favorable of the three second-rounders the Pacers currently control, per Anthony Slater of The Athletic (Twitter links). That second-rounder will likely be Milwaukee’s or Cleveland’s.
The Pacers are receiving $5.8MM in cash from Golden State and will also acquire Charlotte’s top-55 protected 2025 second-rounder, reports John Hollinger of The Athletic (Twitter link).
Golden State will reduce its luxury tax penalty by $13.5MM by lopping off Joseph’s $2MM cap hit, Yossi Gozlan of Hoops Hype tweets. The Warriors now have a $172.8MM projected luxury tax penalty with a $379MM combined payroll and tax payments.
Indiana has a roster spot opening, so it doesn’t need to waive a player to make room for Joseph. The Pacers have plenty of depth at point guard, so it’s unclear whether it has any plans for the 32-year-old. Joseph has appeared in 26 games off the bench this season, averaging 2.4 points and 1.6 assists in 11.4 minutes.
Joseph played the past two seasons and part of the previous campaign with Detroit.
Blazers Sign Ashton Hagans On 10-Day Deal
4:38pm: The Blazers have officially signed Hagans to a 10-day deal, the team announced in a press release. It will cover Portland’s next four games, then expire during the All-Star break.
3:13pm: The Trail Blazers are signing Ashton Hagans on a 10-day contract, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski tweets.
Hagans has been playing for the Blazers’ Remix NBA G League affiliate in Portland. He averaged 15.3 points, 4.8 rebounds, 9.0 assists and 1.8 steals in 15 starts with Remix.
Hagans was waived early in training camp by Portland, then signed with the G League affiliate. Hagans had a two-way contract with Minnesota in 2020/21 but only appeared in two NBA contests. He spent the last two seasons with the Raptors’ and Hornets’ G League teams.
Portland had a roster opening to add the 24-year-old guard and Hagans could see some action with Shaedon Sharpe out indefinitely due to a core muscle injury.
Raptors Notes: Boucher, Brown, Trade Deadline, Temple
Chris Boucher has fallen out of the Raptors rotation and he’d be “cool” with a change of scenery, he told Michael Grange of Sportnet.
“I mean, everything has to end, right? So if that’s what’s gonna happen, then cool,” Boucher said. “Hopefully it will [put me] in a better position. But … you never know what could happen. With what’s been going on this year, obviously, I just got to wait my turn, I guess. If a better situation shows up and they decide to send me somewhere else, so be it.”
Boucher has another year left on his contract. Bruce Brown, recently acquired from Indiana, is more likely to be moved. He’s trying to ignore the trade rumors.
“Not even thinking about it, to be honest,” Brown said. “I’m just trying to control what I can control, and I can’t control that end of it.”
We have more on the Raptors:
- Speaking of the trade deadline, Blake Murphy of Sportnet believes Brown is the player most likely to be dealt. He speculates that Toronto would take a decent second round pick to shed Boucher’s contract. Murphy also evaluates the potential market for Dennis Schröder, Gary Trent Jr, Otto Porter Jr. and Thaddeus Young.
- Eric Koreen of The Athletic argues the Raptors should take whatever they can get for the above-mentioned players, as well as Kira Lewis Jr, Jalen McDaniels and Garrett Temple.
- In a separate story, Koreen emphasizes the need for the organization to avoid a lengthy rebuild and developing a loser’s mentality.
- Temple would like to keep playing beyond this year but knows that at age 37, he may have difficulty getting another contract. “I know people around the team understand how important veterans are, and I think teams (across the league) do honestly. But at the end of the day, it’s still a numbers game, and I learned that part of the business in my first year,” he told Grange.
And-Ones: Lamb, Trade Candidates, Buyout Market, Pre-Agency, Dunk Contest
Former Warriors forward Anthony Lamb suffered a ruptured Achilles tendon while playing for the New Zealand Breakers, Olgun Uluc of ESPN tweets.
The non-contact leg injury occurred at the end of the first quarter of his team’s game against the Perth Wildcats on Sunday afternoon. An MRI confirmed the initial diagnosis.
Lamb appeared in 62 regular season games with Golden State last season, averaging 6.5 points, 3.5 rebounds and 1.5 assists in 19.3 minutes per game.
We have more from the around the basketball world:
- Which players are most likely to be on the move at the trade deadline? The Athletic’s John Hollinger reveals his list of players who could be swapping uniforms, breaking it down by expiring contracts, salary-matching contracts and luxury tax-shedding moves.
- Following the trade deadline, attention will be turned to buyout candidates. Keith Smith previews that market in a Spotrac post, evaluating the possibility of Kyle Lowry, Joe Harris, Gordon Hayward, Davis Bertans and numerous others going that route.
- What is “pre-agency?” A growing trend in the league, where players who could enter the free agent market get traded to a team interested in retaining them beyond the end of the season. The Athletic’s Danny Leroux notes that OG Anunoby and Pascal Siakam fit that category, as the Knicks and Pacers, respectively, have positioned themselves to keep those starters after trades with Toronto.
- It was reported on Monday that Jaylen Brown was seriously considering a spot in the All-Star dunk contest. Now it’s confirmed. The Celtics star will join Heat forward Jaime Jaquez, G League guard Mac McClung and Knicks forward Jacob Toppin in the annual event, Shams Charania of The Athletic tweets. McClung is the defending champion.
Fischer’s Latest: Wiggins, Paul, Portis, Looney, Kuzma, Stewart, Beauchamp, Hield, Bogdanovic
The Mavericks and Bucks are mulling whether to make a serious run at the Warriors’ Andrew Wiggins, Yahoo Sports’ Jake Fischer reports.
Wiggins’ name has been prominently mentioned in trade rumors, due to his subpar production, the Warriors’ disappointing record and a contract that runs through the 2026/27 season.
Dallas is willing to part with either Grant Williams or Tim Hardaway Jr. for salary-matching purposes to acquire a frontcourt player who can shoot and also make a difference defensively. The Mavs are also willing to include their 2027 first-round pick for the right player, Fischer adds.
As for the Bucks, they’d have to include Bobby Portis to cobble salaries to match Wiggins’ $24.3MM. It’s a tough call for the Bucks, considering Portis’ steady contributions in recent years. Fischer notes that Portis was one of Golden State coach Steve Kerr’s favorites during the FIBA World Cup run with Team USA.
Here are several more interesting tidbits from Fischer:
- Chris Paul, whose $30MM contract for next season is non-guaranteed, is unlikely to be dealt by the Warriors. Jonathan Kuminga is off limits. However, Kevon Looney and his $7.5MM contract could be swapped out, depending what need Golden State ultimately wants to target. Looney’s contract for next season is only guaranteed for $3MM.
- The Wizards are unwilling to deal Kyle Kuzma unless they get multiple first-rounders for him. The Mavericks and Kings have known interest but would likely need to find a third team to facilitate such a deal. Washington has made it known it’s looking for draft capital in any trade.
- Along with previously reported interest in the Hornets’ P.J. Washington, the Mavericks have their eyes on Pistons forward Isaiah Stewart. The latter signed a four-year, $64MM extension last offseason. Dallas also showed interest in Magic big man Wendell Carter but Orlando doesn’t seem inclined to move its starting center.
- The Bucks are willing to include MarJon Beauchamp and the 2024 second-round pick that the Trail Blazers owe them in trade discussions. The Bucks and Sixers have also contacted teams that hold plenty of draft capital, such as the Thunder and Pelicans, regarding potential future first-round pick swaps or packages of second-round picks in exchange for extra first-round selections.
- Speaking of the Sixers, they’re interested in Pacers sharpshooter Buddy Hield. Hield would upgrade their offense and his $18.5MM expiring contract wouldn’t impact their desire to have more cap space than any other team this summer. Picking up more first-round capital, as mentioned above, would facilitate their ability to acquire a wing like Hield or the Pistons’ Bojan Bogdanovic.
- The Celtics are willing to use their $6.2MM trade exception for bench help. Otto Porter Jr. and Lonnie Walker are among the names Fischer has heard as potential Boston acquisitions.
Southeast Notes: Kupchak, Hornets, Hayward, Gueye, Krejci, Beal
The Hornets’ front office could get a shakeup after the trade deadline. According to The Athletic’s John Hollinger, the scuttlebutt around league circles is that their new ownership group is planning to soon make a change in the front office.
Whether that involves Mitch Kupchak remains to be seen. Kupchak has been the Hornets’ president of basketball operations and general manager since April 2018.
We have more on the Southeast Division:
- With Terry Rozier traded to Miami and LaMelo Ball and Gordon Hayward sidelined by injuries, the Hornets are struggling to get settled on offense. They’re saddled with an eight-game losing streak entering Wednesday’s contest against Toronto. ‘We gotta learn to trust the pass more, trust each other,” coach Steve Clifford said, per Alex Zietlow of the Charlotte Observer. “You know, that’s part of how we have to evolve. But we’re playing without one of the most creative players in the world in Melo. Terry obviously creates a lot of shots. And Gordon. So when you get used to playing a certain way, (it’s tough). Now we just have to just flick the switch a little bit. Move the ball, move our bodies a little bit more. And we have more than enough offense on the floor to play well for four quarters.”
- Hayward, who hasn’t played since Dec. 26 due to a calf injury, is listed as questionable for Wednesday’s game, the team’s PR department tweets.
- Hawks forward Mouhamed Gueye (right low back stress fracture) has returned to modified practice with the NBA G League’s College Park Skyhawks, according to a team press release. He is traveling with the Hawks this week to continue his rehabilitation plan. Gueye has only appeared in two NBA games this season. Forward Vit Krejci (left shoulder subluxation) practiced Monday with the Skyhawks and is traveling with the Skyhawks for their games this week at Grand Rapids, Mich. Krejci, a two-way player, hasn’t appeared in an NBA game this season.
- Bradley Beal returned to Washington and dropped a season-high 43 points on his former team on Sunday. The Suns wing said he has a lot of good memories regarding his former NBA home and has no ill will toward the Wizards organization, according to the Noah Trister of The Associated Press. “It was a mutual decision back in the summer. It wasn’t a spiteful or like a disgusting divorce,” Beal said of the offseason trade. “It was a good separation. No hard feelings in it.”