- The Cavaliers have the oldest roster in the NBA, but don’t view that as a problem heading into the 2016/17 season, writes Dave McMenamin of ESPN.com. Meanwhile, as Aaron McMann of MLive.com details, the Pistons are on the other end of the spectrum, with one of the youngest teams in the NBA, and will be looking for players to assume leadership roles this year.
- Pistons owner Tom Gores said during his team’s media day that he’s “always looking” at moving the franchise to downtown Detroit, particularly with the Red Wings set to move into Little Caesars Arena next fall. “It has to be good for everybody, us included, for our fans,” Gores said, per McMann at MLive.com. “We’re really in the middle of assessing it.”
- The one-year, minimum-salary deals Nikola Jovanovic and Trey Freeman inked with the Pistons are both worth about $543K, the rookie minimum. However, Jovanovic got a $30K guarantee from the team, while Freeman’s deal is fully non-guaranteed, Pincus notes.
The Pistons will continue to purse rookie contract extensions with Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and Reggie Bullock until the October 31st deadline, according to Rod Beard of The Detroit News. A full-time starter in Detroit for the past two seasons, Caldwell-Pope appeared in 76 games last year, averaging 14.5 points and 3.7 rebounds per night. Bullock played 37 games, averaging 3.3 points and 1.8 rebounds. The Pistons are over the salary cap, but Beard reports that the team is willing to use its Bird rights to re-sign both players. “We’re all in agreement it’s an atmosphere and environment where they have good thoughts,” GM Jeff Bower said of negotiations. “We’re going to continue to take those talks a little bit further through the month and see if there’s an opportunity to reach an extension now.”
- As the longest-tenured player on the roster and with a max contract now in hand, Pistons center Andre Drummond feels like he’s entering a new chapter of his career, writes Keith Langlois of NBA.com. The 23-year-old has witnessed a lot of turnover in Detroit since he arrived four years ago. He has played for four coaches in that time, but with Stan Van Gundy firmly in place, the Pistons seem ready to commit to their current core. Drummond is happy to be a part of that group. “I signed a five-year deal, so I’m here for the long haul and I’m excited to be here,” he said. “Detroit is now my home and I’m ready to embrace it and try to bring great things to this city.”
According to Pistons general manager Jeff Bower, the team has engaged in dialogue with both Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and Reggie Bullock about potential contract extensions, tweets Vincent Ellis of The Detroit Free Press. Bower added that both players like their situations in Detroit.
Caldwell-Pope and Bullock were both first-round picks in the 2013 draft, with KCP coming off the board eighth overall, while Bullock was selected with the 25th pick. Because they signed their rookie-scale contracts that year, and haven’t been waived since then, both players are heading into the final year of those deals, making them eligible for a rookie-scale extension by October 31.
[RELATED: Players eligible for rookie-scale extensions]
While C.J. McCollum and Giannis Antetokounmpo have each signed rookie-scale extensions already with their respective teams, most negotiations around the NBA will likely go down to the wire, with teams and their extension candidates potentially reaching agreements during the final week of October.
The Pistons had an extension candidate a year ago at this time, in Andre Drummond, but ultimately waited until this summer to lock up the star center. If Detroit opts not to extend Caldwell-Pope and Bullock yet, they’d be eligible for restricted free agency in the summer of 2017. Still, team head coach and president of basketball operations Stan Van Gundy said today that “in a perfect world” the Pistons would get deals done for both players within the next few weeks (Twitter link via Rod Beard of The Detroit News).
Caldwell-Pope, the Pistons’ starting two guard, set new career highs in 2015/16 when he averaged 14.5 PPG, 3.7 RPG, 1.8 APG, and a .420 FG%. As for Bullock, in his first season with the Pistons after being traded to Detroit from Phoenix in 2015, he played sparingly, averaging 3.3 PPG and 1.8 RPG on 11.6 minutes per contest (37 games). He did make 41.5% of his three-point attempts, though the sample was relatively small.
- As Keith Langlois of Pistons.com writes, 14 of the Pistons‘ 15 regular-season roster spots appear set, with just one up for grabs. That last opening figures to come down to Ray McCallum vs. Lorenzo Brown for the No. 3 point guard job. Langlois speaks to both players about the possible opportunity ahead of them as they compete for that roster spot.
- In a separate piece for Pistons.com, Langlois fields Pistons-related questions from readers, discussing a possible extension for Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, why Detroit chose Ish Smith as its backup point guard, and how the team’s roster might change over the next 12 months.
Ish Smith, who inked a three year, $18MM deal with the Pistons this summer, believes that Detroit has a legitimate shot to win an NBA title, Keith Langlois of NBA.com relays. “I always ask people, ‘What wakes you up at night?’ For me, now it’s the pursuit of a championship,” Smith said. “That really is what the case is. It’s like, we’ve got a real chance to be champions. And I know that sounds crazy and people think, ‘Naaah. Yeah, you guys got better; not champions.’ But we’ve really got a real legit chance. And as long as we believe it, nobody else matters.”
The Pistons have a young, talented core and Reggie Jackson knows its up to him to lead the team, Rod Beard of The Detroit News writes. “The organization put that upon us and myself to step up this year and be an even more impactful leader and more of a voice of reason and direction for our guys,” Jackson said. “I know I have a little more burden on my shoulders but it’s something I asked for and something I wanted. We’ll figure it out collectively.”
Here’s more from Detroit:
- Lorenzo Brown appears to have the inside track on the Pistons‘ third point guard spot, Beard speculates in the same piece. “(We’re looking for) a guy we think will help us the most and is the most ready to step in and play,” executive/coach Stan Van Gundy said. “[Brown and Ray McCallum Jr.] both [are] just playing to their strengths and we’ll make that decision when the time comes.” Both Brown and McCallum Jr. are on non-guaranteed deals.
- Darrun Hilliard missed Summer League with a back injury, but he appears to be healthy, Beard passes along in the same piece. “[The trainers] are trying to limit his workload a little bit but for the most part, he’s been doing everything,” Van Gundy said. “He’s actually doing pretty well.”
- Ish Smith is drawing praise from his new teammates, Beard adds in a separate piece. “We’ve played and I feel like Ish is going to be something like Brandon [Jennings] with his ability to pass, see and change pace to get the game going — it’s going to be special to watch,” Stanley Johnson said. “Especially with guys like me and [Kentavious Caldwell-Pope] running the lane.” Smith signed a three year, $18MM deal with the Pistons in July.
The 2017 NBA draft is still more than nine months away, but with the start of the regular season fast approaching, it’s worth taking stock of how this season’s results will affect next year’s draft. Depending on how certain teams perform during the 2016/17 campaign, other clubs will have the opportunity to pick up an extra selection or two.
Earlier this week, we looked at the first-round picks that could change hands during the 2017 draft. A few more first-rounders will likely be involved in trades prior to the trade deadline, or leading up to next year’s draft night, but there are already several picks that are ticketed for new teams, depending on where they land.
That’s even more true of the second round — more than half of the league’s second-round picks for 2017 have been involved in trades so far, and while some of those picks will ultimately remain with the sending teams due to protection conditions, many will move to the receiving teams.
Below, you’ll find a breakdown of the second-round picks that could (or will) change hands. For each selection, we make a note of which team is sending and receiving it, the protection or conditions on the pick, and what will happen if the protection language prevents the pick from being conveyed. For instance, the Heat will send their second-rounder to either the Hawks or Grizzlies, depending on where it lands. The team that doesn’t get a pick from Miami this year will get the Heat’s second-rounder in 2018.
Here are 2017’s traded second-round picks:
Atlanta Hawks
- From: Brooklyn Nets
- Protection: None
Boston Celtics
- From: Cleveland Cavaliers
- Protection: None
Boston Celtics
- From: Los Angeles Clippers
- Protection: None
Boston Celtics
- From: Minnesota Timberwolves
- Protection: None
Brooklyn Nets
- From: Boston Celtics
- Conditions: Nets will receive pick (protected 31-45) if Celtics swap first-rounders with Nets.
- If not conveyed: Celtics’ obligation to Nets is extinguished.
Brooklyn Nets
- From: Indiana Pacers
- Protection: 45-60
- If not conveyed: Nets will have opportunity to get Pacers’ second-rounder (protected 45-60) in 2018.
Denver Nuggets
- From: Memphis Grizzlies
- Protection: 31-35
- If not conveyed: Nuggets will receive Grizzlies’ 2018 second-rounder (unprotected).
Denver Nuggets
- From: Oklahoma City Thunder
- Protection: 31-35
- If not conveyed: Nuggets will receive Thunder’s 2018 second-rounder (unprotected).
Houston Rockets
- From: Denver Nuggets
- Protection: None
Houston Rockets
- From: Portland Trail Blazers
- Protection: None
Memphis Grizzlies
- From: Miami Heat
- Protection: 41-60
- If not conveyed: Grizzlies will receive Heat’s 2018 second-rounder (unprotected).
New York Knicks
- From: Chicago Bulls
- Protection: None
New York Knicks
- From: Houston Rockets
- Protection: None
Philadelphia 76ers
- From: Miami Heat
- Protection: 31-40
- If not conveyed: Sixers will receive Heat’s 2018 second-rounder (unprotected).
Philadelphia 76ers
- From: Two of Detroit Pistons, Golden State Warriors, New York Knicks, and Utah Jazz.
- Conditions: Sixers will receive the most and least favorable of these four picks.
Phoenix Suns
- From: Toronto Raptors
- Protection: None
Sacramento Kings
- From: Philadelphia 76ers
- Protection: None
Utah Jazz
- From: Two of Detroit Pistons, Golden State Warriors, New York Knicks, and Utah Jazz.
- Conditions: Jazz will receive the second- and third-most favorable of these four picks, including their own.
The following teams technically acquired second-round draft picks via trade and could receive those selections in 2017. However, these picks are heavily protected and won’t be conveyed to the receiving team unless the sending team finishes with a top-five record in the NBA. If that doesn’t happen, the receiving team is out of luck. The details:
Atlanta Hawks
- From: Phoenix Suns
- Protection: 31-55
- If not conveyed: Suns’ obligation to Hawks is extinguished.
Cleveland Cavaliers
- From: Charlotte Hornets
- Protection: 31-55
- If not conveyed: Hornets’ obligation to Cavaliers is extinguished.
Minnesota Timberwolves
- From: New Orleans Pelicans
- Protection: 31-55
- If not conveyed: Pelicans’ obligation to Timberwolves is extinguished.
Orlando Magic
- From: Sacramento Kings
- Protection: 31-55
- If not conveyed: Kings’ obligation to Magic is extinguished.
San Antonio Spurs
- From: Atlanta Hawks
- Protection: 31-55
- If not conveyed: Hawks’ obligation to Spurs is extinguished.
Finally, there is one team with swap rights on a second-round pick in 2017. The details:
Philadelphia 76ers
- Can swap with: Atlanta Hawks
- Protection: Sixers won’t have chance to swap if Hawks’ pick falls in the 56-60 range.
- Details: The Sixers will have the ability to swap the worst of the Pistons/Warriors/Knicks/Jazz second-round picks for the Hawks’ second-rounder. Practically speaking, this will likely result in Philadelphia swapping the Warriors’ pick for the Hawks’ pick.
RealGM’s database of future traded pick details was used in the creation of this post.
SEPTEMBER 16: Freeman has officially signed with the Pistons, per RealGM’s transactions log. Terms of the agreement still haven’t been reported, but it will likely be a one-year, minimum-salary summer contract.
AUGUST 29: The Pistons have agreed to a deal with unrestricted free agent guard Trey Freeman, Michael Scotto of Sheridan Hoops reports (on Twitter). The exact details of the arrangement are unknown, but it does include a partial guarantee, according to Scotto. The addition of Freeman will give Detroit a preseason roster count of 17.
Freeman played for the Rockets summer league squad in Las Vegas this year, appearing in five games and averaging 5.2 points, 3.2 rebounds and 2.4 assists in 18.4 minutes per outing. His shooting line was .265/.200/.750.
The 23-year-old went undrafted after completing his senior campaign at Old Dominion. Freeman’s numbers for the 2015/16 season were 22.1 points, 4.2 rebounds and 3.0 assists in 35.1 minutes per night. His shooting numbers on the year were .429/.349/.829.
The Pistons are adding another undrafted free agent to their roster for training camp, having signed former USC forward Nikola Jovanovic to a contract, according to RealGM’s transactions log. Jovanovic confirmed the agreement himself on Twitter, announcing that “it’s official!”
Jovanovic, who worked out for the Pistons just a few days before the 2016 draft, wasn’t selected in June after forgoing his senior year at USC to become draft-eligible. In his final season with the Trojans, the 22-year-old averaged 12.1 PPG and 7.0 RPG, shooting 52.4% from the field.
The Pistons have 14 players on guaranteed contracts on their books for 2016/17 so far, so the team’s final roster slot could be up for grabs in training camp. Jovanovic will face some stiff competition for that opening though — so far, Detroit has added Lorenzo Brown, Ray McCallum, and Trey Freeman on non-guaranteed deals. The club still has two more open spots on its 20-man offseason roster.
Jovanovic’s deal is believed to be for one year, and will likely be worth the minimum salary ($543K), with little to no guaranteed money.