Detroit Pistons Rumors | Hoops Rumors

And-Ones: Payne, Bulls, Pistons

June 14th, 2015 at 10:30pm CST by Will Joseph

Cameron Payne’s private workout with the Thunder on Saturday likely dispels the rumor that the team has promised to draft him if he is still available, Darnell Mayberry of The Oklahoman writes. Back in May, ESPN.com’s Chad Ford noted that he heard chatter among GMs that the Thunder promised Payne they’ll take him at No. 14. The Murray State point guard wouldn’t have needed to participate in the workout had the Thunder already promised to select him, according to Mayberry. Payne told Zach Links of Hoops Rumors that his goal was to be drafted as high as seventh overall.

Here’s more from around the league:

Despite recent trade rumors, K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Tribune believes both Taj Gibson and Joakim Noah, whose contract is up after next season, will be back with the Bulls next season. Johnson, in an answer a question in a mailbag feature, does not think Pau Gasol will play 78 games again next season and the Bulls therefore would need the frontcourt depth as a result.
The Pistons‘ acquisition of Ersan Ilyasova signals that the team, under president of basketball operations and head coach Stan Van Gundy and GM Jeff Bower, isn’t afraid to pull the trigger, Vincent Ellis of The Detroit Free Press writes. The Pistons have made four trades since October, as Ellis points out.

Central Notes: Pacers, Turner, Lyles, Dekker

June 14th, 2015 at 2:12pm CST by Arthur Hill

The Pacers will give serious consideration to Wisconsin’s Frank Kaminsky if he is still available at No. 11, writes Gery Woelfel of The Journal Times. President of basketball operations Larry Bird likes the way Kaminsky progressed in college, from barely playing as a freshman to averaging 18.8 points and 8.2 rebounds as a senior and leading the Badgers to the national title game. “I’m pretty proud of him for the work he has put in,” Bird said. “It looks like the type of kid who is going to keep working and get better.’’

There’s more draft-related news from the Central Division:

Myles Turner of Texas made an effort to appear vocal and teachable during his workout with the Pacers today, tweets Candace Buckner of The Indianapolis Star. She also notes that Turner has had a busy weekend, working out at a Friday showcase in Las Vegas, followed by a Saturday session in Salt Lake City and then today’s audition for the Pacers. He will be leaving for Denver tonight (Twitter link). Buckner also observed at today’s workouts that Kaminsky had trouble finishing at the rim (Twitter link). The Pacers also worked out Arizona’s T.J. McConnell, Villanova’s Darrun Hilliard, Penn State’s D.J. Newbill and California-Davis’ Corey Hawkins today, tweets Michael Scotto of SheridanHoops.
Kentucky’s Trey Lyles told Mark Montieth of NBA.com that he isn’t frightened by the possibility of playing in his hometown of Indianapolis. “Being somewhere where you watched a lot of games when you were a kid and actually being able to go out there and work out for the team, it’s a special situation for myself,” said Lyles, who worked out for the Pacers Thursday.
Wisconsin’s Sam Dekker knows the Pistons need a small forward and he would like to fill that role, according to Vincent Ellis of The Detroit Free Press. “I see they got [Ersan] Ilyasova, a former Buck, so I saw him play a lot,” said Dekker, who worked out for Detroit Saturday. “It’s exciting to see that maybe they are looking at a guy at [small forward] and that’s somewhere I’m comfortable and maybe I showed them stuff today and showed them stuff in the past that they would be confident with a pick like that.” The Pistons hold the No. 8 pick in the draft.

Heat Rumors: Wade, Draft, Chalmers

June 14th, 2015 at 10:54am CST by Arthur Hill

Miami’s need to keep Dwyane Wade gives him an advantage in negotiations, writes Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald. Jackson explains that if Luol Deng decides to opt in for $10.1MM next season and both Wade and Goran Dragic leave in free agency, the Heat would have less than $10MM available to replace them. If Deng opts in, Miami would have $56MM committed to 11 players, and possibly more if the team picks up Michael Beasley‘s player option for nearly $1.3MM. If Wade leaves and Dragic stays, Jackson notes, the Heat would be capped out and would have just a $5.5MM mid-level exception to offer free agents, which could attract someone like Danny Green or Mike Dunleavy. If Deng, Wade and Dragic leave, Miami would only have $20MM available to replace all three. Jackson speculates that the Heat could try to trade Josh McRoberts, who is due $5.5MM next season, or Chris Andersen, who will make $5MM, to free up cap room.

There’s more offseason news from South Beach:

The Heat could be crossing their fingers on draft night and hoping the Hornets don’t take Kentucky’s Devin Booker, Jackson writes in the same story. Booker, considered among the best shooters in the draft, visited both Miami and Charlotte last week and would help fill the Heat’s need for a three-point marksman. The Hornets hold the No. 9 pick, one spot ahead of Miami.
This week’s trade that sent Ersan Ilyasova from the Bucks to the Pistons for Caron Butler and Shawne Williams could impact the Heat, according to Ira Winderman of The Sun Sentinel. Miami was interested in signing Butler when he was bought out by Milwaukee in February of 2014, although that interest may have lessened now that he has turned 35. Also, the Pistons now have a lineup hole at small forward, which could make them competitors with Miami in the draft and free agency. With the No. 8 pick, Detroit is two spots ahead of the Heat.
Mario Chalmers could be the player the Heat decide to move to clear cap space, Winderman writes in a separate story. If the Heat believe Shabazz Napier and either Zoran Dragic or Tyler Johnson can be sufficient backups to Dragic and Wade, that could make Chalmers expendable.

Central Notes: Boylen, Ilyasova, Looney

June 13th, 2015 at 6:52pm CST by ChrisCrouse

Assistant Jim Boylen is leaving the Spurs to become the associate head coach of the Bulls, reports Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports. Boylen had the offer from Fred Hoiberg and had been weighing his options for several days, according to the Yahoo! scribe. Coach Gregg Popovich wanted to keep Boylen on his staff, but understood the financial opportunity and promotion that Chicago was offering, sources tell Wojnarowski. The terms of Boylen’s new contract have not yet been disclosed.

Here’s more from the Central Division:

Ersan Ilyasova is embracing his new opportunity with the Pistons, Gery Woelfel of the Journal Times writes. “I spoke with coach [Stan] Van Gundy for about 20 minutes and he shared his plans for me and the team next season,’’ Ilyasova said. “Coach Van Gundy said he was following me since he was coaching in Orlando several years ago and he really liked the way I played and how I fit into the system. It’s exciting, for sure. I think it’ll work out good for me and it will be the right fit for me. It’s going to be a fresh start.’’
Some neutral observers of Kevon Looney‘s workout with the Bucks believe the UCLA product had an ordinary workout, citing his lack of aggression and failure to make plays, Woelfel writes in the same piece. However Bucks director of scouting Billy McKinney had nothing but praise for Looney. “We were all impressed,’’ McKinney said, referring to the Bucks’ representatives in attendance. “He’s only 19. He has tremendous growth.’’

Central Notes: Kaminsky, Pistons, Pacers

June 13th, 2015 at 1:50pm CST by Eddie Scarito

According to a source close to Wisconsin center Frank Kaminsky, the big man has a list of three teams that he believes would be a good fit for him, and the Pacers are one of those squads, Candace Buckner of The Indianapolis Star relays. “They kind of alluded to the fact that they want to get up and down more, get out and run a little bit more but at the same time under control,” Kaminsky said after his meeting with the Pacers at the draft combine. “That’s kind of how it was for me my last year in Wisconsin, so I think it’ll be a good fit.” It’s Indiana’s desire to switch to a more up-tempo offense that has the team reportedly hoping that incumbent big man Roy Hibbert will opt out of his $15.514MM player option for the 2015/16 campaign.

Here’s more from the Central Division:

The Pacers have workouts scheduled on Sunday for Corey Hawkins (UC Davis), Darrun Hilliard (Villanova), Kaminsky, T.J. McConnell (Arizona), D.J. Newbill (Penn State), and Myles Turner (Texas), the team announced.
With four trades completed since October, the Pistons‘ front office combination of president/coach Stan Van Gundy and GM Jeff Bower is proving itself to be quite active and willing to gamble, writes Vince Ellis of The Detroit Free Press.
The acquisition of Ersan Ilyasova by the Pistons is intended to help center Andre Drummond unlock his enormous potential, Ellis writes in a separate piece. Ilyasova is a stretch four, and his outside shooting should provide space for Drummond’s rolls to the rim for alley-oop dunks off passes from point guard Reggie Jackson, who will be another beneficiary of Ilyasova’s career 37% three-point shooting drawing the attention of defenses, Eillis adds.

Eastern Notes: Knicks, Wizards, Johnson

June 13th, 2015 at 11:20am CST by Eddie Scarito

The Knicks‘ hope that either Duke big man Jahlil Okafor or Ohio State playmaker D’Angelo Russell will still be on the board when the team picks at No. 4 isn’t likely to pan out, Marc Berman of The New York Post writes. According to a league source, the Sixers, who pick third, still have a firm top three of Karl-Anthony Towns, Russell, and Okafor, and Philly won’t let any of that trio slip past them, Berman notes. There is also little chance of New York gambling on Latvian forward Kristaps Porzingis, who dazzled scouts during his Friday showcase, the Post scribe adds. “The body’s a long way off so he’s couple of years away from impact,’’ one NBA scout said of Porzingis. “He’s going to look great in a workout but he’s a young European who hasn’t played much. Too much risk at [No.] 4 for the Knicks.’’

Here’s more out of the NBA’s Eastern Conference:

The Pistons have workouts scheduled today for Sam Dekker (Wisconsin), Le’Bryan Nash (Oklahoma State), Dustin Hogue (Iowa State), and LaDontae Henton (Providence), the team announced (on Twitter).
Working out for the Wizards on Monday will be Tyler Harvey (Eastern Washington), Rashad Madden (Arkansas), Jarell Martin (LSU), Bobby Portis (Arkansas), Jordan Sibert (Dayton), and Keifer Sykes (Wisconsin-Green Bay), the team announced.
The Knicks‘ scheduled workout for Arizona forward Stanley Johnson, who I recently profiled, was moved from Friday to today, Ian Begley of ESPNNewYork.com writes. New York has also been trying to bring in Murray State point guard Cameron Payne, who is suddenly a hot commodity, for a showcase, but the two sides have been unable to agree on a date, Begley adds.

Eastern Notes: Kirk, Boylen, Porzingis

June 11th, 2015 at 9:30pm CST by Eddie Scarito

The Pistons got an early jump on their offseason today, acquiring Ersan Ilyasova from the Bucks in exchange for Caron Butler and Shawne Williams. Milwaukee GM John Hammond had nothing but praise for the departed big man, Charles F. Gardner and Matt Velazquez of The Journal Sentinel write. “Ersan always represented this organization and this community in a first-class manner,” Hammond said. “He gave 100% night in and night out. We wish Ersan nothing but the best as he continues his career in Detroit.” Here’s more out of the East:

The Bulls are pursuing San Antonio assistant Jim Boylen to become the top assistant on coach Fred Hoiberg‘s staff, Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports reports. Chicago has received permission from the Spurs to speak to Boylen, league sources told Wojnarowski. Chicago has expressed a willingness to discuss the title of associate head coach with Boylen, the Yahoo! scribe adds.
The Nets held pre-draft workouts today for Dakari Johnson (Kentucky), George Lucas (Brazil), Lucas Dias Silva (Brazil), Josh Gasser (Wisconsin), and Luis Montero (Westchester CC), Michael Scotto of SheridanHoops tweets.
Center Alex Kirk worked out for the Knicks today with the hope he can earn an invite to training camp, Adam Zagoria of SNY.tv writes. “I’m not going to come in and try to score 30 points and try to do some of these amazing things that these other guys are going to try to do,” Kirk told Basketball Insiders (video link). “I just want to come in and be Alex Kirk and try to play as hard as I possibly can and hopefully that turns into some training camp offers and just see where that goes from there.” Kirk was waived by New York shortly after being acquired from the Cavaliers this past season.
The Knicks will be one of a number of teams attending a workout for Kristaps Porzingis in Las Vegas this Friday, Ian Begley of ESPNNewYork.com relays (Twitter links). This is likely to be Prozingis’ only pre-draft showcase, Begley notes. Also participating in the workout will be Myles Turner (Texas) and Jarell Martin (LSU), the ESPN scribe relays.
Kansas swingman Kelly Oubre plans to work out for the Heat in the near future, Ira Winderman of The Sun Sentinel relays. You can see our full prospect profile for Oubre here.

2015/16 Roster Counts: Detroit Pistons

June 11th, 2015 at 8:30pm CST by Eddie Scarito

During the offseason it’s OK for teams to carry as many as 20 players, but clubs must trim their rosters down to a maximum of 15 by opening night. In the meantime, some teams will hang around that 15-man line, while others will max out their roster counts. Some clubs may actually have more than 15 contracts that are at least partially guaranteed on the books. That means they’ll end up paying players who won’t be on the regular season roster, unless they can find trade partners.

With plenty more movement still to come, here’s the latest look at the Pistons’ roster size, the contract guarantee status of each player, and how each player came to be on Detroit’s roster.

(Last Updated 3-15-16, 2:35pm)

Fully Guaranteed (14)

Joel Anthony (C) — 6’9″/32 years old.
Aron Baynes (F/C) — 6’10″/28 years old. Free agent signing.
Steve Blake (G) — 6’3″/35 years old. Acquired via trade from Nets.
Reggie Bullock (G) — 6’7″/24 years old. Acquired via trade from Suns.
Kentavious Caldwell-Pope (G) — 6’5″/22 years old. Drafted with No. 8 overall pick in 2013.
Spencer Dinwiddie (G) — 6’6″/22 years old. Drafted with No. 38 overall pick in 2014.
Andre Drummond (C) — 6’11″/21 years old. Drafted with No. 9 overall pick in 2012.
Tobias Harris (F) — 6’9″/22 years old. Acquired via trade from Magic.
Darrun Hilliard (F) — 6’6″/22 years old. Drafted with No. 38 overall pick in 2015.
Reggie Jackson (G) — 6’3″/25 years old. Acquired via trade from Thunder.
Stanley Johnson (F) — 6’7″/19 years old. Drafted with No. 8 overall pick in 2015.
Jodie Meeks (G) — 6’4″/27 years old. Free agent signing.
Marcus Morris (F) — 6’9″/25 years old. Acquired via trade from Suns.
Anthony Tolliver (F) — 6’8″/30 years old. Acquired via trade with Suns.

10-Day Contracts (0)

None

TOTAL ROSTER COUNT (14)

Central Notes: Ilyasova, Cavs, Bucks

June 11th, 2015 at 6:05pm CST by Eddie Scarito

The Pistons got the better end of today’s trade with the Bucks that netted Detroit Ersan Ilyasova, Daniel Leroux of RealGM writes in his breakdown of the deal. While the trade was essentially a salary dump for Milwaukee, the Pistons taking a flyer on Ilyasova without giving up any significant assets was a better outcome than most of their realistic free agent options in July, Leroux opines. In addition to creating some cap flexibility, the Bucks also cleared some minutes for the team’s bevy of young frontcourt players, the RealGM scribe notes.

Here’s the latest from the Central Division:

The Cavaliers are conducting a group workout today involving Pittsburgh shooting guard Cameron Wright, league sources tell Michael Scotto of SheridanHoops (Twitter links). Also participating in the workout are Utah’s Delon Wright, Kentucky’s Andrew Harrison, and North Carolina State’s Trevor Lacey, Scotto adds.
Dealing away Ilyasova will also have an impact on who the Bucks look to select with the No. 17 overall pick in the NBA Draft, Gery Woelfel of The Racine Journal Times relays (Twitter link). The franchise could potentially nab Wisconsin’s Sam Dekker or UCLA’s Kevon Looney with that pick, Woelfel adds.
The Pistons interviewed LSU big man Jordan Mickey via Skype, but there are currently no plans for an individual workout because of scheduling issues, Vincent Ellis of The Detroit Free Press relays (on Twitter).

Chuck Myron contributed to this post.

Pistons Acquire Ersan Ilyasova

June 11th, 2015 at 3:11pm CST by Chuck Myron

3:11pm: The trade is official, the Pistons and Bucks have announced. “Ersan Ilyasova is a player we have coveted since we got to Detroit,” said Van Gundy. “Not only is he a proficient three-point shooter that can stretch the floor, he is a high-energy, hard-playing guy who fits extremely well with how we want to play. We are excited about what he can add to our team. We appreciate the contributions of Caron and Shawne. Caron, in particular, is difficult to say goodbye to. Not only did he play well for us, his leadership went above and beyond. I’m not sure I’ve ever seen a single player have a more a positive impact on a team than Caron did on ours. He is a special person and we will always respect and appreciate what he did here.”

2:13pm: The Bucks and Pistons have agreed to a trade that will send Ersan Ilyasova to Detroit for Caron Butler and Shawne Williams, reports Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports (Twitter link). The move will give Pistons coach/executive Stan Van Gundy a new stretch power forward of the sort that he so often employed when he was coach of the Magic. It’ll also set up Butler, a Wisconsin native, for his second stint with the Bucks after he spent the first half of the 2013/14 with Milwaukee, providing the Bucks keep him. Williams is also a stretch four who started 22 games for the Heat early this past season, but he saw little playing time in Detroit after the Pistons claimed him off Waivers.

Mar 24, 2015; Milwaukee, WI, USA; Milwaukee Bucks forward Ersan Ilyasova (7) during the game against the Miami Heat at BMO Harris Bradley Center. Milwaukee won 89-88. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Hanisch-USA TODAY Sports

Courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

The swap will give the Bucks a chance to clear salary, Wojnarowski notes (on Twitter). Butler is due $4.5MM next season, but that salary wouldn’t become guaranteed until June 30th. Williams likewise is without a guarantee for next season, but his minimum salary wouldn’t become fully guaranteed until January. Ilyasova is due a fully guaranteed $7.9MM next season, with $400K of his $8.4MM salary for 2015/16 guaranteed.

The deal is a further signal that soon-to-be free agent Greg Monroe will be elsewhere next season, tweets Vince Ellis of the Detroit Free Press, since Ilyasova plays his position. It also ostensibly gives the team more motivation to acquire a small forward, with the power forward slot accounted for and Butler on his way out of town, Ellis surmises.

It doesn’t appear as though either team will have a chance to create a trade exception, since Milwaukee is under the cap and the Pistons need both the salaries of Butler and Williams to match for Ilyasova. The Bucks will instead have the chance to benefit from an additional chunk of cap flexibility equivalent to Ilyasova’s salary. That gives Milwaukee only about $36MM in commitments for next season against a projected $67.1MM cap, leaving enough room to re-sign restricted free agent Khris Middleton to a max deal and still have enough money left over for another marquee restricted free agent. Gery Woelfel of the Journal Times speculates that the Bucks will prioritize the addition of a perimeter shooter to offset the loss of what Ilyasova delivered in that regard (Twitter link).

Ilyasova acknowledged that trades are a part of the business when Woelfel asked for his reaction to the news (Twitter link). That Milwaukee would send him out is no surprise, since his name has been in rumors almost ever since he re-signed with the Bucks on a five-year, $40MM deal in July 2012. The team dangled him in trade talk as recently as the deadline in February, as Steve Kyler of Basketball Insiders reported then.

The 28-year-old Ilyasova is coming off a bounceback season in which he shot 38.9% from three-point range and averaged 11.5 points per game, but he did so in just 22.7 minutes per night, his lowest since he was a rookie in 2006/07. Butler, 35, put up 5.9 PPG in 20.8 MPG for Detroit. Williams saw less than 10 MPG for the Pistons after knocking down 39.5% of his three-pointers in 21.0 MPG for the Heat. Should the Bucks seek outside shooting, they could do worse than keeping Williams on the minimum salary, though that’s just my speculation.