Detroit Pistons Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Central Notes: Pistons, Cavs, Irving

July 20th, 2014 at 10:28am CST by Eddie Scarito

The Pistons have turned over a third of their roster this offseason, and new president and coach Stan Van Gundy has been the architect of that change. David Mayo of MLive examines the team’s moves and believes Detroit may have lost ground in the Eastern Conference with all the improvements made to the Cavs, Bulls, Hawks, and Hornets rosters.

Here’s more out of the Central Division:

Van Gundy believes being the president and coach of the Pistons is an advantage when recruiting free agents, writes Vince Ellis of the Detroit Free Press. Van Gundy said, “I can present the roster and talk about roles free agents could play. If you’re talking to them as a coach, it’s probably a little more realistic than just the front office — so a slight advantage, but not a whole lot.” Still, Van Gundy does admit that money is the biggest factor, saying “It’s not as much an advantage as money. My experience with the NBA is about 99.9% of the time the guy takes the best contract offer. Most guys aren’t going to make a big sacrifice, so money is No. 1, but then there are all kinds of things after that.”
With all the buzz about a potential Kevin Love for Andrew Wiggins and Anthony Bennett trade being in the works, Kyrie Irving isn’t worried if the Cavs complete the deal or not, writes Cameron Moon of the Northeast Ohio Media Group. Irving claims he hasn’t seriously thought about the deal being made, and also said, “There are so many guys who have inside sources. Until it happens and I get the call from our GM, other than that I haven’t really considered anything.“
The Cavaliers have had quite a busy and surprising offseason so far. The crew at Basketball Insiders (video link) break down all the moves the team made and what they mean for the franchise going forward.

Eastern Notes: Knicks, Wizards, Stuckey

July 18th, 2014 at 11:33pm CST by Cray Allred

GM Steve Mills insisted the Knicks never feared they would lose Carmelo Anthony, adding that he thinks the roughly $5MM discount Anthony took over the life of his deal will indeed make a difference for the team, as Mills said during an interview on the MSG network. John DeMarzo of the New York Post rounds up his comments, including remarks in which Mills confirmed earlier reports that the team believes it has too many guards. Mills identified shooting guard as a specific position of overload and pointed to depth at power forward and center as a priority. Here’s more from out East:

When Phil Jackson, Knicks owner James Dolan and Dolan’s business partner Irving Azoff were having initial conversations about Jackson joining the Knicks, it was Azoff, the longtime music mogul, who first suggested that Jackson take on the role as team president. Jackson, along with co-author Hugh Delehanty, shared more about his return to the Knicks in an excerpt of his latest book in the New York Daily News.
Kevin Seraphin‘s acceptance of the Wizards qualifying offer doesn’t rule out other potential moves for Washington, according to J. Michael of CSNWashington.com (via Twitter). Michael mentions a scoring guard as a remaining priority for the Wizards that could result in another signing.
Vincent Goodwill of The Detroit News writes that Rodney Stuckey‘s frustrating tenure with the Pistons was emblematic of the franchise’s instability following the team’s run as a contender up through 2008. If Stuckey can deliver on the promise from early in his career, Goodwill believes the Pacers will have a bargain on their hands.

Chuck Myron contributed to this post.

Western Rumors: Smith, Lakers, Ballmer, Thunder

July 18th, 2014 at 10:47pm CST by Cray Allred

The Kings don’t believe any of their power forwards is a solution at the position, and they’ve tried to move one this summer in a quest for an upgrade that’s sparked revitalized talks with the Pistons involving Josh Smith, as Jason Jones of The Sacramento Bee details. Here’s more from the Western Conference:

The Lakers have renounced the rights to Wesley Johnson, Xavier Henry, and Kent Bazemore, Eric Pincus of The Los Angeles Times reveals (all on Twitter). The maneuvers will accommodate the re-signings of Nick Young, Henry, and Johnson, all of whom have agreed to new deals. Pincus expects Young to be renounced before re-signing as well.
The Times scribe suspects that the Lakers are using part or all of the room exception to sign Ryan Kelly, considering the cap room that will be eaten up by Young’s contract, and a “reasonable” market of suitors for the power forward (all via Twitter).
Steve Ballmer agreed to extend his deal to purchase the Clippers until August 15th, but Linda Deutsch of The Associated Press reports that Ballmer’s lawyer told a judge in the Donald and Shelly Sterling legal proceedings that the agreement will be off if there is no ruling prior to that date. Ballmer’s potential withdrawal would further cloud the team’s status, as commissioner Adam Silver recently cautioned that Sterling could still own the Clippers at the beginning of next season.
The Thunder have announced that their D-League affiliate will move from Bixby, Oklahoma to Oklahoma City next season, as first reported by Darnell Mayberry of The Oklahoman. The change will make shuffling players between the Thunder and 66ers more convenient.
The Jazz still have free agency moves to make in filling out their roster, reports Tony Jones of The Salt Lake Tribune (all Twitter links). Francisco Garcia is a possibility for Utah, who seek a shooting wing along with a third point guard brought in to sit behind the team’s developing backcourt.

Chuck Myron contributed to this post.

Arnovitz On Lockout, Rockets, Suns, LeBron

July 17th, 2014 at 10:34pm CST by Alex Lee

While members of June’s coveted draft class have yet to wow executives in the NBA summer leagues, it hasn’t curbed the chatter among the league’s decision-makers in Las Vegas, writes ESPN’s Kevin Arnovitz. Arnovitz provides a plethora of big-picture issues being regularly discussed in the desert. Let’s round them up here:

Between the hefty prices that NBA franchises have fetched this offseason and a new television deal for the league on the horizon, insiders have been “downright giddy” in Vegas this week. Soaring revenues have resulted in teams investing in technology and analytics, though there is a growing fear that the NBA could be headed for another lockout in 2017.
Speaking of lockouts, the CBA negotiated during the last one has successfully limited the lengths of contracts in the NBA while simultaneously making it more difficult to plan for the long term, according to some executives. By limiting risk, shorter contracts have flooded the marketplace with bidders, in turn driving up the prices on free agents.
The reactions to the Rockets‘ offseason have been mixed, according to Arnovitz. On one hand, GM Daryl Morey has essentially traded Chandler Parsons, Omer Asik, Jeremy Lin and first and second round draft picks for Trevor Ariza, a first round pick and a trade exception. On the other hand, Morey has landed two max players in two years while maintaining the cap space to add another. However, there is sentiment that Morey’s analytics-based approach might eventually discourage future targets from coming to Houston.
The Spurs are still undoubtedly the model franchise of the NBA, though there is a buzz about what the Suns are building in Phoenix. Citing several insiders, Arnovitz writes that the Suns are adding assets while simultaneously producing an exciting product for their fans.
LeBron James‘ return to Cleveland hasn’t evoked nearly as much gossip among league insiders as his departure did, but one general manager expressed appreciation for the Cavaliers‘ star “carrying” the NBA right now from a business standpoint.
The analytics movement continues to devalue the mid-range game, resulting in widespread approval of Channing Frye‘s four-year, $32MM deal with the Magic and even some support for the three-year, $19.5MM deal that Jodie Meeks signed with the Pistons.

Pistons Sign D.J. Augustin

July 15th, 2014 at 3:18pm CST by Zachary Links

TUESDAY, 3:18pm: The Pistons formally announced the deal today, making it official.

SUNDAY, 7:52pm: The Pistons have agreed to sign D.J. Augustin to a two-year, $6MM deal, a source tells David Aldridge of NBA.com (on Twitter).

The Hornets and the Mavericks were also showing interest in the guard but Detroit has come away with his services. Augustin spent last season with the Raptors and Bulls, averaging a combined 13.1 PPG and 4.4 APG in 27.3 minutes per contest. For his career, Augustin owns averages of 10.1 PPG and 4.0 APG with a 14.3 PER.

Pistons Sign Caron Butler

July 15th, 2014 at 3:16pm CST by Zachary Links

TUESDAY, 3:16pm: The deal is official, the team announced.

SUNDAY, 9:27pm: It’s a two-year deal worth $9MM, according to Gery Woelfel of the Journal Times (on Twitter).

8:48pm: The Pistons will sign Caron Butler to a two-year deal with a club option on year two, according to Vincent Goodwill of the Detroit Free Press (on Twitter). Marc Stein of ESPN.com (on Twitter) first reported that the two sides were on the brink of agreement.

The swingman spent the home stretch of the 2013/14 season with the Thunder after being waived by the Bucks in late February. The 34-year-old averaged 10.5 PPG and 4.1 RPG in 56 games for Milwaukee and OKC last season. For his career, Butler has averages of 15.1 PPG and 5.3 RPG with two All-Star selections.

Pistons Waive Josh Harrellson, Peyton Siva

July 15th, 2014 at 8:34am CST by Chuck Myron

The Pistons have waived Josh Harrellson and Peyton Siva, according to a trio of reports. There’s been no official statement from the team, but Eric Pincus of Basketball Insiders, Mark Deeks of ShamSports and Vincent Goodwill of The Detroit News are all reporting that the team has released both of them (All Twitter links). Shams Charania of RealGM reported late Monday that the Pistons intended to waive Siva (Twitter link).

Both were on non-guaranteed minimum-salary contracts that were to become fully guaranteed if the Pistons didn’t waive them on or before July 20th. Siva’s guarantee date was listed as July 12, but multiple sources recently cited the date as July 20th, as I noted Monday. The team’s five contract agreements so far in free agency gave the team 16 players, so the releases of Siva and Harrellson help alleviate that numbers crunch, bringing the total down to 14. Detroit would be back up at 15 if it brought back restricted free agent Greg Monroe.

The Pistons also renounced their rights to Rodney Stuckey, Chauncey Billups and Charlie Villanueva, meaning they can’t exceed the salary cap to re-sign any of those players. That likely means none of them will be back with the team, Stuckey in particular.

Siva saw action in just 24 NBA games last season, averaging 9.3 minutes per contest, after the Pistons drafted him 56th overall in 2013. Harrellson, a three-year veteran, saw slightly more time, getting in 32 games and averaging 9.9 MPG.

Eastern Notes: Humphries, Meeks, Patterson

July 14th, 2014 at 10:05pm CST by Eddie Scarito

Free agent Kris Humphries is still open to returning to the Celtics, writes Ben Rohrbach of WEEI 93.7 FM. Humphries said, “I could definitely see it. My agent handles most of the stuff with free agency. We’ll see what happens. I definitely could see it. I played out last year and didn’t look to jump to a playoff team before the end of the year, so I definitely enjoyed my time there, and we’ll see what happens.”

Here’s the latest from the east:

Jodie Meeks wants to reward the Pistons on the court this season for making his signing a priority, writes Vincent Goodwill of The Detroit News. Meeks said, “I was their No. 1 priority. He [Stan Van Gundy] liked the way I competed on offense and defense. That’s my motto: Not worry about the bad shooting nights. Just play hard and let the chips fall where they may.”
Patrick Patterson never had any desire to leave Toronto, which made his decision to re-sign with the Raptors easy, writes Mike Ganter of the Toronto Sun. On remaining in Toronto, Patterson said, “Toronto was always one of my top choices as far as coming back. The fans and organization and the team and the friendships I have with these guys — I didn’t want to leave. I didn’t want to give those up, so there was no real uncertainty or doubt. It was all about coming to the right terms and getting everything situated.”
The Bucks may announce their new partial owners soon, possibly as soon as tomorrow, reports Gery Woelfel of The Journal Times (Twitter link).
Van Gundy admits that Greg Monroe‘s contract situation with the Pistons has him a “little nervous,” writes David Mayo of MLive. Van Gundy said, “The nervousness is just the unknown. It’s not knowing, beyond this year, especially, where you’re going. But again, we have plenty of time, if something happened, to adjust for next year and everything else.”
The Lance Stephenson free agency situation could drag out for awhile, tweets Chris Mannix of SI.com. A league executive told Mannix that the Pacers couldn’t increase their offer much more above what they have already presented Stephenson.

Pistons Sign Jodie Meeks

July 14th, 2014 at 3:40pm CST by Chuck Myron

JULY 14TH: The deal is official, the team announced via press release.

“Jodie’s approach to the game fits the style of basketball we want to play and his ability to shoot the ball from the outside is a skill that will help our team moving forward,” GM Jeff Bower said in the team’s statement.

JULY 1ST: 4:32pm: No options are involved as a part of the deal, tweets Dave McMenamin of ESPNLosAngeles.com.

3:53pm: The Pistons and Jodie Meeks have agreed on a three-year deal for more than $19MM, reports Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports (Twitter link). The two-guard leaves the Lakers to fill a need in Detroit, which was woeful from behind the three-point arc last season, and he’ll receive a tidy raise for doing so after making just $1.55MM this past season in L.A.

It appears that Pistons coach/executive Stan Van Gundy will use cap space on the maneuver, and the deal doesn’t bode well for the future of free agent guard Rodney Stuckey in Detroit. Meeks made a career-high 40.1% of his three-pointers this past season, though he’s only a 37.6% three-point shooter for his career. Still, that’s much better than Stuckey, who shot just 27.3% from behind the arc last season and carries a 28.6% mark in that category.

Meeks expressed desire to remain with the Lakers, and they were reportedly one of a number of teams making contact with him last night. The Pistons likely outbid others for the Andrew Vye client, who became the first free agent to agree to a deal in the 2014/15 season.

And-Ones: Rockets, Gay, Livingston, Miles

July 14th, 2014 at 9:02am CST by Chuck Myron

The Rockets promised Chris Bosh that they would match the Mavs’ offer sheet for Chandler Parsons if he jumped from Miami to Houston, but when Bosh agreed to re-sign with the Heat, the Rockets changed course, as Marc Stein of ESPN.com details (All Twitter links). Houston declined to match the deal for Parsons during the three-day window that expired Sunday night, and now the Rockets are poised to turn their attention back to longtime target Rajon Rondo and find a way back into the Kevin Love sweepstakes, Stein says. Here’s more from around the league after a busy weekend:

Rudy Gay, who chose in June to opt into the final season of his contract with the Kings, said Sunday that he’s open to signing an extension but will wait to see how the team develops, as he told reporters, including Jason Jones of The Sacramento Bee. “If I was going to opt out, I was definitely going to look at my options on different teams,” Gay said. “But with me opting in, I’m not saying no extension is going to happen. I’m just trying to see where we’re going as a team and how we plan on getting better.”
The final season of Shaun Livingston‘s three-year contract with the Warriors is worth $5,782,450 but only guaranteed for $3MM, tweets Eric Pincus of Basketball Insiders. That guarantee could increase if Livingston triggers incentives, Pincus adds.
Mutual options don’t exist in the NBA, but it appears that the last year of C.J. Miles‘ new four-year deal with the Pacers will function much like a mutual option, as Pincus details (Twitter link). Pincus indicates that his salary for that season is non-guaranteed but becomes guaranteed if he’s not waived after a certain date. Presuming he’s retained, Miles has a player option for that season, according to Pincus.
Mark Deeks of ShamSports lists the contract guarantee date for Peyton Siva as having been July 12, so it appeared that his minimum salary contract would be fully guaranteed for the coming season when he remained on the Pistons roster through Saturday. However, Vincent Ellis of the Detroit Free Press (on Twitter) and Keith Langlois of Pistons.com both list the date as the 20th, so it appears that Siva’s contract remains non-guaranteed unless he’s not waived on or before this coming Sunday.
The Jazz didn’t attempt to re-sign Richard Jefferson before he moved on to the Mavs, writes Tony Jones of The Salt Lake Tribune.