Pistons Sign Javante McCoy, Waive Two Players
G League guard Javante McCoy has joined the Pistons on an Exhibit 10 contract, league sources tell Michael Scotto of HoopsHype (Twitter link). The team has waived Devon Higgs and Sam Peek, whose signings were reported earlier today, Scotto adds.
McCoy, 26, was acquired in August by the Motor City Cruise, Detroit’s G League affiliate, which is where he’ll likely play this season. The Exhibit 10 deal makes him eligible for a $77.5K bonus if he spends at least 60 days with the Cruise. Higgs and Peek are believed to have signed Exhibit 10 contracts as well, so they’ll be able to earn the same bonus.
McCoy has played in the G League since going undrafted out of Boston University in 2022. He originally signed with the Lakers and spent one year with their affiliate in South Bay, then joined the Spurs on an Exhibit 10 deal last September and played for Austin, where he averaged 8.1 points, 2.8 rebounds and 1.8 assists in 27 regular season games.
The Pistons now have 18 players under contract, three short of the offseason limit. The team also has pending Exhibit 10 agreements with Dereon Seabron and Aaron Estrada.
Pistons Sign Three Players To Camp Contracts
The Pistons have signed free agents Devon Higgs, Sam Peek, and Tolu Smith to training camp contracts, tweets Keith Smith of Spotrac.
Higgs, who went undrafted in 2023, spent his first professional season in the G League, appearing in a total of 26 games for the College Park Skyhawks and Motor City Cruise, Detroit’s NBAGL affiliate. The 6’5″ guard averaged 6.1 points, 4.0 rebounds, and 1.0 assists in 20.2 minutes per game in the G League, with a shooting line of .451/.340/.517, then was on the Pistons’ Las Vegas Summer League roster in 2024.
Peek, a 6’7″ forward, also finished last season with the Cruise and then was part of the Pistons’ Summer League team. He averaged 6.2 PPG, 3.1 RPG, and 1.2 APG in 14 games (19.9 MPG) for Motor City in 2023/24 after starting the season with the Wisconsin Herd.
Smith, meanwhile, went undrafted this June after wrapping up his college career at Mississippi State. The 6’10” forward averaged 14.4 points and 8.0 rebounds in 28.8 minutes per game across 108 games in four years with the Bulldogs. Before that, he spent his freshman season with Western Kentucky.
Like Higgs and Peek, Smith played for the Pistons in Las Vegas in July. He had a significant Summer League role, putting up 11.0 PPG and 9.0 RPG in five starts (22.1 MPG).
In all likelihood, the three newest Pistons received Exhibit 10 contracts and will be waived well before the regular season begins, lining them up to join the Cruise this fall. They’d be eligible to earn bonuses worth up to $77.5K if they spend at least 60 days with Detroit’s G League team.
The Pistons now have 19 players under contract and have also reportedly reached Exhibit 10 agreements with Dereon Seabron and Aaron Estrada.
Pistons Notes: Duren, Ivey, Harris
It’s a pivotal season for Pistons center Jalen Duren, who will be extension-eligible next offseason. Duren’s development is one of the major questions for the franchise as training camp approaches, Keith Langlois of Pistons.com writes.
Duren has not established himself as a defensive anchor despite the fact that he’s as athletic as any NBA center, Langlois notes, considering his 250-pound frame and 7-foot-5 wingspan. His end-to-end speed also stands out.
Duren is already an elite rebounder, as his pair of 20-20 games last season would suggest. If he can become a defensive force, the 20-year-old has All-Star potential, Langlois concludes.
We have more on the Pistons:
- Like Duren, Jaden Ivey is also looking his make his mark during his third Pistons season, Omari Sankofa II of the Detroit Free Press notes in a subscriber-only story. Ivey, who will likely have the ball in his hands during times when Cade Cunningham isn’t on the court, has displayed breathtaking speed and the ability to generate open shots but has been among the league’s most turnover-prone players, Sankofa points out. Whether Ivey starts or runs the second unit, he’ll need to improve as a play-maker and show more discipline on defense.
- Melanie Harris has been named the Pistons’ president of business operations, according to a team press release. Harris, who previously worked for Nike, will be responsible for leading the organization’s business lines, expanding revenue opportunities and driving engagement with partners, sponsors, ticketholders and fans.
- Our readers believe the Pistons will exceed their projected win total this season. Check out the results of that vote here.
Pistons Sign Dereon Seabron To Exhibit 10 Contract
The Pistons have agreed to an Exhibit 10 contract with guard Dereon Seabron, Michael Scotto of HoopsHype tweets. The deal is official, per RealGM’s transaction log.
Seabron has played on two-way deals with the Pelicans over the past two seasons. He has appeared in a total of 11 NBA games, averaging 1.6 points in 6.1 minutes per contest.
Seabron has spent the bulk of his two pro seasons in the G League. He appeared in 28 games with the Birmingham Squadron last season, including 26 starts, and averaged 18.4 points, 6.2 rebounds and 6.0 assists in 33.3 minutes per game.
This summer, Seabron played in three Las Vegas Summer League games for the Bulls, averaging 8.7 PPG, 4.3 RPG and 2.7 APG in 21.4 MPG.
Seabron, 24, went undrafted out of North Carolina State.
An Exhibit 10 contract would allow Seabron to receive a bonus worth up to $77.5K (on top of his standard G League salary) if he’s waived by the Pistons and then spends at least 60 days with the Motor City Cruise.
And-Ones: Fitts, Gilyard, NBA Schedule, Flagg, Swarm Staff
In an NBA G League swap, the Memphis Hustle acquired a 2025 first-round pick and the returning player rights to forward Malik Fitts from the Cleveland Charge, the Grizzlies’ G League team tweets. The Charge, the Cavaliers’ affiliate, received the returning player rights to guard Jacob Gilyard.
Fitts has appeared in 18 NBA games, most recently in eight contests with Boston during the 2021/22 campaign when he was signed to two 10-day contracts. Gilyard appeared in a combined 41 NBA games with the Grizzlies and Nets last season. He was on a two-way deal with Brooklyn after Memphis waived him.
We have more from around the basketball world:
- It’s impossible to keep all the NBA teams happy and give them their desired dates on an 82-game schedule. Duane Rankin of the Arizona Republic spoke to an unnamed source who detailed the issues confronting the schedule makers. “You’ve got 30 different teams each with their own perspective on what they would like to see and within each of the 30 teams, you’ve got multiple perspectives from what makes the most sense,” the source said. “The league is then responsible for taking all of the different perspectives and try to make something that’s going to please everyone, which inherently is an impossible task.”
- How would projected 2025 top pick Cooper Flagg impact a team in rebuild mode? Jonathan Wasserman of Bleacher Report dives into that topic, exploring how the Duke freshman big man would fit in with the Nets, Hornets, Pistons, Trail Blazers, Spurs, Raptors, Jazz and Wizards.
- Nathan Peavy, David Noel III and Alex Ruoff have been announced as assistant coaches on DJ Bakker‘s staff with the Greensboro Swarm, the Hornets‘ affiliate, the G League team announced in a press release. Peavy joins the Swarm after serving last season as the head coach of the Cangrejeros de Santurce in the Baloncesto Superior Nacional league, Puerto Rico’s top professional division. Noel spent the last two seasons as an assistant coach for the Motor City Cruise, the Pistons’ affiliate. Ruoff was on West Virginia’s coaching staff the last two seasons.
2024/25 NBA Over/Unders: Central Division
With the 2024/25 NBA regular season set to tip off next month, we’re getting serious about predictions for the upcoming campaign and continuing an annual Hoops Rumors tradition.
With the help of the lines from a series of sports betting sites – including Bovada and BetOnline – we’re running through the predicted win totals for each of the NBA’s 30 teams, by division. In a series of team-by-team polls, you’ll get the chance to weigh in on whether you think those forecasts are too optimistic or too pessimistic.
In 2023/24, our voters went 16-14 on their over/under picks. Can you top that in ’24/25?
We’ll continue our series today with the Central Division…
Milwaukee Bucks
- 2023/24 record: 49-33
- Over/under for 2024/25: 50.5 wins
- Major offseason moves:
Cleveland Cavaliers
- 2023/24 record: 48-34
- Over/under for 2024/25: 48.5 wins
- Major offseason moves:
- Added: Jaylon Tyson
- Lost: Marcus Morris, Damian Jones
- Note: Isaac Okoro is a restricted free agent and is still considered likely to return to the Cavaliers.
Indiana Pacers
- 2023/24 record: 47-35
- Over/under for 2024/25: 47.5 wins
- Major offseason moves:
- Added: Johnny Furphy, James Wiseman
- Lost: Jalen Smith, Doug McDermott
Chicago Bulls
- 2023/24 record: 39-43
- Over/under for 2024/25: 28.5 wins
- Major offseason moves:
- Added: Josh Giddey, Jalen Smith, Matas Buzelis, Chris Duarte
- Lost: DeMar DeRozan, Alex Caruso, Andre Drummond, Javonte Green
Detroit Pistons
- 2023/24 record: 14-68
- Over/under for 2024/25: 24.5 wins
- Major offseason moves:
Previous voting results:
- Boston Celtics (58.5 wins): Over (69.7%)
- New York Knicks (53.5 wins): Over (58.8%)
- Philadelphia 76ers (52.5 wins): Under (51.7%)
- Toronto Raptors (30.5 wins): Under (58.7%)
- Brooklyn Nets (19.5 wins): Over (54.3%)
- Dallas Mavericks (49.5 wins): Over (78.0%)
- Memphis Grizzlies (47.5 wins): Under (65.6%)
- New Orleans Pelicans (46.5 wins): Under (60.6%)
- Houston Rockets (43.5 wins): Under (51.4%)
- San Antonio Spurs (36.5 wins): Under (52.9%)
- Orlando Magic (47.5 wins): Over (57.1%)
- Miami Heat (44.5 wins): Under (63.1%)
- Atlanta Hawks (35.5 wins): Under (66.4%)
- Charlotte Hornets (29.5 wins): Under (63.1%)
- Washington Wizards (20.5 wins): Under (56.6%)
- Oklahoma City Thunder (56.5 wins): Over (68.1%)
- Minnesota Timberwolves (52.5 wins): Over (65.2%)
- Denver Nuggets (51.5 wins): Over (54.3%)
- Utah Jazz (29.5 wins): Under (60.1%)
- Portland Trail Blazers (22.5 wins): Under (54.7%)
Central Notes: Thompson, Pistons, Bulls, Bucks
Tristan Thompson‘s new one-year, minimum-salary contract with the Cavaliers is non-guaranteed, tweets Michael Scotto of HoopsHype. That will give Cleveland some flexibility with Thompson’s roster spot — while the veteran center seems likely to open the regular season with the team, he could be waived on or before January 7 if the team wants to avoid locking in his full-season salary.
Thompson also waived his right to veto a trade as part of his deal with the Cavs, Hoops Rumors has learned. Players who re-sign with their previous teams on one-year contracts are typically awarded veto rights for the season, but the player can forfeit that right as part of his agreement with his club. Thompson is the 12th player this season to do so, as our tracker shows.
Here’s more from around the Central:
- Will the additions of Tobias Harris, Malik Beasley, and Tim Hardaway Jr. be enough to make the Pistons a solid outside shooting team after they finished 26th in three-point percentage (34.8%) and 29th in makes per game (11.0) last season? Keith Langlois explores that question in an article for Pistons.com, noting that a full season of trade-deadline acquisition Simone Fontecchio should also help in that department.
- Darnell Mayberry of The Athletic poses five burning questions facing the Bulls this season, including whether Lonzo Ball can actually make it all the way back after two-and-a-half seasons lost to knee injuries, what the future holds for veteran trade candidates Zach LaVine and Nikola Vucevic, and what sort of impact Josh Giddey is capable of having in his new situation.
- In a mailbag for The Athletic, Eric Nehm explores a handful of Bucks-related topics, including whether the incoming trio of Gary Trent Jr., Delon Wright, and Taurean Prince represents a significant upgrade over departing role players Beasley, Patrick Beverley, and Jae Crowder.
Thompson, Fontecchio In Starting Five?
Could Ausar Thompson and Simone Fontecchio be part of the Pistons’ starting lineup? James Edwards III of The Athletic speculates that could be the case, noting that Thompson’s defense and Fontecchio’s shooting would mesh well with Cade Cunningham‘s skills and responsibilities. That would leave summer acquisitions Malik Beasley and Tim Hardaway Jr. on a much improved second unit. Edwards takes an educated guess on how the team’s depth chart will shake under a new coaching staff.
Community Shootaround: Eastern Conference Play-In Tournament
The play-in tournament ensures that at least 10 teams in each conference will get a taste of the postseason.
Unless something unforseen happens, eight teams in the Eastern Conference can already plan on playing beyond their regular season finales. It’s safe to assume the Celtics, Bucks, Sixers, Magic, Knicks, Cavaliers, Pacers and Heat will occupy eight of the postseason slots. The only mystery regarding those clubs is which two teams will have to come out of the play-in tournament.
Predicting which two Eastern teams among the remaining seven will participate in the play-in is a much tougher call. The Bulls and Hawks snared the last two spots last season, but there’s reason to believe they’ll wind up in the lottery.
The Bulls dealt away leading scorer DeMar DeRozan and top defender Alex Caruso this offseason and would like to make more moves. Zach LaVine and Nikola Vucevic have been on the trading block for quite a while and they could be wearing different uniforms at some point during the season. The addition of Josh Giddey, joining Coby White in the backcourt, could be enough to get them back to the play-in but that’s certainly no lock.
The Hawks, of course, broke up their high-scoring backcourt by dealing Dejounte Murray to the Pelicans. Atlanta did wind up with the top pick in the draft, but Zaccharie Risacher isn’t your typical top overall selection. No one quite knows what the Hawks have in Risacher, who is unlikely to have the sort of first-year impact that Victor Wembanyama or Brandon Miller did a year ago.
The Raptors have a much different roster than in recent years but they should improve on their 25-win total. They have built around Scottie Barnes with a backcourt of former Knicks Immanuel Quickley and RJ Barrett.
The Hornets could be on the upswing if LaMelo Ball can finally stay healthy for a whole season. They have two high-scoring wings in Miller and Miles Bridges.
The Wizards signed Jonas Valanciunas and have two promising forwards Bilal Coulibaly and No. 2 overall pick Alex Sarr. They still seem to be a couple of years away from entering the postseason picture.
The Nets, of course, traded away their top player in Mikal Bridges with their sights set on next offseason, when they’ll have extra first-round picks and plenty of cap space.
Last, but maybe not least anymore, are the Pistons. Coming off the worst season in franchise history, the Pistons used their ample cap room to get Cade Cunningham more help. The additions of Tobias Harris, Malik Beasley and Tim Hardaway Jr. should make them more competitive.
That leads us to our topic of the day: Among the Bulls, Hawks, Raptors, Hornets, Wizards, Nets and Pistons, which of those Eastern Conference teams will make the play-in tournament this upcoming season?
Please take to the comments section to address this topic. We look forward to your input.
Central Notes: Stewart, LaVine, Sheppard, Walker, Mathurin
Isaiah Stewart‘s role under new head coach J.B. Bickerstaff is among the questions facing the Pistons as they prepare for training camp, writes Keith Langlois of NBA.com. Stewart played nearly all his minutes at center during his first two NBA seasons, but that changed when the team added Jalen Duren in 2022. Langlois notes that Stewart was used at power forward 75% of the time last season, but his primary position is less certain than ever with a revamped roster.
Other than Stewart and Duren, offseason addition Paul Reed is Detroit’s only player who projects as a center. The Pistons claimed the four-year veteran after the Sixers waived him in July. Reed has shown promise backing up Joel Embiid in Philadelphia.
Detroit also added ex-Sixer Tobias Harris in free agency, and Langlois notes that he and Simone Fontecchio are examples of modern stretch fours. It’s possible that Bickerstaff could choose to dedicate the power forward minutes to those two proven three-point shooters, leaving Stewart to battle for playing time in the middle.
There’s more from the Central Division:
- Mending fences with Zach LaVine should be one of the priorities for the Bulls as they get ready for camp, observes Joe Cowley of The Chicago Sun-Times. The front office began trying to trade LaVine last fall in what was hoped to be the first step of a roster makeover. However, his massive contract and injury history doomed trade efforts and forced the team to keep him. LaVine is still owed $138MM over the next three years, so the Bulls need to build up his trade value ahead of the February deadline. Cowley states that coach Billy Donovan took the first step toward mending their relationship when he visited LaVine in Los Angeles this summer.
- With their roster virtually set for the upcoming season, the Pacers are facing three option decisions that should be easy, per Tony East of Sports Illustrated. Indiana has until October 31 to pick up the third-year options for Ben Sheppard and Jarace Walker, along with the fourth-year option for Bennedict Mathurin. All three players appear to be part of the team’s future, so there’s no reason to part with any of them. The options would pay Sheppard $2.8MM, Walker $6.6MM and Mathurin $9.1MM for the 2025/26 season.
- The Pacers announced in a press release that they have added Dr. Jaimie Rubin as Director of Sport Psychology and Team Wellness.