Cade Cunningham

Pistons Notes: Gores, Cunningham, Thompson, Cavs Loss

Pistons owner Tom Gores believes the team’s players and coaches are “fully aligned” after last season’s surprise run to a playoff berth, according to Pistons.com’s Keith Langlois.

“There’s alignment,” Gores said. “There’s tremendous alignment between the players and what they’re trying to accomplish, the coaching staff and (J.B. Bickerstaff). We are fully aligned. I’m sleeping much better at night knowing that. Nobody is laying low on what we did last year. Last year we came out with great urgency, a chip on our shoulder and we won. It’s great, but we’ve go to come in with a bigger chip and great urgency. I think it’s right down from Trajan (Langdon)‘s front office folks to the coaching staff to the players. There’s a huge opportunity for the Pistons to do a lot of special things.”

Gores attended the team’s home opener on Sunday afternoon and spoke with the media prior to its win over Boston. The franchise has generally floundered since he took control of the franchise but Gores believes he’s finally got the right front office and coaching staff to produce a consistent winner.

“I was thinking today driving in, it’s been a decade, really, trying to get to where we are today,”  he said, per Omari Sankofa II of the Detroit Free Press. “It’s taken a lot of patience and a lot of hard times. It feels great. I feel like we’re set up to be a machine. I feel like we’re set up to be a sustainable winner. But I’m also nervous, we have to win.” 

We have more on the Pistons:

  • Can Cade Cunningham work his way into the Most Valuable Player conversation? If the Pistons can build off last season’s success, Cunningham believes it’s possible, he told ESPN’s Vincent Goodwill. “If I can help get this team to where my goal is to get this team this season, all this stuff will be on the way,” he said. “I’m not shy to say that. I think that’s very possible.”
  • Ausar Thompson averaged 4.7 assists during the team’s first three games. Bickerstaff believes that Thompson can develop into a reliable play-maker during his third year in the league. “That was part of the plan,” Bickerstaff said. “We go back and you try to study every summer, try to figure out ways to help guys improve, and ways to help your team improve. We noticed, obviously, how many good things happen when we put the ball in Ausar’s hands. … The next step for him was the ball in his hands as a playmaker. Being that Swiss army knife that we knew he was capable of.” 
  • The Pistons’ three-game winning streak was halted on Monday by the Cavaliers, who blew them out by a score of 116-95. Bickerstaff isn’t overly concerned with the team’s clunker against an elite club. “They’re a good defensive team. We just had a rough night (Monday),” he said. “We turned the ball over 26 times. It’s hard moving your offense when you’re turning the basketball over. But it’s one night – we’ll be better.”
  • The Pistons host Orlando on Wednesday. Thompson is questionable to play because of an illness, Hunter Patterson of The Athletic tweets.
  • In case you missed it, the Pistons picked up their rookie scale options for 2026/27 on three players. Get the details here.

Central Notes: Nembhard, Cunningham, Jones, Allen

The Pacers have been hit hard by injuries, but there’s at least one ray of hope on the horizon, reports Marc Stein of the Stein Line (subscriber link).

Andrew Nembhard left Thursday night’s game against the Thunder early after aggravating a preexisting shoulder injury. According to Stein, following an MRI, there’s optimism that Nembhard’s absence won’t be a long-term one.

Nembhard is expected to play a key role for the Pacers this season as one of the few healthy ball-handlers remaining on the roster. As Indiana has lost more and more players due to injury, it’s become harder for the team to keep itself organized, writes Dustin Dopirak of The Indianapolis Star.

In addition to Nembhard, Tyrese Haliburton, TJ McConnell, Taelon Peter, Kam Jones, and Bennedict Mathurin were all on the injury report for Indiana coming into Sunday’s game, and things only got worse after tip-off, as Obi Toppin left the game against the Timberwolves early with a hamstring injury, per Dopirak (Twitter link).

We have more from around the Central Division:

  • Cade Cunningham had his coming-out party for the Pistons last season, earning All-NBA honors for the first time and placing seventh in MVP voting. That has led to renewed defensive focus from opposing teams, which Cunningham says he’s still trying to learn how to deal with, writes Omari Sankofa II of the Detroit Free Press (via Twitter). “I just don’t feel like I’ve handled it the way I want to,” Cunningham said. “I’m gonna keep watching the film and try to be better for my team. I feel like we had a lot of empty offensive possessions because I just didn’t handle the hots correctly.”
  • Tre Jones has been labeled a “pure point guard” for much of his career. He’s showing how that can help a team during the start of the Bulls‘ season, writes Joe Cowley of the Chicago Sun-Times. “The game is going positionless a little bit, but trying to keep the point guard spot alive, especially with the height that I have,” Jones said. “I don’t think point guard will ever be out of the game completely. I think there will always be a spot for a point guard and that mentality. It’s something I’ve taken pride in my whole life. How could you not take pride in being called a pure point guard?” Head coach Billy Donovan compared Jones’ ascent in Chicago to Aaron Nesmith‘s jump as a player from his time with the Celtics to his Finals run with the Pacers last season. “One thing I figured out really quickly when I was playing, the most important stat for any NBA player is minutes played per game because these guys are all really, really good, and if they get an opportunity, generally they’re going to show what they can do,” Donovan said.
  • Jarrett Allen‘s season debut against the Knicks left a sour taste in Cavaliers coach Kenny Atkinson‘s mouth, writes Chris Fedor for Cleveland.com (subscriber link). “That wasn’t the Jarrett Allen we all know,” Atkinson said. “That was more on us not seeking him out. But conversely, he can’t get four rebounds. I was really bummed about that. Can’t be like that.” Atkinson made sure to be clear that he wasn’t singling out Allen, saying, “This is a self-criticism too. We take him for granted. I have to be better about talking to him more and talking to our leaders more about him.” The message seemed to sink in: in Cleveland’s second game against the Nets, Allen had 22 points, seven rebounds, and four assists; he followed that up with an eight-point, 11-rebound outing in Sunday’s 118-113 win over the Bucks.

Pistons Notes: Thompson, Cunningham, Stewart, Defense

The Pistons, coming off last season’s unexpected run to the playoffs, are still working to iron out their formula around star point guard Cade Cunningham. One idea they’ve pushed in the preseason, according to Hunter Patterson of The Athletic, is giving third-year wing Ausar Thompson more primary ball-handling duties.

While Thompson’s ball-in-hand role last season was mostly limited to fastbreaks and dunks off drop-offs, the Pistons are expanding his role in the lead-up to this season to see how he handles it, Patterson writes.

That’s something we’re going to do more of,” head coach J.B. Bickerstaff said. “The tempo that [Thompson] plays at when he has the ball in his hands, and the threat that he becomes when he has the ball in his hands changes the way that teams have to guard him. He has the ability to make his teammates better.”

Patterson points to Thompson’s ability to change speeds and use both his strength and quick-twitch athleticism to get to the rim or beat defenders as key reasons why giving him the ball more is intriguing. Bickerstaff is also interested in exploring different ways to free up Cunningham off-ball to get him easier looks.

Teams decide they want to pick Cade up full court, and sometimes because of the gravity he holds, people just hug up on him,” Bickerstaff said. “Now his defender has to play off a screen or off a shift, and it just makes him a better offensive player when people can’t get their hands on him to wrestle and hold him.”

While Thompson still has to tighten his handle, the team has seen encouraging signs.

Ausar is a guy who can initiate offense at a high level,” Cunningham said. “Giving him room to get more and more comfortable with it as the preseason goes along, I think that’ll be a big weapon for us.”

We have more notes from the Pistons:

  • Cunningham had a breakout year last season, earning his first All-Star nod in addition to making the All-NBA third team and placing seventh in MVP voting. According to Patterson, Cunningham’s is looking for new ways this preseason to take his game to another level. While he wasn’t always willing to shoot off the dribble from behind the arc during Detroit’s playoff series against the Knicks last spring, there has been no hesitation in the preseason. “I want to shoot more threes, the highest quality possible,” he said. “I’m confident, I feel good about my game right now.” Cunningham ranked 27th in threes attempted off the dribble last season and 11th in the playoffs and struggled with his percentages on those shots, hitting them at a 33.8% and 16.0% clip, respectively — the latter percentages was the worst among players attempting at least four such shots a game. Turning the pull-up shot into a real weapon could bear huge dividends for the Pistons’ offensive attack moving forward.
  • Isaiah Stewart is another Piston who understands the team’s need for three-point shooting, Patterson writes. After attempting 380 total threes in the 2022/23 and ’23/24 seasons, he had just 53 tries last year, hitting 32.1%. Patterson notes that both Stewart and Bickerstaff have spoken this offseason about getting that volume back up. While he has only attempted three threes over the first two games of preseason, Stewart has made two of them. Given the Pistons’ lack of shooting, especially at the big man positions, his willingness to let fly from deep could provide a different wrinkle to their offense.
  • On the other end of the floor, Patterson notes that Bickerstaff had previously mentioned being interested in experimenting with zone defense due to the number of athletes with impressive wingspans on the team. “We have found some zones that we like. It comes down to the time to implement the zones so you can get good at them,” Bickerstaff said last week. That idea bore out on Thursday’s matchup against the Bucks, when the Pistons alternated between playing man-to-man and employing a 1-3-1 zone. Patterson writes that the Bucks seemed undeterred by Detroit’s zone efforts. Whether this is just preseason experimentation or a weapon Bickerstaff hopes to unleash during the regular season remains to be seen.

Pistons Notes: Ivey, Cunningham, Thompson, LeVert, Roster

Pistons guard Jaden Ivey is fully healthy after being limited to 30 games last season due to a fractured left fibula, according to Omari Sankofa II of The Detroit Free Press (subscriber link). Ivey described his rehab as an arduous process.

The journey has been definitely a grind to get back, to get healed, to get stronger,” Ivey said. “It’s definitely been a grind. I’m definitely thankful to be in this position right now, be able to be back healthy and to do what I’ve been working for my whole life, to be able to play this game. I’m healed now and looking forward to this next season.”

Head of basketball operations Trajan Langdon says the team is glad to have Ivey back, though he acknowledged there might be some rough periods as the former Purdue star gets accustomed to playing again. Ivey will be eligible for a rookie scale extension through October 20.

There’s no restrictions on him,” Langdon said. “He’s looking really good, obviously. It will take him some time, he hasn’t played five-on-five NBA basketball in 10 months. By the time he gets going with that I think there’s going to be a rhythm component and even a game conditioning component that he’ll have to get up to speed. We look forward to having him back and he’s going to be a huge part of this team.”

Here’s more on the Pistons:

  • All-Star guard Cade Cunningham has high expectations for the Pistons after they made the playoffs last season, per Hunter Patterson of The Athletic. “We all want a championship out of this, you know? (Last season) was a great stepping stone for that,” Cunningham said. “We have no chance of going to get a championship without a year like last year. But there are more steps to be taken after that. I think our minds are just onto the next step, honestly. We’re not into celebrating last year anymore.”
  • Several players mentioned Ausar Thompson as a player who made noteworthy strides this offseason, Patterson adds. Thompson, who missed the start of last season with a blood clot issue, was fully healthy over the summer appears to have bulked up. “Being healthy for him was huge,” head coach J.B. Bickerstaff said. “Being able to work on his skill set, work on his craft, play more basketball over the summer, more one-on-one and those types of things were huge for him. … Coming into camp in just better shape will allow him to let his talents run. Conditioning is the ultimate cheat code. If you can play at your highest level longer than your opponent can, it’s going to give you an advantage. If Ausar can play at his highest level with his freak-of-nature abilities that come along with him, just imagine what he will be capable of.”
  • Bickerstaff was happy to reunite with veteran wing Caris LeVert, Sankofa writes in another subscriber-only story. Bickerstaff coached LeVert, who signed a two-year deal with Detroit in free agency, while the two were members of the Cavaliers. “His versatility is going to be key,” Bickerstaff said. “There’s so many different things you can do with him. … He can initiate offense and he’s really good as a second-side attacker. We’re going to use his versatility, but he can do so many different things and not just for himself. Having spent so much time with him, he’s a really good play-maker and passer. So he can help his teammates, also.”
  • As Keith Langlois of Pistons.com writes, Detroit lost some volume three-point shooters from last season’s roster, which ranked just 22nd in the league in three-point attempts. Bickerstaff is fine with shooting fewer threes if it means the team is benefiting in other areas. He also praised the group’s positional versatility. “We don’t need to have guys that are just one position,” Bickerstaff said. “We feel we have a bunch of guys that can play position-less basketball and it helps their skill set out. So what we’ll do is we’ll put the combinations that we see that work best for us. We’re not worried about having a backup one or a backup two. We’re trying to get talent on the floor.”

Central Notes: Toppin, Giddey, Pistons, Bucks

The Pacers will have to defend their Eastern Conference championship without Tyrese Haliburton, who will spend this season rehabbing from Achilles tendon surgery. Big man Obi Toppin still believes the Pacers can be “great” without their star guard.

“Ty brings so much to the team and it’s not hidden, everybody understands what he brings to the game,” Toppin told Dustin Dopirak of the Indianapolis Star. “So it’s just something that everybody on the team has to do while we’re out there, just doing a little extra knowing what we’re missing and knowing what we need out there on the court and just continue playing Pacers basketball. We’ve built the system here and I feel like everybody has bought into the system. That’s why we’ve been so successful. If we continue doing that, we’re gonna still be great.”

Here’s more from the Central Division:

Pistons President Langdon: Young Core Remains Top Priority

Building and developing the team’s young core remains the top priority for the Pistons, president of basketball operations Trajan Langdon told The Athletic’s Hunter Patterson.

Despite their surprising resurgence last season in which the Pistons — who had the worst record in the league in 2023/24 — made the playoffs, Langdon didn’t feel this offseason was the right time to make a splashy move for a big-time player.

Langdon planned to re-sign Malik Beasley before the sixth man was investigated as part of a federal gambling probe. Langdon then pivoted in free agency, signing Caris LeVert and acquiring Duncan Robinson in a sign-and-trade. He also re-signed backup big Paul Reed.

Langdon opted not to trade away any of his young regulars for a star-level player.

“We want to see what those guys’ ceilings are. It’s continuing to put players with them that can continue to help them grow, develop and reach their potential,” Langdon said. “That’s one thing we try to be as cognizant as possible of, which is something at times that can be challenging. Of course, you want to continue to get better, but we’re very aware of what the timing of that is. We want our guys to continue to develop and at least get close to their ceiling or potential. Then maybe at that point is when we realize, OK, what is the proper player fit for these guys when it’s time to really go?”

Once Langdon and the Pistons can assess how those young pieces fit, they’ll have a better idea what kind of player can lift the team to a higher echelon.

“I don’t think we truly understand who our players can be at this point,” he said. “I just think it’s too early for us to truly understand what the best way to press the proverbial gas pedal is right now. So, we’re gonna try to be patient with that and let our young guys continue to develop.”

Here’s more from Patterson’s interview with Langdon:

On potential rookie scale extensions for Jaden Ivey and Jalen Duren:

“I’ll never speak to that. We’re happy to have them as Pistons, and we’ll continue to help them be the best possible versions of themselves and reach their potential. I thought (Duren) had a tremendous year last season, especially in the second half when we made the run. And (Ivey) got off to a great start before getting injured. We’re excited to have them both back at the start of this season.

On Cade Cunningham‘s leadership:

“He uses his voice well, in terms of holding them accountable and driving them in the right direction when he needs to. He’s also very supportive of them and allows them to be who they are as human beings, but also as basketball players.”

On not having any long-term commitments beyond Cunningham’s extension:

“Having optionality with your group, that’s all it is at the end of the day. You can’t predict how your team’s going to be from year to year. You want to make sure that if it’s going well, you can continue. Or, if there’s a way that you can get better, you want to be able to pivot. That’s how it is with us and not getting locked into something that you can’t get out of if it doesn’t go well. That’s always a difficult thing, for every team, for every organization, for every decision maker, because you can go either way. If you have a really good player that you don’t lock in long-term and then he leaves … well, that’s on you.”

Pistons Notes: Cunningham, Ivey, Duren, Celtics Trade Targets

Cade Cunningham earned a significant raise by landing a spot on the All-NBA team, but the extra money will limit the Pistons‘ options in building around him, writes Hunter Patterson of The Athletic. Cunningham’s salary for next season will now be worth 30% of the cap rather than 25%, pushing the value of his five-year extension to $269MM instead of $224MM.

As Patterson notes, Detroit is left with about $17MM in cap room to work with this offseason. Considering the non-taxpayer mid-level exception is projected at $14.1MM, it’s less likely that any cap space will be used to add or re-sign players, as the Pistons may simply operate as an over-the-cap team.

Patterson states that the Pistons are still in position to bring back free agents Malik Beasley, Dennis Schröder, Tim Hardaway Jr. and Paul Reed without exceeding the second apron. However, with Jaden Ivey and Jalen Duren both eligible for rookie-scale extensions, the organization will have to consider its long-term financial obligations when deciding how to handle its free agents.

Cunningham finished seventh in the Most Valuable Player voting, Patterson adds, and owner Tom Gores believes he might be able to capture that award as the Pistons continue to improve.

“I am focused on MVP for him,” Gores said. “He has that. Everyone saw it this year that he is a superstar in the making. His ability. His poise. I’ve talked to Cade throughout the season to remind him that so much of the character of this team revolves around his ability to stay strong.”

There’s more from Detroit:

  • Ivey’s return from a broken fibula might be the equivalent of a major free agent signing for next season’s team, observes Omari Sankofa II of The Detroit Free Press (subscription required). The last medical update from the Pistons, issued April 26, said Ivey was engaged in shooting and skill work, along with strength and conditioning, in preparation for a return to five-on-five competition.
  • It may be advantageous for Ivey and Duren to wait for restricted free agency in 2026 rather than negotiate extensions this summer, Sankofa states in a mailbag column. Ivey can improve his bargaining position by bouncing back strong from the injury, while Duren excelled during the playoffs and can become more valuable by playing an entire season at that level.
  • The Celtics are expected to make several players available in trade as they try to reduce salary, but it’s too much of a risk for the Pistons to take on the contract of Jrue Holiday or Kristaps Porzingis, Sankofa adds in the same piece. He views Sam Hauser, who’s about to start a four-year, $45MM extension, as a more reasonable target.

Cade Cunningham Earns Salary Bump With All-NBA Nod

As a result of earning a spot on the All-NBA Third Team on Friday, Pistons guard Cade Cunningham will see the value of the five-year, maximum-salary rookie scale extension he signed last summer increase by a projected total of nearly $45MM.

Cunningham’s contract included Rose Rule language. The Rose Rule allow players coming off their rookie scale contracts to receive salaries worth more than 25% of the cap in year five if they make an All-NBA team during the season (or two of the three seasons) before their extension goes into effect. Players can also qualify by being named Most Valuable Player or Defensive Player of the Year.

Cunningham’s 2025/26 salary will now be worth 30% of the cap instead of 25%. Based on the NBA’s latest cap projections, that means his five-year deal will be worth $269,085,780 instead of $224,238,150.

[RELATED: Maximum Salary Projections For 2025/26]

Cunningham was one of four players to sign a rookie scale extension that included Rose Rule language last summer. Cavaliers big man Evan Mobley, who was named to the All-NBA Second Team on Friday, had already earned a bump to 30% as a result of winning the Defensive Player of the Year award. His five-year deal will look identical to Cunningham’s.

The other two players who signed Rose Rule rookie scale extensions – Magic forward Franz Wagner and Raptors forward Scottie Barnes – didn’t receive any end-of-season awards, so their new contracts will begin at 25% of the cap and will be worth $224,238,150 across the next five seasons.

Meanwhile, Grizzlies big man Jaren Jackson Jr. would have qualified for a designated veteran extension – also known as a super-max contract – if he had earned a spot on any of this year’s three All-NBA teams. However, he finished 17th in total voting, with 55 points, falling a little short of the required threshold. Clippers guard James Harden beat him out for the final Third Team spot with 68 points (Twitter link).

As a result, Jackson won’t be super-max eligible this offseason. That means in order to extend him, Memphis will likely need to give him a raise on his 2025/26 salary of $23,413,395 via renegotiation.

Without a pay bump, Jackson’s maximum extension would be worth $146,848,813 over four years, which may not be enough to convince him to sign. If the Grizzlies renegotiate next season’s salary to give him a raise, they would be able to offer up to 140% of his new ’25/26 salary in that first year of an extension.

2024/25 All-NBA Teams Announced

The 2024/25 All-NBA teams have been officially announced by the league (Twitter link).

A total of 100 media members voted on the All-NBA teams, with First Team votes counting for five points, Second Team votes counting for three points, and Third Team votes counting for one point.

This year’s All-NBA teams are as follows:

First Team

Second Team

Third Team

The top four vote-getters, Antetounmpo, Gilgeous-Alexander, Jokic, and Tatum, were all unanimous selections to the First Team. James led the Second Team with 17 First Team votes, compared to Mitchell’s 61. Cunningham was the only member of the Third Team to receive First Team votes (six) — he also earned 10 more Second Team votes than the next closest vote-getter, as Towns had 40.

This announcement marks the first All-NBA selections for Cunningham, Mobley, and Williams, and – on the other side of the coin – the 21st consecutive selection for James. No other player in NBA history has been named to more than 15 All-NBA teams.

Curry set a franchise record with his 11th All-NBA selection. Edwards became just the fourth Timberwolves player to be named to multiple All-NBA teams, joining Kevin Garnett, Kevin Love, and Towns.

Other players who received votes, along with their respective point totals, were the RocketsAlperen Sengun (58), the GrizzliesJaren Jackson Jr. (55), the ClippersIvica Zubac (15), the CavaliersDarius Garland (6), the KingsDomantas Sabonis (4), the PacersPascal Siakam (4), the Heat‘s Bam Adebayo (3), the HawksTrae Young (3), and the SunsDevin Booker (2).

The Cavs, Knicks, and Thunder were the only teams to feature multiple All-NBA players. Both the Thunder and Knicks are currently playing in the conference finals for a shot at advancing to the NBA finals.

This is the second year that All-NBA teams have been positionless and have required players to meet a 65-game minimum to qualify for consideration.

Several players, starting with Cunningham, gained or lost eligibility for salary increases due to the All-NBA results. We have more details here.

And-Ones: Award Announcements, Laughlin, Playoff MVPs, More

After revealing this season’s Most Valuable Player on Wednesday, the NBA will wrap up its 2024/25 award announcements within the next two days.

According to the league (Twitter link), the two All-Defensive teams will be announced on Thursday at 2:00 pm Eastern time, while the three All-NBA teams will be unveiled at 7:00 pm ET on Friday during TNT’s pregame broadcast ahead of Game 2 of the Eastern Conference Finals.

The All-NBA teams, in particular, will be worth watching, since those results can have a major impact on player contracts going forward. Pistons guard Cade Cunningham is the key player to keep an eye on — assuming he makes one of the three All-NBA teams, Cunningham’s maximum-salary rookie scale extension will begin at 30% of next season’s cap instead of 25%.

Here are a few more odds and ends from around the basketball world:

  • Former Warriors assistant and current Pelicans coaches chief of staff James Laughlin is leaving New Orleans to take a job overseas as the new general manager of Napoli Basket in Italy, per Donatas Urbonas of BasketNews.com. According to Urbonas, Laughlin spent five years in Golden State and the past four with the Pelicans.
  • Chris Herring of ESPN updated his 2025 playoff MVP rankings ahead of the start of the second round, placing Knicks guard Jalen Brunson atop his list. With the conference finals underway, it’s unclear if Brunson would still claim that top spot — he scored 43 points on 15-of-25 shooting in New York’s Game 1 loss to Indiana on Wednesday, but also had more turnovers (seven) than assists (five) on the night.
  • With the NBA set to crown a seventh different champion in seven years, Colin Salao of Front Office Sports writes that the league has entered an era of unprecedented parity and wonders if super-teams have become a thing of the past.
  • Jonathan Wasserman of Bleacher Report shares his thoughts on the biggest winners at last week’s draft combine, singling out San Diego State’s Miles Byrd, Chinese big man Hansen Yang, and four other prospects.