Langston Galloway

Pistons Sign Jose Calderon

JULY 7: The signing is official, the Pistons announced on Twitter.

JULY 2: The Pistons have reached an agreement with veteran point guard Jose Calderon, according to ESPN’s Chris Haynes (Twitter link). League sources tell Haynes that’s worth $2.4MM, which means it’s a minimum-salary deal.

The agreement will reunite Calderon with new Pistons head coach Dwane Casey, who coached the 36-year-old several seasons ago in Toronto.

A 13-year NBA veteran, Calderon spent the 2017/18 with the Cavaliers. Although he played a modest role with the club, he was solid when called upon, averaging 4.5 PPG and 2.1 APG with a .503/.464/.800 shooting line.

While it’s a low-cost investment for the Pistons, it’s a somewhat curious one. The team was already well-stocked at the point guard spot, with Reggie Jackson and Ish Smith atop the depth chart and Langston Galloway occasionally getting ball-handling duties too. However, it’s possible Detroit has another move in mind. The club is exploring possible trades, according to Rod Beard of The Detroit News (Twitter link), who identifies Smith, Galloway, and Jon Leuer as potential chips.

Calderon figures to take Dwight Buycks‘ place on Detroit’s roster. Buycks has a $1.6MM non-guaranteed salary for next season, but waiving him would help give the Pistons a little extra distance below the tax line, as ESPN’s Bobby Marks details (via Twitter).

Central Notes: Oladipo, Pistons Rotation, Griffin

Victor Oladipo knew a breakout season was possible after speaking with Pacers GM Kevin Pritchard on the team’s private plane prior to his introductory press conference last summer, as Lee Jenkins of Sports Illustrated divulges in a feature story. Pritchard assured Oladipo that the club truly coveted his services, rather than just matching up salaries to facilitate the Paul George blockbuster with the Thunder. Indiana wanted to play faster this season. “This wasn’t a dump. We targeted you,” Pritchard told Oladipo, according to Jenkins. The All-Star shooting guard is averaging a career-high 24.4 PPG for the surprising Pacers.  “It was the first time in my career I felt like a team really believed in me,” Oladipo told Jenkins. “I was just thinking, Don’t mess this up.”

In other nuggets involving the Central Division:

  • Pistons coach Stan Van Gundy will likely go with a 10-man rotation once Reggie Jackson returns from his Grade 3 ankle sprain, according to Ansar Khan of MLive.com.  Jackson would join a starting unit of Andre Drummond, Blake Griffin, Stanley Johnson and Reggie Bullock. Ish Smith would return to his usual role as leader of the second unit with center Eric Moreland and forwards Anthony Tolliver and James Ennis getting steady minutes, Khan speculates. Luke Kennard and Langston Galloway would split time as the backup shooting guard, Khan adds.
  • Pistons owner Tom Gores invited Griffin and his business partners over to his California home immediately after the blockbuster deal with the Clippers, as Keith Langlois of Pistons.com details. Gores wanted to assure Griffin how badly the Pistons wanted him and address any concerns the five-time All-Star power forward might have, Langlois continues. The Pistons are 5-3 since Griffin joined their lineup. “We were very quickly on the same page with the same view of what we want to achieve and the approach to get there,” Gores told Langlois. “He’s definitely hit the ground running. It’s been great to see how his teammates, the whole organization and the fans have embraced him.”

Pistons Guard Reggie Jackson Out For Extended Period

Pistons point guard Reggie Jackson suffered a Grade 3 right ankle sprain against the Pacers on Tuesday and will be sidelined until after the All-Star break, the team announced on Wednesday. Jackson underwent an MRI on Wednesday, which revealed the extent of the injury. He will be re-evaluated in six to eight weeks, according to the press release.

Coach Stan Van Gundy said during his postgame press conference that X-rays were negative. However, Jackson was in severe pain when the injury occurred and couldn’t put any pressure on the leg.

Jackson had eight points and a season-high 13 assists prior to the injury. He missed the first 21 games last season with a knee injury but the club got off to an 11-10 start with Ish Smith running the offense. Smith will move into the lineup as long as Jackson is out. “Ish did a great job of taking over when Reggie went down last year, so we won’t miss a beat,” center Andre Drummond said after the game.

Langston Galloway or Dwight Buycks, who is on a two-way contract, will back up Smith while Jackson mends. Galloway, who inked a three-year, $21MM free agent contract during the summer, has played almost exclusively at shooting guard this season. Buycks appeared in his first NBA game on Tuesday since playing six games with the Lakers during the 2014/15 season.

Another option, as Keith Langlois of Pistons.com tweets, is to sign a player to a 10-day contract. Teams can add a player via a 10-day deal beginning on January 5th and Detroit has an open roster spot.

In the short run, the Pistons are without both starting guards. Shooting guard Avery Bradley has missed the last five games with a groin injury but he is progressing. The team is hopeful he can return next week, as Langlois tweets.

Central Notes: Galloway, Pistons, Thomas, Nwaba

Having received a three-year, $21MM deal, Langston Galloway was the Pistons‘ biggest free agent investment of the offseason, and even he admits that he was surprised how quickly he reached an agreement with the team, writes Keith Langlois of Pistons.com.

“I really thought it was going to take a while. I thought I was going to be on the board for a long time,” Galloway said. “My agent was pretty optimistic. We knew there were a few teams talking about me, but nobody really said, ‘We’re going to take a chance on you and go with you.’ But, hey, once 12 o’clock hit and I got an unexpected call from [Pistons president of basketball operations] Stan [Van Gundy], that was amazing.”

As Langlois details, Galloway is comfortable playing at both the one and two, and his ability to handle the point allowed the Pistons to avoid having to go out and sign a third pure point guard behind Reggie Jackson and Ish Smith.

Here’s more from around the Central:

Pistons Notes: KCP, Galloway, Johnson, Moreland

The Pistons were still undecided whether they would match any offer sheet for restricted free agent Kentavious Caldwell-Pope until the Celtics offered shooting guard Avery Bradley and a draft pick for small forward Marcus Morris, according to Keith Langlois of Pistons.com. Though the Pistons reached an agreement with Langston Galloway during the first day of free agency, they were still hoping to re-sign Caldwell-Pope until Boston came calling, Langlois continues. The Pistons renounced their rights to Caldwell-Pope after the trade with Boston was finalized. Galloway will receive playing time at both guard positions, Langlois adds.

In other news regarding the team:

  • Coach Stan Van Gundy believes Stanley Johnson will bounce back from a disappointing sophomore campaign in part because he will play his natural small forward position regularly, Langlois writes. Johnson, who could become a starter in the aftermath of the Morris trade, might even play some power forward in smaller lineups.
  • The Pistons originally planned to sign big man Eric Moreland to a two-way contract if he impressed during the Orlando Summer League, Langlois notes in the same piece. Moreland exceeded all expectations, especially at the defensive end, and that’s what led to the team signing him to a three-year contract with a partial guarantee.
  • Van Gundy and GM Jeff Bower tried to trade for Galloway in recent seasons before landing him in free agency, Rod Beard of the Detroit News writes. “Langston Galloway has been a guy that Jeff and I have had an interest in virtually from the time we got here, when he was in New York [with the Knicks],” Van Gundy told Beard and the assembled media. “This year, when he was in New Orleans and Sacramento, we’ve made inquiries about trying to get him. It’s been a long process for us to try to bring Langston here.”
  • Palace Sports & Entertainment, which owns the team, and Olympia Entertainment, which owns the new Little Caesars Arena in Detroit, were added to a federal lawsuit seeking to force a vote over the use of $34.5MM in public funding to finance the Pistons’ move, Katrease Stafford of the Detroit Free Press reports. The Pistons will share the arena with the NHL’s Red Wings, who are also owned by Olympia.

Contract Details: Tucker, Holiday, Lowry, Collison

With more and more of the early free agent contract agreements being finalized, official numbers on those deals are starting to trickle in, and Eric Pincus, who operates Basketball Insiders’ salary database, is passing along the specifics on many of them. In instances where the official numbers are essentially identical to what was reported initially, we won’t pass along that info, but we want to provide updates in cases where new details surface.

Here are some new contract details on this week’s deals, with all links via Pincus’ Twitter feed:

Western Conference:

  • The Rockets split their mid-level exception between two players, with P.J. Tucker getting about $7.59MM and Zhou Qi getting the remaining $816K or so. Tucker’s contract is partially guaranteed in its fourth year ($2.6MM of $8MM guaranteed), while Zhou’s four-year pact isn’t guaranteed beyond year one (Twitter links).
  • As was expected based on initial reports, Jrue Holiday‘s total earning potential over five years with the Pelicans ranges from $126-150MM based on bonuses (Twitter link).
  • Dirk Nowitzki‘s two-year pact with the Mavericks will pay him an even $5MM in each of the next two seasons, with a second-year team option (Twitter link).
  • The first season of Wayne Selden‘s two-year minimum salary deal with the Grizzlies is fully guaranteed (Twitter link).
  • The Suns‘ new four-year contract for second-rounder Davon Reed is fully guaranteed for the first year, half guaranteed in the second year, and non-guaranteed in years three and four (Twitter link).

Eastern Conference:

  • Although Kyle Lowry‘s three-year contract with the Raptors can be worth up to $100MM, the base value is $93MM, with the remaining $7MM coming in the form of unlikely bonuses. Unlikely bonuses don’t count against the cap at this point (Twitter link).
  • The second year of Darren Collison‘s contract with the Pacers is only partially guaranteed. Currently, $2MM of his $10MM second-year salary is guaranteed (Twitter link).
  • The Hornets signed Michael Carter-Williams using a portion of their taxpayer mid-level exception. Since he’s receiving an even $2.7MM, the team doesn’t have a hard cap at this point (Twitter link).
  • Eric Moreland‘s three-year deal with the Pistons includes a $500K guarantee for year one. The deal starts at $1.7MM, which means it was finalized using the amount of the mid-level exception that was left over after Langston Galloway‘s signing (Twitter link).

Pistons Sign Langston Galloway

JULY 6, 2:09pm: The deal is official, tweets Keith Langlois of Pistons.com.

JULY 1, 1:08pm: There will be no options on Galloway’s three-year deal with the Pistons, tweets Sam Amick of USA Today.

12:38pm: The Pistons are expected to sign Langston Galloway to a three-year contract worth about $21MM, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, who reports (via Twitter) that the two sides are finalizing an agreement.

[RELATED: Hoops Rumors’ 2017 NBA Free Agent Tracker]

A former Knick, Galloway signed a two-year pact with the Pelicans as a free agent last summer, and averaged 8.6 PPG on .374/.377/.769 shooting in 55 games for the team. However, when New Orleans and Sacramento agreed to a blockbuster February trade involving DeMarcus Cousins, Galloway was part of the package sent by the Pelicans to the Kings. In 19 games for Sacramento, Galloway finished the season by averaging 6.0 PPG and shooting .404/.475/.917.

The second year of Galloway’s previous contract was a player option worth $5.434MM, which he turned down in June. While he had a lesser role last season than he’d had in New York, Galloway’s age (25) and his three-point shot (39.0% in 2016/17) make him an appealing pickup for a team in need of backcourt help.

The Pistons fit that bill, having been in the market for a guard in free agency this summer. Galloway figures to provide the team with some depth at both backcourt spots. His deal will likely be completed using Detroit’s mid-level exception.

By using more than $5.192MM of that mid-level exception, the Pistons will have a hard cap of $125.266MM for the 2017/18 league year, which could create problems if another team gives Kentavious Caldwell-Pope a maximum salary offer sheet. Having entered the offseason with about $95MM in guaranteed salaries for ’17/18, Detroit may have to move another contract in order to sign Galloway and match a big offer for KCP.

Kings’ Langston Galloway To Opt Out

Langston Galloway has decided to opt out of his contract with the Kings and will become a free agent on July 1, reports Michael Scotto of Basketball Insiders. Galloway’s player option for the 2017/18 season would have been worth $5.434MM.

A former Knick, Galloway signed a two-year pact with the Pelicans as a free agent last summer, and averaged 8.6 PPG on .374/.377/.769 shooting in 55 games for New Orleans. However, when New Orleans and Sacramento agreed to a blockbuster February trade involving DeMarcus Cousins, Galloway was part of the package sent by the Pelicans to the Kings. In 19 games for Sacramento, Galloway finished the season by averaging 6.0 PPG and shooting .404/.475/.917.

Galloway had a lesser role in New Orleans and Sacramento than he had with the Knicks, and this year’s free agent market isn’t expected to be quite as player-friendly as it was in 2016, so there’s no guarantee the Saint Joseph’s alum will land another multiyear contract worth $5MM+ annually. However, he’s still just 25 years old, and made 39.0% of his threes in 2016/17, so he should appeal to several teams.

With Galloway off their books, the Kings will create even more cap flexibility for the offseason. The club currently only has two players with guaranteed salaries worth over $4MM, and projects to have more cap room than virtually any other NBA team. Sacramento could attempt to retain Galloway by tendering him a qualifying offer and making him a restricted free agent, but I expect the team to let him walk.

Here’s the full list of player options decisions for 2017/18.

Western Notes: Galloway, Carraro, Mavs, Gasol

Langston Galloway came to the Kings in the DeMarcus Cousins trade and didn’t get much playing time initially, but he’s finding the court now as the team begins to rest its veterans. Coach Dave Joerger credits the point guard for staying ready even though he wasn’t receiving consistent minutes, as Jason Jones of the Sacramento Bee relays.

“I think he has a survivor mindset. … That mindset that, ‘you know what, when I get my opportunity I’m going to be ready’ and he’s done that,” Joerger said. “He’s practiced hard, he’s worked hard and he’s been ready, keeping himself ready for whatever minutes may come.”

Galloway is making $5.2MM this season and he can become a free agent during the summer if he turns down his $5.434MM player option for the 2017/18 campaign.

Here’s more from the Western Conference:

  • Lakers assistant GM Glenn Carraro has resigned, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical (Twitter link). Carraro has been with Los Angeles since 2000.
  • It would be shocking if the Mavericks don’t select a point guard in the upcoming draft, Kevin Sherrington of the Dallas Morning News writes. Dallas currently owns the ninth spot in our Reverse Standings and there should be several point guard prospects worthy of being selected at the top of the draft.
  • Offseason addition Pau Gasol added the 3-pointer to his game and Jeff McDonald of the Express News notes that the big man has made over 54% of his attempts from downtown. That figure, which isn’t likely to decrease severely over the next few games, is by far the best percentage for a 7-footer in NBA history. Gasol has fit in well since coming to the Spurs and he has one more season on his contract after this one.

Early Decision Dates For 2017/18 Player Options

By default, NBA players who hold player options for the following season generally don’t have to make an official decision on those options until June 29, just two days before the new league year gets underway. However, that date can be altered on a contract-by-contract basis, which is why many of the 25 players who have player options or early termination options for 2017/18 will be making their decisions prior to June 29 this year.

Several of those player option decisions are due either on a specific date or a certain number of days following a team’s final regular season game. For instance, Rudy Gay‘s player option calls for him to make a decision either on June 10, or five days after the Kings’ last game — whichever comes later. Kyle Lowry, meanwhile, has to make a decision on his player option by June 19, or within seven days of the Raptors’ last game — whichever comes earlier.

Eric Pincus of Basketball Insiders has done an excellent job keeping tabs on these early player option decision dates, so we’ll use his data to break down the schedule of upcoming decision dates. If a player who holds a 2017/18 player option isn’t listed here, that means his decision is due on June 29, or his decision date hasn’t been reported.

Here’s the list of early decision dates for 2017/18 player options:

Potentially dependent on when team’s season ends:

  • June 10 (or five days after team’s last game): Rudy Gay (Kings)
  • June 19 (or seven days after team’s last game): Kyle Lowry (Raptors)
  • June 20 (or two days after team’s last game): Aron Baynes (Pistons), C.J. Miles (Pacers)

The rest:

For details on how much these player options are worth, check out our list of 2017 free agents by position or by team.