Mavs, Pistons, Grizzlies, Clippers, Bucks, Wizards Finalize Six-Team Trade
The Mavericks, Pistons, Grizzlies, Clippers, Bucks, and Wizards have officially completed the six-team mega-deal that incorporates several separate trade agreements reported over the course of the past two weeks, with multiple clubs involved in the transaction sending out press release to confirm that it’s done.
The deal includes Santi Aldama being traded from Memphis to Dallas, Isaiah Stewart being sent from Detroit to Memphis, John Collins being signed-and-traded to the Pistons, and Khris Middleton being signed-and-traded to the Wizards, among other moving parts.
In total, 10 current NBA players are involved, along with an 11th draft-and-stash player – Tarik Biberovic – who will reportedly be signing a new contract with the Mavericks now that the trade is official.
As we outlined on Tuesday night, the full deal looks like this:
- Mavericks to acquire:
- Santi Aldama (from Grizzlies)
- Marcus Sasser (from Pistons)
- The draft rights to Tarik Biberovic (from Grizzlies)
- Pistons to acquire:
- John Collins (via sign-and-trade; from Clippers)
- Note: Collins signed a three-year, $51MM contract (more details here).
- Taurean Prince (from Bucks)
- Gary Harris (from Bucks)
- Either the Pistons’, Knicks’, or Bucks’ 2029 second-round pick (whichever is second-most favorable; from Grizzlies)
- The Mavericks’ 2031 second-round pick (from Grizzlies)
- The Pistons’ 2032 second-round pick (from Grizzlies)
- John Collins (via sign-and-trade; from Clippers)
- Grizzlies to acquire:
- Isaiah Stewart (from Pistons)
- AJ Johnson (from Mavericks)
- D’Angelo Russell (from Wizards)
- The Warriors’ 2030 first-round pick (top-20 protected; from Mavericks)
- The Rockets’ 2029 second-round pick (from Mavericks)
- The Lakers’ 2029 second-round pick (from Wizards)
- The Wizards’ 2033 second-round pick (from Wizards)
- The right to swap either the Grizzlies’ or Sixers’ 2032 second-round pick (whichever is most favorable) for the Jazz’s 2032 second-round pick (from Wizards)
- Bucks to acquire:
- Caris LeVert (from Pistons)
- The Bucks’ 2027 second-round pick (from Pistons)
- Either the Mavericks’ or Nets’ second-round pick (whichever is least favorable; from Pistons)
- Cash (from Clippers)
- Wizards to acquire:
- Khris Middleton (via sign-and-trade; from Mavericks)
- Note: Middleton signed a three-year, $17.6MM contract (more details here).
- The Mavericks’ 2033 second-round pick (from Mavericks)
- Khris Middleton (via sign-and-trade; from Mavericks)
- Clippers to acquire:
- The Pistons’ 2030 second-round pick (top-55 protected; from Pistons)
We published a series of previous stories on the Grizzlies’ acquisition of Stewart, the Pistons’ deal for Collins, the Mavericks’ addition of Aldama, the Bucks’ trade for LeVert, and the Wizards’ signing-and-trading for Middleton, so we won’t rehash the details from those articles at length here — you can check them out for more info on each component of the trade.
The upshot is that the Mavericks gave up some draft assets to add multiple potential rotation players; the Pistons made some changes in the frontcourt and on the wing while generating some additional cap flexibility; the Grizzlies swapped out Aldama for Stewart while taking on some unwanted salary and netting extra draft picks; the Bucks took on LeVert’s salary in order to land a couple second-round picks; the Wizards reacquired Middleton and moved off Russell’s expiring contract; and the Clippers generated a $17MM trade exception by signing-and-trading Collins.
L.A. wasn’t the only team to create an eight-figure trade exception as a result of the deal — the Pistons also generated one worth $15MM, which is equivalent to Stewart’s outgoing salary.
All six teams involved in the trade will now be hard-capped at the first tax apron for the rest of the 2026/27 league year, meaning their team salaries can’t surpass $209,015,000 between now and June 30, 2027. That’s unlikely to be an issue, given that none of them currently appear likely to even cross into luxury tax territory.
Sorting Out The Six-Team Trade Involving Stewart, Aldama, Others
After initially reporting earlier tonight that the Wizards‘ sign-and-trade acquisition of Khris Middleton would be combined with several separate trade agreements to form a single six-team mega-deal, Ohm Youngmisuk, with the help of colleague Shams Charania, has laid out the terms of that trade in a full story for ESPN.com.
There are a few new details within ESPN’s report, including the Clippers receiving a protected 2028 second-round pick from the Pistons while sending cash to the Bucks, which will help ensure that all six teams “touch” at least two other clubs in the deal. However, the story doesn’t include the specifics on each of the draft assets involved in the trade.
Based on ESPN’s reporting, several previous reports, and RealGM’s tracker of traded draft picks, here’s our best shot at what the final deal will look like:
Mavericks to acquire:
- Santi Aldama (from Grizzlies)
- Marcus Sasser (from Pistons)
- The draft rights to Tarik Biberovic (from Grizzlies)
- Grizzlies to acquire:
- Isaiah Stewart (from Pistons)
- AJ Johnson (from Mavericks)
- D’Angelo Russell (from Wizards)
- The Warriors’ 2030 first-round pick (top-20 protected; from Mavericks)
- The Rockets’ 2029 second-round pick (from Mavericks)
- The Lakers’ 2029 second-round pick (from Wizards)
- The Wizards’ 2033 second-round pick (from Wizards)
- The right to swap either the Grizzlies’ or Sixers’ 2032 second-round pick (whichever is most favorable) for the Jazz’s 2032 second-round pick (from Wizards)
- Pistons to acquire:
- John Collins (via sign-and-trade; from Clippers)
- Note: Collins is reportedly signing a three-year, $51MM contract.
- Taurean Prince (from Bucks)
- Gary Harris (from Bucks)
- Either the Pistons’, Knicks’, or Bucks’ 2029 second-round pick (whichever is second-most favorable; from Grizzlies)
- The Mavericks’ 2031 second-round pick (from Grizzlies)
- The Pistons’ 2032 second-round pick (from Grizzlies)
- John Collins (via sign-and-trade; from Clippers)
- Bucks to acquire:
- Caris LeVert (from Pistons)
- The Bucks’ 2027 second-round pick (from Pistons)
- Either the Mavericks’ or Nets’ second-round pick (whichever is least favorable; from Pistons)
- Cash (from Clippers)
- Wizards to acquire:
- Khris Middleton (via sign-and-trade; from Mavericks)
- Note: Middleton is reportedly signing a three-year, $17.6MM contract.
- The Mavericks’ 2033 second-round pick (from Mavericks)
- Khris Middleton (via sign-and-trade; from Mavericks)
- Clippers to acquire:
- A top-55 protected 2028 second-round pick (from Pistons)
The deal isn’t yet official and therefore this breakdown should also be considered unofficial. But the final version of the trade should look pretty similar to this.
The deal has been two weeks in the making — the Grizzlies and Pistons first worked out a trade involving Stewart during the second night of the NBA draft on June 24. That was followed on July 1 by the Pistons and Clippers coming together on a Collins sign-and-trade and the Grizzlies and Mavericks agreeing to terms on an Aldama deal.
Then, earlier on Tuesday, the Bucks and Pistons reached an agreement on a trade involving LeVert, Prince, and Harris, the Mavs made a deal to sign-and-trade Middleton to the Wizards, and Washington agreed to salary-dump Russell to Memphis.
While most of those agreements could’ve been officially completed as separate deals, rolling them all into one will provide some cap benefits for various clubs.
For example, had they completed their Aldama deal directly with the Grizzlies, the Mavericks would have had to use most of their $20.8MM Anthony Davis traded player exception to accommodate the Spaniard’s incoming $17MM salary, since they were only sending Johnson ($3.2MM) to Memphis in that deal.
But including Middleton and aggregating his outgoing salary (roughly $5.6MM) with Johnson’s will be enough to meet the salary-matching requirements for Aldama, allowing Dallas to preserve that full $20.8MM Davis TPE. The Mavs can then use their bi-annual exception to absorb Sasser’s $5.2MM salary.
Memphis is in a similar boat. If they’d just acquired Stewart from Detroit in a straight-up deal, the Grizzlies would have needed to use over half of the $28.9MM exception they created in February when they traded Jaren Jackson Jr. to Utah. But by folding in their Aldama deal and using his outgoing salary to legally match Stewart ($15MM), Johnson ($3.2MM), and Russell ($6MM), they can keep that full Jackson TPE intact.
The Pistons, meanwhile, will be able to use LeVert’s outgoing salary ($14.8MM) for matching purposes to acquire Collins, whose deal figures to start in the $16-18MM range. That will allow them to create new trade exceptions equivalent to Stewart’s ($15MM) and Sasser’s ($5.2MM) outgoing salaries.
The Wizards have a trade exception expiring this Thursday that still has $5,341,122 left on it after the team used part of it to absorb Deandre Ayton‘s $8.1MM salary on Tuesday. Washington will be able to use the rest of that exception before it expires to give Middleton a starting salary of $5,591,122 (the amount of the exception, plus a $250K buffer), then will create a new trade exception worth Russell’s outgoing salary (nearly $6MM).
The Clippers will also generate a trade exception worth Collins’ new salary (roughly $16-18MM).
When the dust settles, all six teams will be hard-capped at the first tax apron, notes Keith Smith of Spotrac (Twitter link). The Pistons, Clippers, and Wizards faced first-apron hard caps already, based on prior transactions, while the Mavericks, Grizzlies, and Bucks will all join them as a result of using the “expanded traded exception” (ie. taking back more than 100% of a player’s – or players’ – salary) in the deal.
Trade Rumors: DeRozan, Finney-Smith, Sasser, Lakers, Bucks
Kings forward DeMar DeRozan hopes to “accelerate his exit” from Sacramento, according to Kelly Iko of Yahoo Sports. Reporting in June indicated that the team expects to either trade or waive DeRozan, and the 17-year veteran would like for that to happen sooner rather than later, Iko explains.
While a trade that clears DeRozan’s full $25.7MM from their books without any incoming salary coming back would presumably be the preferred route for the cap-strapped Kings, very few teams are in position to accommodate that kind of deal. The more likely outcome is that Sacramento will eventually opt to waive DeRozan and use the stretch provision to spread his partial guarantee of $10MM across three seasons ($3.33MM per year).
If the Kings were to waive and stretch him immediately, it would allow DeRozan to reach the open market while a number of playoff teams still have some spending flexibility, potentially resulting in a more favorable deal. However, it appears Sacramento’s front office wants to exhaust its trade options before resorting to that fall-back option. The deadline to waive a player and stretch his 2026/27 cap hit is August 29.
Here are a few more trade rumors and notes from around the NBA:
- Sources who spoke to Iko described the Rockets‘ trade talks involving forward Dorian Finney-Smith as “fluid,” noting that Houston has explored scenarios in which Finney-Smith would be sent out to create cap flexibility and others in which a player would come back in the deal. However, none of those options has been appealing enough to pull the trigger, and Iko notes that the team’s urgency to make a move has lessened due to how free agency has played out — Houston was able to secure commitments from Marcus Smart and Bogdan Bogdanovic without using more than the taxpayer portion of the mid-level exception.
- After reporting earlier in the week that the Mavericks are a “leading suitor” to acquire guard Marcus Sasser from the Pistons, Marc Stein of The Stein Line (Twitter link) is talking as if that deal is expected to happen. As Yossi Gozlan of The Third Apron points out (via Twitter) there’s a plausible scenario in which the Grizzlies, Pistons, and Mavericks combine their trade agreements involving Isaiah Stewart and Santi Aldama into a single transaction and include Sasser — Detroit’s acquisitions of Isaiah Joe (from the Thunder) and John Collins (via sign-and-trade from the Clippers) would also likely be folded in to make it a five-team trade.
- A number of league sources are wondering if the Lakers are planning to make a trade – or a waive-and-stretch move – involving a player like Jarred Vanderbilt or Deandre Ayton to open up a little more cap room to try to re-sign free agent forward Rui Hachimura, writes Dave McMenamin of ESPN. At this point, that sounds like speculation rather than anything concrete.
- The Bucks touched base with the Grizzlies about Ja Morant during the 2025/26 season and periodically circled back to discuss him all the way up until this Monday (well after agreeing to move Giannis Antetokounmpo) before ultimately deciding not to pursue a trade, reports Joe Vardon of The Athletic. Memphis agreed to send Morant to Portland instead.
Fischer/Stein’s Latest: Spurs, Lakers, LeBron, Post, Rockets, Sasser
As the Spurs peruse the free agent market for help at forward, there’s a belief that they’re not willing to offer more than two years to potential targets using their $15MM non-taxpayer mid-level exception, according to Jake Fischer and Marc Stein of The Stein Line (Substack link).
As Fischer and Stein observe, after Victor Wembanyama‘s next contract hits the Spurs’ books in 2027/28, Stephon Castle will be due for his own second deal in ’28/29, so it makes sense that the club would want to maintain a relatively clean cap sheet in anticipation for what figures to be a significant commitment to the rising star guard.
Rui Hachimura, Tobias Harris, and John Collins are among the veteran free agents San Antonio is considering, Fischer and Stein note, with Hachimura also said to be drawing interest from the Nets and Pistons.
Here’s more from the Stein Line duo:
- Following up on their earlier report stating that Quentin Grimes and Sandro Mamukelashvili are widely expected to sign with the Lakers, Fischer and Stein say those contracts could come in around $10MM per year. Assuming the room exception is used to add one of those two players, that would leave the team roughly $40MM in cap room to make a play for Jazz restricted free agent Walker Kessler. Kessler is considered to be Los Angeles’ top center target over Pistons RFA Jalen Duren, though L.A. has interest in both players, who will likely be difficult to pry away from their current clubs.
- The Warriors, Cavaliers, and Heat are the teams most frequently cited by rival front offices as probable LeBron James landing spots, and Fischer and Stein hear that Golden State may have already lined up a move or two in order to create additional cap flexibility in case LeBron wants to come to the Bay Area.
- One minor complication for the Warriors, Fischer and Stein report, is that restricted free agent big man Quinten Post is receiving interest from multiple teams. There’s a chance one of those clubs may be willing to sign Post to an offer sheet in order to put some pressure on a potentially cap-strapped Golden State team.
- In order to re-sign restricted free agent forward Tari Eason and free up the non-taxpayer mid-level exception to offer Marcus Smart a three-year deal in the range of $7MM annually, the Rockets are trying to move forward Dorian Finney-Smith, per The Stein Line. If those efforts are unsuccessful, Houston’s offer to Smart would have to be for just two years using the taxpayer mid-level exception (worth up to about $6.2MM per year).
- The Mavericks are a potential landing spot for Pistons guard Marcus Sasser, who is a candidate to be traded, Fischer and Stein report. Moving off Sasser’s $5.2MM expiring contract would create extra spending flexibility for Detroit in free agency.
Pistons Rumors: Duren, Cunningham, Sasser, Powell, Kawhi
Although Jalen Duren was reportedly underwhelmed by the Pistons‘ initial contract offers in restricted free agency, rival teams who spoke to Michael Scotto of HoopsHype believe the 22-year-old center will ultimately remain with Detroit.
Duren made the All-NBA third team and was runner-up for Most Improved Player but is coming off a disappointing playoff showing. He’s believed to be seeking around $40MM per year on his new contract, Scotto writes, while opposing teams project him to sign a deal in the neighborhood of the “mid-30s annually.”
The Pistons have long held a “strong desire” to retain Duren, and star guard Cade Cunningham hopes the team keeps him, league sources tell Scotto.
Here’s more from Scotto on the Pistons:
- While head of basketball operations Trajan Langdon publicly said the team wants to re-sign veteran forward Tobias Harris, a deal has not yet been reached ahead of the start of league-wide free agency on Tuesday. Harris, who turns 34 next month, is coming off a solid postseason run and is expected to draw interest from “several” teams if he reaches the open market, per Scotto. Jake Fischer previously reported that Detroit was “determined” to bring back Harris.
- Former first-round pick Marcus Sasser is on the trading block, according to rival executives who spoke to HoopsHype. The 25-year-old guard’s role was reduced in his third season and he’s entering the final year of his rookie scale contract, which will pay him $5.2MM in 2026/27. Sasser will be on track for restricted free agency next summer if he doesn’t receive a rookie scale extension this offseason.
- After agreeing to trade for Thunder sharpshooter Isaiah Joe, the Pistons seem less inclined to pursue Norman Powell in free agency, Scotto confirms. The Pistons have also been connected to Clippers forward Kawhi Leonard, Scotto notes, but a trade for the veteran star seems unlikely because there have been “rumblings” around the league that the two-time Finals MVP wouldn’t be interested in signing a contract extension with Detroit, as Jake Fischer previously reported.
Pistons Notes: Game 6 Win, Bench, Duren, Cunningham
The Pistons shook off their Game 5 collapse with a convincing road victory in Cleveland on Friday night, forcing a decisive Game 7 in Detroit on Sunday night. It’s the fourth time this postseason the Pistons have delivered in an elimination game.
“They just don’t quit,” Pistons coach J.B. Bickerstaff said of his team, per Jamal Collier of ESPN. “The resolve that they have, the belief that they have in one another. They just have the ability to bounce back mentally where they don’t hang on to things.”
The Pistons pulled away by holding the Cavaliers to 29% shooting in the second half and 39% overall.
“I just think you got to look at the backgrounds of this group,” guard Daniss Jenkins said. “I’m not supposed to be in this position according to everybody in the league. I just think we’re special. We just want to defy all the odds. We not taking [anything] from [anybody]. We know it’s us against the world.”
Here’s more on the Pistons:
- Reserves Marcus Sasser, Paul Reed and Caris LeVert delivered in dynamite fashion in Game 6, Omari Sankofa II of the Detroit Free Press notes. They combined for 34 points, 10 rebounds and five assists. Sasser, who had been out of the rotation, played 18 minutes and Detroit outscored Cleveland by 27 points during his court time. “That was the plan,” Bickerstaff said. “We have so much depth. Obviously, foul trouble changed a couple of things for us, but we just trust these guys and trust the depth that we have and that they can go out and make an impact. Guys like Sass, in the two years we’ve been here, has proven that when his number’s called, he’s prepared and he goes out and can give us buckets, defend at a high level. I thought he was great tonight. Up and down the roster, I thought we had great production, great intensity.”
- All-Star center Jalen Duren, the subject of heavy criticism during this postseason, posted a double-double in Game 6 with 15 points and 11 rebounds. He added three blocks, equaling his total from the first five games of the series. “My confidence never wavered in myself. I know what I can do. I know what I can be and try to keep it rolling,” Duren said, per Joe Reedy of The Associated Press. “I’m playing my best basketball when I’m being assertive and picking my spots. I think early on I was just getting a groove.”
- The Pistons are looking forward to having a raucous atmosphere for Game 7 at Little Caesars Arena, Cade Cunningham told Bob Wojnarowski of the Detroit News. “It’s gonna be a madhouse in there, the crowd’s gonna come to play as well,” Cunningham said. “They want to insert themselves in the game, so it’s gonna be a fun environment.”
Pistons Notes: Defense, Green, Thompson, Jenkins, Sasser
The Pistons’ game plan is generally the same for each game — play suffocating defense and take the starch out of the opposition. That’s what happened in Game 2 of their first-round series against No. 8 seed Orlando. The Pistons are now on the road for a pivotal Game 3 on Saturday afternoon.
“It was five guys out there, collectively flying around, playing with effort, making extra efforts, rebounding the basketball, creating turnovers, and that led to our offense,” coach J.B. Bickerstaff said, per Omari Sankofa II of the Detroit Free Press. “It’s who we are and who we’ve been and that’s what our focus is. Again, give Orlando credit, they are a good basketball team. We have to make sure that we’re focused and doing the things that we’ve done and I thought that third quarter was an example of that and our ability to turn defense to offense.”
Their defensive effort has held Desmond Bane, the Magic’s major offseason acquisition, in check. Bane is shooting 29 percent from the floor in the series.
“It’s a lot of guys, and a lot of bodies,” Bickerstaff said. “It’s no one-on-one situations for him, it’s always one-on-fives. Obviously, Ausar (Thompson) has taken on a lot of that responsibility, but a lot of guys have done a great job of executing what we’re trying to do from a game plan standpoint and not giving them anything easy.”
Here’s more on the Pistons:
- Javonte Green appeared in all 82 regular season games and he’s been a key component off the bench in the series. Green has only attempted one shot in each game but he’s been a defensive force. In Game 2, he blocked three shots and made a steal while guarding multiple positions. “(Green)’s been that way all year for us,” Bickerstaff said, per Coty Davis of the Detroit News. “In that game, his effort on the defensive end of the floor, with the plays that he can make, is special. He has the ability to challenge shots and do hard things over and over again. He makes amazing plays with his athleticism, but he’s very thoughtful in the game, too. He is also very thorough and understands where the spots will be for him to make plays.” Green will be a free agent again after the season — he signed a one-year, veteran’s minimum deal last August.
- Thompson finished third in the Defensive Player of the Year balloting and has put his defensive prowess on display against Bane while contributing in other areas. “You don’t meet many players who can cover ground, and then if there’s a play that needs to be had at the rim, can also be a secondary rim protector for you as well,” assistant coach Jarrett Jack told Hunter Patterson of The Athletic. “Whether he’s hawking the ball, making it tough for guys, eating up clock coming up the basketball court or if he’s in space, (he’s unique).”
- Not only are Daniss Jenkins and Marcus Sasser the point guard backups to Cade Cunningham, they’re also childhood friends. They grew up in the Dallas-Fort Worth area but didn’t get a chance to play together until Jenkins joined the Pistons, as Jeff Zillgitt of NBA.com details. “It’s definitely a dream come true because we wanted to go to the same high school, but it did not end up happening,” Sasser said. “And then we wanted to go to the same college. He was going to transfer to Houston, but it couldn’t happen. Now it’s crazy that we were able to finally get it at the highest level where everyone could see it.”
- Jalen Duren finished second in the voting for the league’s Most Improved Player. Get the details here.
Pistons Notes: Cunningham, Duren, Jenkins, Injuries, Robinson
With Cade Cunningham likely to miss out on postseason awards, Pistons head coach J.B. Bickerstaff said this week that he’d like to see some alterations to the current rules.
Cunningham was diagnosed with a collapsed lung this week and won’t be reevaluated for two weeks. He needs to play in five more games to reach the 65-game minimum to be eligible for most postseason awards. He had been a candidate for Most Valuable Player, as well as a surefire pick for an All-NBA team.
“There are so many different things now that you have to take into consideration that you shouldn’t have to take into consideration,” Bickerstaff said. “The guys are good enough. They deserve certain things. They play a certain way. Guys shouldn’t have to feel like they have to play hurt or injured to make something like that happen.
“I don’t have an answer for you as to what the best thing is moving forward, but I do think if you have serious injuries and you’ve played a certain way throughout the season and you’ve played a certain amount of games, a certain amount of minutes, whatever it may be, you should still be able to qualify for those awards. Again, I get the intent behind it. I just think there has to be a better way.”
Here’s more on the Pistons:
- Detroit’s other All-Star, center Jalen Duren, had a team-high 23 points and six rebounds in Friday’s 115-101 victory over the Warriors. Duren, who is averaging 19.2 points and 10.5 rebounds per contest, has led the team in scoring during their three-game winning streak. “For me, I’m just proud of my group. Proud of where I’m at now,” said Duren, who will be a restricted free agent after the season. “This is something that I’ve always known I can be. I’ve always known I can be one of the better players in this league, and I’ve still got a lot of room to grow. I don’t feel like I’m anywhere near as good as I can be. There’s still a lot of things I can get better at, but I’m proud of everybody… From where we’ve started to now, I’m proud of everybody who has been a part of it.”
- Starting in place of Cunningham, Daniss Jenkins supplied 22 points, eight assists and seven rebounds against Golden State. It’s the fourth time this season Jenkins has reached the 20-point mark. “It’s just a different challenge,” Jenkins said during a TV interview regarding the loss of Cunningham. “We get to test ourselves, how can each guy take their game to the next step to pick up for that missing piece in Cade. We know he’s a big piece – that’s our guy. So we’ve just all got to step up in different ways to pick up for his loss. That’s all we’re trying to do. It’s a challenge.” Jenkins was promoted from a two-way deal to a two-year contract last month.
- Along with Cunningham and Isaiah Stewart (left calf strain), they played the second game of a back-to-back without guards Marcus Sasser (right hip soreness) and Kevin Huerter (right shoulder contusion).
- In case you missed it, the Pistons clinched a playoff spot with their victory on Friday. Detroit was knocked out during the first round by the Knicks last season and Bickerstaff believes that experience in the postseason will pay off this spring. “I do still believe that you have to have experience,” Bickerstaff said, per Jeff Zillgitt of NBA.com. “But that experience that we had last year versus the Knicks is enough. That experience gave our guys an opportunity to understand exactly what playoff basketball looks like and how to win in the playoffs. Our guys were able to go on the road and win two playoff games in the Garden, with all the allure that comes along with that and the pressures of the moment. That says our guys have what it takes to do it and then do it again. That’s the thing that gives me such belief that we’re capable of doing that.”
- Duncan Robinson wasn’t on the roster when the Pistons won a league-low 14 games two seasons ago. He sees the franchise’s dramatic turnaround as part of a culture shift, he told Hunter Patterson of The Athletic. “Having an identity is a big piece,” Robinson said. “We know who we are, and we know what’s required night to night in order to win games. Having guys you can really rely on on a night-to-night basis. A guy like Cade, that’s your leader. (Duren) has obviously flourished into that role as well. So it’s fun, man.”
Pistons Notes: Depth, Cunningham, Jenkins, Sasser, More
Pistons head coach J.B. Bickerstaff has used an extended rotation for much of the season, with 11 players currently on the roster averaging at least 16.8 minutes per game. As Hunter Patterson of The Athletic details, that depth will be tested in the short term, with two of the team’s most important players – Cade Cunningham (collapsed lung) and Isaiah Stewart (calf strain) – currently unavailable.
“We’re so comfortable with the depth and the guys that we have, and they’ve proven they can help us,” Bickerstaff said earlier in March. “Typically, in the past, nine is a great number (for a playoff rotation). But, s–t, we’re struggling to get away from 12. Because there are so many guys that have played for us this year that have helped us win. So, there’s going to be some situational decisions.”
In those comments to the media a couple weeks ago, Bickerstaff went on to single out Paul Reed, Marcus Sasser, and Daniss Jenkins as reserves who have made the most of opportunities to play rotation roles. As Patterson points out, all three of those three players – along with Kevin Huerter – have received DNP-CDs at times when Detroit is closer to full health, but they’ll likely be relied upon for regular minutes with Cunningham and Stewart out.
In addition to looking to help the Pistons maintain their spot atop the Eastern Conference, players like Reed, Sasser, Jenkins, and Huerter could also be making their cases for places in the team’s playoff rotation based on how they perform in the next couple weeks, Patterson adds.
Here’s more on the Pistons:
- When they confirmed today that Cunningham is dealing with a collapsed lung, the Pistons ruled out the star guard for two weeks. How much more time might he miss beyond that initial timeline? That remains to be seen, but Omari Sankofa II of The Detroit Free Press spoke on Thursday to Dr. Panagis Galiatsatos – a pulmonologist at Johns Hopkins – about what causes a collapsed lung, what the recovery process looks like, and what needs to happen before Cunningham returns. “The big thing I would make the case of is recognizing a collapsed lung is serious and what’s frustrating for an athlete is they’re going to feel good the second it re-inflates and they’re going to want to go back out there,”Galiatsatos said. “What we need to be mindful of is the lung is going to still take a few weeks to fully heal, because it is an injury because the tissue got torn. You want it to not just heal over, you want it to be fully secure.”
- Patterson, Jay King, and James L. Edwards III of The Athletic take a look at how Cunningham’s health condition will impact the Eastern Conference playoff race, with all three reporters predicting that Detroit will hang onto the No. 1 seed for the rest of the regular season — the Pistons currently have a 3.5-game lead over second-place Boston. Cunningham’s ability to return before or during the first round of the postseason could be crucial, The Athletic’s trio notes, since there are some dangerous teams near the bottom of the East’s playoff picture.
- In a separate story for The Detroit Free Press (subscription required), Sankofa looks at three areas of concern for the Pistons to shore up in the final 14 games of the regular season. In addition to outside shooting and finding the right balance between shooting and defense, one of those areas Sankofa highlights is “non-Cunningham ball-handling.” In the wake of the star guard’s diagnosis, there should be plenty of opportunities to go around for players like Jenkins, Sasser, Huerter, Ausar Thompson, and Caris LeVert.
Pistons Notes: Jenkins, Rotation, Cunningham, Thompson
Pistons guard Daniss Jenkins has been one of this season’s biggest surprises, but he’s gone through a difficult stretch since receiving a standard contract on February 8. That changed on Tuesday against Washington as he was forced into a larger role as a result of an injury to Cade Cunningham, Omari Sankofa II of The Detroit Free Press writes in a subscriber-only story.
Jenkins entered the game at the start of the second quarter and posted 15 points, seven assists and two steals in 21 minutes. With Cunningham’s return date still uncertain, Sankofa notes that Jenkins will have an opportunity to reclaim his normal role before the playoffs begin.
“That’s what life is about,” he said. “Don’t get too high, don’t get too low. It’s a part of it. I shot out of a cannon and then you hit some rough patches. It’s all good, that’s what life is about. I take it on the chin and I keep working. I don’t shy away from nothing. Stay ready so when my number is called I do what I’m supposed to do.”
Sankofa notes that injuries to Jaden Ivey, Caris LeVert and Marcus Sasser gave Jenkins a shot at regular playing time early in the season, and he responded with several huge scoring performances. He quickly used up his 50 games of eligibility as a two-way player and was promoted shortly after the trade deadline passed. An extended slump followed, but he received reassuring words from coach J.B. Bickerstaff after being benched following a March 7 loss to Brooklyn.
“He just told me just to be me because that’s what got me this position,” Jenkins said. “Try to do nothing extra, try to do nothing different other than who I am. I just look myself in the mirror every day and I just stay with it, good, bad and ugly.”
There’s more from Detroit:
- Bickerstaff has been forced to tinker with his rotation because of injuries to Cunningham and Isaiah Stewart, who’s expected to miss at least another week with a strained left calf, Sankofa adds. Sasser and Kevin Huerter have been seeing rotation minutes lately after being kept on the bench through most of February, and backup big man Paul Reed has seen an increase in playing time with Stewart unavailable. “It’s one of those things that, unfortunately, we’ve dealt with a lot this season and had to call on different guys throughout the year,” Bickerstaff said after Tuesday’s game. “Tonight was an opportunity to do that, give guys the minutes, give guys the opportunities to see what they can do. It’s extremely important trying to find the right combinations for the different situations that we might face. And we’ll continue to grow.”
- Cunningham has already been ruled out of Thursday’s rematch with Washington due to a left back contusion, per Hunter Patterson of The Athletic (Twitter link).
- Ausar Thompson was limited to four points and three assists in 23 minutes on Sunday in his return to action after spraining his right ankle, notes Coty M. Davis of The Detroit News (subscription required). “Being on a minutes restriction is hard,” Bickerstaff said. “Trying to figure out how to keep him in a rhythm, getting back to playing with the group. His effort was great — his ability to defend was great. He is just working his way back. He’ll be fine.”