Advertisement - scroll for more content
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement - scroll for more content
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
League sources say Detroit Pistons big man Isaiah Stewart is available. The Pistons, in search of additional shooting and playmakers, appear ready to rely on seventh-year big man Paul Reed in an increased role. Stewart has two years and a combined $30 million left on his deal (team option in the second season). Detroit, which is believed to be among the suitors for Los Angeles Lakers guard Austin Reaves if he makes it to unrestricted free agency, is also said to be interested in the Oklahoma City Thunder’s Isaiah Joe.
Detroit executive Trajan Langdon publicly expressed his desire to retain forward Tobias Harris, who was the team’s second-leading scorer in the playoffs. The Pistons will also work with Jalen Duren on a new deal amid his restricted free agency. In addition, a Reaves pursuit would require more acrobatics than Simone Biles in the Olympics. Detroit would have to pick up the $4 million team option on Daniss Jenkins, renounce cap holds on Harris, Kevin Huerter, and Malik Beasley, waive Duncan Robinson, likely trade Caris LeVert and one of Paul Reed or Marcus Sasser, and decline Tolu Smith’s $2.4 million team option to be able to offer Reaves a max contract, as outlined by salary cap expert Yossi Gozlan.
Sources around the league say they believe Duren will get more than $30 million per year. The question for Detroit is how big that number will get. As Langdon said, a hefty price tag for Duren cuts down on the Pistons' future flexibility quite a bit.
Advertisement
The expectation around the league is that the Utah Jazz will match any offer sheet Walker Kessler receives, and executives hold a similar view regarding Detroit and Jalen Duren. Another restricted free agent center at least worth monitoring is Mark Williams in Phoenix (yeah, the guy the Lakers traded for before rescinding the deal). But it’s only logical to wonder why the Suns would give up assets to acquire Williams only to let him walk a season later.
Orazio Cauchi: Francesco Ferrari officially withdrawn from the NBA Draft 2026. He had the opportunity to test the waters and interviewed with Detroit, Atlanta, and Milwaukee. Those teams will continue to monitor him closely as he takes on an important role with Virtus Bologna next season.
Tim Bontemps: Sources around the league say they believe Jalen Duren will get more than $30 million per year. The question for Detroit is how big that number will get. As Langdon said, a hefty price tag for Duren cuts down on the Pistons' future flexibility quite a bit. The same goes for Thompson, a terrific defender whose offensive game lags. He averaged under 10 points in the regular season and is a career 20.4% 3-point shooter who has shot a combined 1-for-9 from 3-point range across 20 career playoff games.
According to a league source, Detroit did pursue Dosunmu, but the asking price was just too high. The Minnesota Timberwolves traded Rob Dillingham, Leonard Miller and four second-round picks in exchange for Dosunmu and Julian Phillips. The Bulls wanted young talent and picks, which the Pistons weren’t willing to offload for Dosunmu, who is now entering free agency.
Andre Drummond: The first time was in Detroit, when I got traded to Cleveland. I think that was the first time I felt real sadness. I was genuinely sad because I didn’t want to leave. I felt like I had so much more to give to Detroit. Speaker 1: Yeah. I felt like I wanted to do so much more in that state. I wanted to end my career there. I’ve always said it: I wanted to play in Detroit my whole career, and I wanted to win a championship in Detroit. It was hard. It was hard. I cried. Nobody knows this, but I cried. I sat in my car and cried for hours, bro. I was sad, dude. I really wanted to stay. I didn’t want it to end like that, especially after the year we were having. It was just my time. Everybody has a time, so that was my time.
Advertisement
Something that Gilbert and his family have worked hard to control is how Nick is remembered. They’ve taken several steps to ensure that Nick’s memory will live on. They opened Gilly’s Clubhouse in downtown Detroit. Gilly was a nickname given to Nick by his friends. The upscale sports bar was Nick’s vision and a project that he was developing before he died. Gilbert’s other children, Nick’s siblings, started The Gilly Project, a community based non-profit dedicated to Nick’s honor. And Gilbert made curing NF a key pillar of the Gilbert Family Foundation, the Detroit-based philanthropy Gilbert and Jennifer launched in 2015. Those efforts — punctuated by an annual benefit event in Detroit —have raised millions towards finding a cure. “We raised $12 million in one night. We keep breaking records. We’re contributing about $50 million a year to research.”
Chris Mannix: James Harden: 15 points, six turnover, 5-16 from the floor, 1-8 from three. The Cavs survived a rough Harden shooting night in Game 7 against Detroit. They lose Game 1 in New York.
Sources around the league widely believe the Kings are targeting Acuff with this pick. There is a lot connecting them. Kings general manager Scott Perry and assistant general manager B.J. Armstrong are both born and raised in Detroit. So is Acuff. Perry coached Acuff’s father at Eastern Kentucky in the late 1990s. Maybe it really is that simple. There’s also the obvious fact that he fits Sacramento’s needs.
While his second postseason experience was undoubtedly a disappointment, Detroit will try to retain the Philadelphia native this offseason — just at a lower rate than expected. Duren could make an All-NBA team, which would make him eligible for a five-year max contract worth 30 percent of the salary cap. Given his postseason showing, the widely held belief around the league is that he has little to no leverage to negotiate for the max.