Official Pistons Offseason Thread - 2016/17 Edition

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Graham Couch ‏@Graham_Couch 11m11 minutes ago
#Pistons finish the season .500 ... after dumping Josh Smith. 5-23 before, 27-27 after.

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Sounds like Monroe is going to NY.

Do they give Jackson his $50 million?

Does Jennings come back as good as ever from the achilles?

KCP and Drummond are really the only 2 core players without questions.

Wouldn't Khris Middleton look good on this team?

Assuming they draft around 8 who do you pick?

What free agent(s) do you target?

[Death Roe]

DAY DAY

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I'll have to look for a link but I read earlier a crazy proposal for a double sign & trade with the Hawks for Monroe/Milsap.

AUBURN HILLS -- For all the open questions currently known to exist about the 2015-16 Detroit Pistons, none exceeds these two: Will Brandon Jennings ever be close to full strength in his final year with the team, and is there any chance Greg Monroe returns?

They are issues Stan Van Gundy contemplates daily, even as the Pistons' president of basketball operations and head coach plans for neither.

Detroit Pistons' SVG contemplates Jackson-Jennings backcourt, Greg Monroe contract saga

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Wait.. Milsap? Meh.

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AUBURN HILLS -- The Detroit Pistons have two draft picks and an unspecified eight-figure allotment to spend in free agency this summer. But they also have some key pieces of business to address internally.

Some are easy to figure. The Pistons will renounce Tayshaun Prince. Shawne Williams and Quincy Miller have non-guaranteed and partially guaranteed contracts and are expendable at any moment moving forward.

Some are not as clear, and some downright complex.

Predictions on how the key business items involving Pistons player personnel go down this offseason:

Column: Line-item predictions on Detroit Pistons' key internal summer business items

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Top free agent forwards
The Detroit Pistons go into free agency with a lot of flexibility and a lot of questions, none bigger than what happens at their two forward spots with Greg Monroe (pictured) and Tayshaun Prince, the starters at the end of last season, both potentially gone.

Here's a glance at some potential free agents, both restricted and unrestricted, who might help to fill those voids this summer:

http://www.mlive.com/pistons/index.ssf/2015/06/detroit_pistons_free_agency_pr.html#0

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Pistons' Jennings 'doing great' in injury rehab

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Next season is saved!!

Adrian Wojnarowski ‏@WojYahooNBA 3m3 minutes ago
Milwaukee has traded forward Ersan Ilyasova to Detroit for Caron Butler and Shawne Williams, league sources tell Yahoo.

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Who?

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Who?

Adrian Wojnarowski ‏@WojYahooNBA 9m9 minutes ago
With the free agency of Greg Monroe looming, Detroit gets Ilyasova to plug into the power forward spot.

[Ass Dan]

Who?

He's a solid post player. Averaged 11 and 5 last season. Can stretch the floor and shoot from 3. He's owed 8 million this season.

[Ass Dan]

I really really really hope the pistons don't offer Reggie Jackson a huge contract. I just can't get on board with him at the point. Use the money in free agency and sign khris Middleton instead, while praying Brandon Jennings gets the job done. That would be my move.

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What are we going to do with Jackson and Jennings

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Ellis: Ilyasova to complement Drummond; focus now on draft

The moment Andre Drummond flashed his enormous potential is the moment the Detroit Pistons started contemplating the best ways to unlock that vast promise.

That's one way to look at the move to acquire Ersan Ilyasova on Thursday.

Ilyasova, 28, is a stretch power forward, and his outside shooting stroke should provide space for Drummond's rolls to the rim for alley-oop dunks off passes from point guard Reggie Jackson — another beneficiary of Ilyasova's career 37% three-point shooting.

There are two other takeaways.

By giving up Caron Butler, the only player on the roster capable of starting at small forward, the Pistons are signaling their focus for the upcoming NBA draft and for free agency when talks can begin July 1.

It also shows the Pistons are prepared to move on from Greg Monroe, an unrestricted free agent.

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Ersan Ilyasova trade narrows Detroit Pistons' focus to two key spots in draft, free agency

AUBURN HILLS -- Ersan Ilyasova and wife Julia must uproot three young children and move to Detroit. But one of the first sights the newest Detroit Pistons player saw here reminded him a little of his old NBA home.

It was Brandon Jennings, who like Ilyasova had played his entire career with the Milwaukee Bucks until he was traded to the Pistons.

Ilyasova admitted he was "shocked" when the Bucks traded him last week to the Pistons for Caron Butler and Shawne Williams, a deal which clarified Detroit's summer direction.
With the draft next week and free agency opening in July, the Pistons have narrowed their scope for both major acquisition methods.

"I think both the draft and free agency now we know sort of where our focus has got to be -- the small-forward spot and backup centers," Pistons president-coach Stan Van Gundy said today.

Van Gundy acknowledged it "was a little scary thinking about going into the summer and saying you might have to go get two starters."

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Pair of articles on the trade.

Niyo: Van Gundy remaking Pistons in own image

Windsor: Ilyasova vital as Pistons' rebuild continues

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Look for Pistons to target these free agents

Auburn Hills – You can forget Jimmy Butler, Kevin Love and DeAndre Jordan. Free-agent players like that don't often come to Detroit in the prime of their NBA careers.
However, there are a number of middle-tier free agents that will take the Pistons calls, as well as their money.

Pistons coach / president Stan Van Gundy says he will target two unrestricted and two restricted free agents.

Detroit is in the market for a starting small forward and a backup center. First-round draft pick Stanley Johnson is the starting small forward of the future. But Van Gundy wants to take immediate pressure off him and find a veteran starter, so that Johnson could begin his NBA career as the Pistons' sixth man.

[Ass Dan]

If lamarcus Aldridge comes to the spurs, danny green is probably not going to be in the picture for them anymore. Pistons are one of the teams he could end up with

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If lamarcus Aldridge comes to the spurs, danny green is probably not going to be in the picture for them anymore. Pistons are one of the teams he could end up with

Would LOVE Danny Green in a Pistons uni. The article says that it's a longshot though. I'm confused how Reggie Jackson and Jennings will work. Is Jennings in his last year of his contract coming up? Guess we will see how he recovers from that achillies.

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Who needs Monroe or Green?  We got Baynes!!!!

Pistons lure Aron Baynes from Spurs

The Detroit Pistons have reached terms on a deal to sign Australian center Aron Baynes away from the San Antonio Spurs, according to league sources.

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Adrian Wojnarowski ‏@WojYahooNBA 11m11 minutes ago
Phoenix has traded Marcus Morris, Reggie Bullock and Danny Granger to Detroit for future picks, league sources tell Yahoo Sports.

Adrian Wojnarowski ‏@WojYahooNBA 10m10 minutes ago
The Pistons will send the Suns a 2020 second-round draft pick. So yes, the Suns are clearing salary cap space.

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Marcus Morris clarifies Detroit Pistons' starting small forward position

ORLANDO, Fla. — By evening on the first day of free agency, Stan Van Gundy had to cope with the reality that some top Detroit Pistons free-agent targets were off the board and he would have to refocus his energies.

By the second day, he had to feel a bit better.

The Pistons acquired Marcus Morris and two other Phoenix Suns who may or may not figure into their plans in a trade for a second-round pick in 2020, and signed backup center Aron Baynes away from San Antonio.

Both Morris and Baynes have $20 million contracts, Morris for four years, Baynes for three with a player option the final year.

By the time news of the deals leaked mid-day Wednesday, Van Gundy already felt better about the Pistons' fates. He had his starting small forward and a key backup center, and all he gave up was middling free-agent money and a second-round pick.

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Meh. Morris is cool. I guess. Idk.

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Pistons display forward thinking with Suns trade

Pistons president/coach Stan Van Gundy entered Wednesday's start of free agency with a shopping list.

The list was simple: a starting small forward and two backup centers.
After a fruitless first day, he may have crossed a few items off his list with a pair of moves Thursday.

After agreeing to terms with backup center Aron Baynes — for a reported three years and $20 million — the Pistons acquired veteran forwards Marcus Morris and Danny Granger and guard Reggie Bullock from the Suns for a future pick. Yahoo Sports' Adrian Wojnarowski reported the pick is a 2020 second-round selection.

The move allows the Suns to pare some of their payroll and make a run at free-agent big man LaMarcus Aldridge. By dealing the three players, the Suns cleared about $7 million in cap space.

The Pistons missed out on their top targets at small forward Wednesday: DeMarre Carroll signed with the Raptors and Danny Green is re-signing with the Spurs.

But by making the trade, Van Gundy bolstered the team's frontcourt depth and provided first-round pick Stanley Johnson a veteran to learn from.

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And the Free Press chimes in....

Ellis: Pistons nab needed small forward in Marcus Morris

You can have DeMarre Carroll for four years and $60 million.

Or you can throw caution to wind and toss Tobias Harris a four-year deal close to that number.

Or you could settle for Marcus Morris at four years and $20 million.

The Pistons took Door C on Thursday when they completed a trade with the Phoenix Suns for Morris, forward Danny Granger and swingman Reggie Bullock, a person with firsthand knowledge confirmed to the Free Press.

The person requested anonymity because all moves during the free-agency moratorium aren't finalized until it ends July 9.

It cost the Pistons a 2020 second-round pick, but by clearing $8 million in cap space, it gives the Suns the freedom to chase Portland Trail Blazers free agent LaMarcus Aldridge.
But for the Pistons, this trade is all about Morris, who now becomes the presumptive starter at small forward.

The Pistons can't deny it's a fallback option.

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Pistons' Jackson on extension: 'I'm happy to have a home'

ORLANDO --The well-wishers kept walking up to Reggie Jackson.

Taking in summer-league action today while seated courtside with his brother, Jackson was the recipient of congratulations for becoming the latest beneficiary of the NBA's summer spending spree in anticipation of a rising salary cap.

The four-year point guard and the Pistons agreed to a five-year, $80-million contract extension late Sunday night.

Obviously, the money is important. But Jackson is ecstatic the Pistons have shown a commitment and are willing to invest in his talent.

"I'm happy to have a home for the next five years and hopefully we do something special and keep it moving in the right direction," Jackson told the Free Press.

The moment Pistons president and coach Stan Van Gundy decided to acquire Jackson at the trade deadline, it was going to be for better or worse.

I'll bet he's even happier to have $80 Million.

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How will Detroit Pistons pare 17-man roster, with more signings possible?

ORLANDO, Fla. -- The Detroit Pistons have 17 roster players, two more than the season-opening maximum, after reaching agreement to retain third center Joel Anthony.

The four players whose roster spots seem most at stake are Danny Granger ($2.1 million guaranteed in 2015-16), who probably will be waived; Reggie Bullock ($1.25 million), Cartier Martin ($1.27 million) and Quincy Miller (non-guaranteed).

The Pistons aren't necessarily finished adding players, however.

The team has only five big men, one fewer than president-coach Stan Van Gundy prefers. And if Brandon Jennings hasn't recovered from his torn Achilles in time to open the season, the Pistons won't be comfortable going with Reggie Jackson and Spencer Dinwiddie as their only healthy point guards.

The Pistons got to five big men by retaining Anthony on a two-year, $5 million, with a team option in the second year.

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Niyo: Pistons stake their future on Jackson, Drummond

Auburn Hills — This is the Pistons blueprint — pick-and-roll basketball — so fans might as well get used to it.

They've picked their cornerstone players — one inherited from the draft three years ago, the other acquired in a trade five months ago — and that's how they'll roll, staking their future on a tandem that has played all of 27 games together.

Not there was any doubt about this heading into the offseason — that the Pistons planned to build around Reggie Jackson and Andre Drummond — they've certainly doubled down on that design the last few weeks.

Stan Van Gundy effectively admitted Friday what most around the league have been saying about the five-year, $80 million contract his team handed Jackson. The Pistons overpaid for their 25-year-old point guard, who'll make more next season than all but a half-dozen players at his position despite totaling 76 career starts his first four seasons.

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1 Vince Ellis: Pistons have limited appeal to free agents

I was walking through the Free Press’ new digs at 160 W. Fort in downtown Detroit when I was stopped by a question:


“Are we gonna get LaMarcus Aldridge?”

The query came from Free Press editorial page editor Stephen Henderson, who obviously does an excellent job of following Bleacher Report, the source of the mid-June prediction that the Portland Trail Blazers’ free-agent forward was headed to the Motor City when NBA free agency began July 1.

Prediction? I should have said “glorified click-bait” that used some flimsy reasoning: Since the Pistons had just hired Aldridge’s agent, Arn Tellem, to run business operations beginning this summer, it must have meant that Aldridge would be steered to Detroit.

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I like what SVG did this off-season, the Pistons aren't going to get anyone who raises eyebrows until they prove they can win some games. I think this current team can get into the playoffs, which is a start.

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Watch Detroit Pistons' Andre Drummond and Stanley Johnson play together - and dominate

There's no doubt Detroit Pistons fans have been eagerly anticipating watching Andre Drummond and Stanley Johnson on the floor together.

Well, the wait is over – temporarily.

Drummond and Johnson, who was the Pistons' eighth overall pick in the 2015 NBA Draft, teamed up this weekend in Los Angeles in the Drew League, a charity pro-am basketball league with 28 "invitational-only" teams.

The duo dominated and gave Pistons fans a sneak peak at what to expect in the upcoming season. Johnson finished with 31 points and nine rebounds, while Drummond pitched in 17 points and 12 rebounds.

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Coupla Pistons blurbs....

Seidel: Drummond is key for Pistons' gamble to pay off

Pistons’ core keeps in constant contact

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Thanks goose. Preciate you and the links.

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Pistons under new regime creating player-friendly home

Reggie Jackson's mind was racing.
Near the end of the regular season, the Detroit Pistons' point guard learned that his father, Saul, had been hospitalized with a diabetic seizure.
Jackson learned this shortly after the team plane had landed in Detroit after a hard-fought, overtime victory at Boston.
He needed to get to Colorado to be with his father but didn't know how long he would be away from the team, and a home game against Toronto was less than two days away.
The Pistons still had faint playoff hopes, and as a pending restricted free agent Jackson was still trying to make a good impression on his new employer after being acquired at the Feb. 19 trade deadline from Oklahoma City.
Pistons president-coach Stan Van Gundy eased Jackson's concerns. He even told Jackson to take the team plane to Colorado Springs.
"It was weird for me, personally, because I was playing for my contract, but the team obviously told me don't worry about that," Jackson told the Free Press Monday after signing a five-year, $80-million contract extension.

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The Pistons finally look like a Stan Van Gundy team

You can't fault Stan Van Gundy for lacking vision or a plan. Since being hired as president of basketball operations and head coach for the Detroit Pistons in May 2014, Van Gundy has worked to transform the roster from a broken puzzle of ill-fitting pieces into something resembling his successful teams of years past.
The group that Van Gundy inherited from longtime president Joe Dumars last year was not the one he actually wanted. Detroit was built around three big men who couldn't shoot (Andre Drummond, Josh Smith, Greg Monroe) and a backcourt lacking a real leader. That was a talented team with little chance of meshing in any meaningful way.
Van Gundy initially tried to coax better results with the same mix. That experiment failed, as Smith was waived in December with the Pistons off to a 5-23 start. But the next few weeks showed the power of Van Gundy's system. Detroit plugged shooters into Smith's spot and took off, winning 12 of its next 15 games.
Suddenly, the Pistons could space the court like this on pick-and-rolls:

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Stanley Johnson confirms loss of mother in tweet

Karen Taylor’s dream was to see her son, Stanley Johnson, play in the NBA.

She reminded him that he was just the second best player in the family, which he took to heart.

Johnson’s heart is heavy right now as he confirmed the loss of his mother in a tweet on Sunday.

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DBB: Why Jennings is still key to Pistons' success

The Detroit Pistons believe that this is the year they finally emerge from NBA oblivion.
In Year 2 of Stan Van Gundy’s radical makeover, the head coach and president of basketball operations has a team that can play his dynamic pick-and-roll offense and more able defenders in both the front and backcourt. But the Pistons’ ability to win consistently and make the playoffs hinges on an unlikely player – Brandon Jennings.
It might seem strange to pin so much on a player who many believe is almost an afterthought. After all, Jennings is still recovering from an Achilles injury suffered in January. He’s also lost his role, as Detroit quickly traded for Reggie Jackson, called him the point guard of the future and backed up those words by handing him the richest contract in franchise history – five years and $80 million.
But Jennings is a key component this year, because without his playmaking and ball handling, Detroit’s offense could self-destruct.

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Pistons' KCP needs to show starter credentials

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Report: Pistons' Jennings 'not close' to being cleared

It's beginning to appear Detroit Pistons point guard Brandon Jennings' clean bill of health won't come in time for the start of training camp.
NBA.com reported today that Jennings, who suffered a season-ending ruptured left Achilles in late January, is "not close to being cleared."
The report, citing an unnamed source, said Jennings is shooting and also running on a treadmill. But that's the extent of Jennings' basketball activities with training came beginning next Tuesday.
The news isn't surprising, considering Jennings himself gave a 6- to 9-month time frame when he suffered the injury Jan. 24 during a loss at Milwaukee.

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Detroit Pistons training-camp preview, Part V: Centers at a glance

Last in a five-day series breaking down the Detroit Pistons' roster, position by position, as the team prepares to open training camp on Tuesday, Sept. 29. Today's segment focuses on the centers.

The other 4 days available at the link.

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