It has been a while since the Detroit Pistons have been competitive — they have made the NBA playoffs just twice since 2009, haven’t won a postseason series since 2008, and their 2004 championship team is now a distant memory.
They do have a potential star in Cade Cunningham, but other than that, they currently don’t really have any players who seem to have the ability to become true difference-makers.
On Tuesday, the Pistons decided to acquire big man Paul Reed, per Shams Charania.
The Detroit Pistons are claiming F/C Paul Reed off free agency waivers, sources tell @TheAthletic @Stadium. Reed is in the second season of a three-year, $24 million deal, and now BBall Paul joins Detroit. pic.twitter.com/GW6mxkTFZp
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) July 9, 2024
Reed may be undersized for a center at 6-foot-9 and 210 pounds, but he has shown the ability to play the position in his four seasons with the Philadelphia 76ers.
He was a second-round pick in the 2020 NBA Draft after four seasons at DePaul University, and this past season averaged 7.3 points, 6.0 rebounds and 1.0 blocked shots per game playing more than 19 minutes per contest.
In Detroit, Paul will provide depth behind Jalen Duren, who put up 13.8 points and 11.6 rebounds per game this past season.
The Pistons traded Marvin Bagley III, its previous backup center, to the Washington Wizards during last season in a deal for Danilo Gallinari and Mike Muscala.
Meanwhile, Cunningham agreed to a massive five-year contract extension on Tuesday that will reportedly pay him at least $224 million.
In his third NBA season, he showed some growth by averaging 22.7 points and 7.5 assists per game while shooting 44.9 percent from the field and 35.5 percent from 3-point range, and he is the man the Pistons hope will take them back to being a contender.
The post Pistons Have Claimed Veteran Center Off Free Agency Waivers appeared first on The Cold Wire.