Reed will likely play the same role as the team’s third big and injury insurance
The Detroit Pistons are re-signing big man Paul Reed to a two-year, $11 million deal, according to Shams Charania of ESPN. Reed appeared in 45 games for Detroit last season, scoring 4.1 points and 2.7 rebounds in 9.7 minutes per game. The second year of the deal is not guaranteed, according to Omari Sankofa of the Detroit Free Press.
Because Reed was waived by Detroit mid-season, they do not have Bird Rights on him. That means the Pistons used an exception, and that further means that this represents the only big man the Pistons will add this offseason.
You gotta love NBA math.
Reed is a perfectly servicable big man and obviously loved playing in Detroit. However, he’s a marginal 3-point shooter and it is a bit of a surprise considering the frequent mentions of Detroit’s interest in adding a perimeter-oriented big man this offseason.
The Pistons were connected to shooting bigs such as Myles Turner and Santi Aldama early in the offseason cycle. Aldama quickly re-signed with the Memphis Grizzles in the first minutes of free agency, and there is every expectation that Turner would sign a new deal with the Indiana Pacers.
Because the Pistons likely used a minor exception (like the bi-annual), it should not impact their ability to use the full mid-level exception to add additional players. The team has been tied to wings like Caris LeVert and Duncan Robinson on the eve of free agency.