Nov 27, 2024; Memphis, Tennessee, USA; Detroit Pistons forward Paul Reed (7) handles the ball as Memphis Grizzlies center Jay Huff (30) defends during the fourth quarter at FedExForum. Mandatory Credit: Petre Thomas-Imagn Images

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Race against time for Detroit Pistons after waiving Paul Reed

With Reed off the roster, the Pistons have dropped below the NBA’s minimum salary floor.

The Detroit Pistons have waived veteran forward Paul Reed. Detroit picked up the 25-year-old after the Philadelphia 76ers cut ties with him just one season into a three-year deal signed in the summer.

However, Reed struggled to find consistent playing time in Detroit, appearing in only 12 games this season and averaging 4.8 points and 2.3 rebounds in 10 minutes per game.

The Detroit Pistons are waiving center Paul Reed, sources tell ESPN. In 12 games, Reed has averaged 4.8 points and 2.3 rebounds in 10 minutes. The move was made to give Detroit roster and salary flexibility with the NBA trade deadline less than two months away. pic.twitter.com/93AOdymJXP
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) December 14, 2024

Now, with Reed off the roster, the Pistons have dropped below the NBA’s minimum salary floor. They have $15.5M in cap space and two open roster spots.

This means the team has until the end of Sunday to sign a player or make a trade to meet the required salary floor.

Where Things Stand for Detroit

Cap space: $15.5 million
Below the salary floor: $1.4 million
Open roster spots: 2

Potential targets for Pistons

Chicago Bulls’ center Nikola Vucevic could be a solid addition. The two-time NBA All-Star is averaging 21.0 points and 9.8 rebounds per game while shooting 58.7% from the field and 47.4% from beyond the arc.

However, according to NBA correspondent Marc Stein, Chicago is seeking a first-round pick in exchange for Vucevic, which the Pistons can’t provide currently.

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Brooklyn Nets’ forward Cameron Johnson can be another option for the Pistons. The 28-year-old is averaging 18.8 points, 4.3 rebounds, and 2.9 assists this season.

The Golden State Warriors were reportedly in trade talks with the Nets regarding Johnson but they end up picking guard Dennis Schroder.

NBA pundit Bill Simmons has suggested that Detroit could be an ideal landing spot for Johnson.

“This could be another Cam Johnson team This is actually kind of a perfect Cam Johnson team I wonder if Detroit is going to look at what happened with Orlando and OKC the last couple of years and what’s happening with Houston this year and think like hmm wonder if we make one move here could our ceiling increase Especially if Miami goes backwards Indiana’s already gone backwards Could we be a top 6 team potentially”, Simmons said on his podcast.

Washington Wizards forward Kyle Kuzma is another hot commodity in the trade market and Pistons could go all in to get the veteran.

Kuzma is currently in the first year of a four-year, $90 million contract he signed with Wizards this offseason. He is averaging 15.8 points, 5.6 rebounds, and 1.9 assists per game while shooting 42% from the field and 27.6% from three-point range.

Detroit Piston’s next game is against Miami on Monday and looks like they will have at least one new signing by then.

Image Credit: Petre Thomas-Imagn Images

Cameron Johnson

Detroit Pistons

Kyle Kuzma

Nikola Vucevic

Paul Reed

Swati Bhatia

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I work as a content strategist, specializing in creating engaging content about the NBA, WNBA, and MLB. My main focus is on writing breaking news updates, research-based articles, and covering trending topics. Right now, I’m leading the content team for the NBA, WNBA, and MLB categories at Playoffs English.