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Pistons sign guard Jaylen Nowell

The Detroit Pistons have signed guard Jaylen Nowell to a contract.

Nowell, 6-4, 201, signed a 10-day contract with Detroit on April 3. He’s appeared in three games with the Pistons and averaged 8.7 points, 2.7 rebounds and 1.0 assists in 16.7 minutes per game.

A five-year NBA veteran, Nowell previously appeared in 193 career games (four starts) for Minnesota and Memphis. The No. 43 overall pick by the Timberwolves in the 2019 NBA Draft, Nowell holds career averages of 8.9 points, 2.2 rebounds, 1.8 assists and 0.5 steals in 17.1 minutes per game. Nowell appeared in nine games for the Grizzlies this season, averaging 5.7 points, 1.6 rebounds and 1.8 assists in 17.1 minutes.

In 28 games this season with the Stockton Kings, the NBA’s G League affiliate of the Sacramento Kings, Nowell is averaging 17.4 points, 3.6 rebounds and 3.6 assists in 27.9 minutes per game.

A native of Seattle, Nowell played collegiately at the University of Washington from 2017-19 where he was named Pac-12 Player of the Year and First-Team All-Pac-12 for the Huskies in 2019.

Pistons sign guard Jaylen Nowell to 10-day contract

The Detroit Pistons have signed guard Jaylen Nowell to a 10-day contract.

Nowell, 6-4, 201, is a five-year NBA veteran and has appeared in 193 career games (four starts) for Minnesota and Memphis. The No. 43 overall pick by the Timberwolves in the 2019 NBA Draft, Nowell holds career averages of 8.9 points, 2.2 rebounds, 1.9 assists and 0.5 steals in 17.1 minutes per game. Nowell appeared in nine games for the Grizzlies this season, averaging 5.7 points, 1.6 rebounds and 1.8 assists in 17.3 minutes.

In 28 games this season with the Stockton Kings, the NBA’s G League affiliate of the Sacramento Kings, Nowell is averaging 17.4 points, 3.6 rebounds and 3.6 assists in 27.9 minutes per game.

A native of Seattle, Nowell played collegiately at the University of Washington from 2017-19 where he was named Pac-12 Player of the Year and First-Team All-Pac-12 for the Huskies in 2019.

Pistons forward Ausar Thompson out for season due to blood clot

Pistons forward Ausar Thompson will miss the remainder of the 2023-24 season while being treated for a blood clot. Under the guidance of Pistons team physician Dr. Ramsey Shehab of Henry Ford Health, Thompson has been cleared to resume conditioning and will begin non-contact basketball activities at the conclusion of the regular season with a gradual ramp up over the summer months in preparation for a full return next season.

Pistons center Isaiah Stewart will miss the remainder of the 2023-24 season with a right hamstring strain suffered during the third quarter of Monday’s contest at Boston.

Pistons sign Stanley Umude, Buddy Boeheim and Tosan Evbuomwan

The Detroit Pistons have signed guard/forward Stanley Umude to a contract and signed guard Buddy Boeheim and forward Tosan Evbuomwan to two-way contracts.

Umude, 6-6, 210, has appeared in 17 games for the Pistons this season, averaging 5.2 points, 1.8 rebounds and 0.6 assists while shooting 55% from 3-point range. A two-year veteran of the Motor City Cruise, Detroit’s G League affiliate, he holds career averages of 16.2 points, 5.1 rebounds and 1.0 assists on .382 3PT% in 29.2 minutes in 38 G League games (19 starts).

Boeheim, 6-6, 205, enters his second two-way contract with Detroit after appearing in 10 games for the Pistons in 2022-23. The former Syracuse Orange has averaged 14.3 points, 3.1 rebounds and 1.3 assists on .418 3PT% and 24.3 minutes in 36 games for the Motor City Cruise this season after averaging 10.9 points on .368 3PT% in 25.1 minutes in 35 G League contests last season.

Evbuomwan, 6-8, 219, has appeared in five career NBA games with Detroit and Memphis. The Newcastle, England, native signed with the Motor City Cruise this season after going undrafted out of Princeton and averaged 15.1 points, 8.6 rebounds, 3.9 assists and 0.9 blocks in 34.5 minutes in 29 games for the Cruise. He signed a 10-day contract with Memphis on January 30 and recorded a career-high 12 rebounds on February 4 at Boston while on a four-game stint with the Grizzlies.

Pistons trade Monte Morris to Timberwolves

The Minnesota Timberwolves have acquired guard Monte Morris in a trade with the Detroit Pistons for forward Troy Brown Jr., guard Shake Milton and a 2030 second round pick.

Morris, 28, has appeared in 348 regular season games (166 starts) in seven NBA seasons with the Denver Nuggets, Washington Wizards and Pistons, averaging 10.4 points on 47.9% shooting, including 38.9% from three, 2.5 rebounds and 4.0 assists per game. In 62 games (61 starts) last season with Washington, the 6-2 guard averaged 10.3 points on 48.0% shooting, a career-high 3.4 rebounds and a career-best 5.3 assists. At the conclusion of the 2022-23 season, he ranked second in the NBA in assist-to-turnover ratio (5.4).

The Flint, Mich. native has appeared in 48 playoff games (10 starts), averaging 9.5 points on 45.1% shooting and 3.5 assists. His best playoff performance came in Game 6 of the First Round of the 2021 Playoffs when in 32:58 minutes of action off the bench, Morris finished with 22 points on 8-of-16 shooting and nine assists. He became the second player in Nuggets history to finish a playoff game with 20+ points and 9+ assists off the bench.

Morris was originally drafted out of Iowa State by the Nuggets with the 51st overall pick in the 2017 NBA Draft.

Signed as a free agent with the Wolves on July 8, 2023, Brown Jr. played in 37 games (three starts) for Minnesota where he averaged 4.2 points in 11.1 minutes of action per game. In 334 career games (87 starts) with the Wizards, Chicago Bulls, Los Angeles Lakers and Timberwolves, he holds averages of 6.3 points, 3.6 rebounds and 1.4 assists per game.

Signed as a free agent with the Timberwolves on July 8, 2023, Milton played in 38 games for Minnesota where he averaged 4.7 points in 12.9 minutes of action per game. In 292 career games (45 starts) with the Philadelphia 76ers and Timberwolves, he holds averages of 8.7 points, 2.2 rebounds and 2.5 assists per game.

Knicks trade Quentin Grimes, Evan Fournier, Malachi Flynn, Ryan Arcidiacono to Pistons for Bojan Bogdanovic, Alec Burks

The Detroit Pistons have acquired guard Quentin Grimes, forward Evan Fournier, guards Malachi Flynn and Ryan Arcidiacono, two future second round draft picks and cash considerations in a trade with the New York Knicks for forward Bojan Bogdanovic and guard Alec Burks.

Grimes, 6-5, 205, has appeared in 45 games (18 starts) for the Knicks this season while averaging 7.3 points, 2.0 rebounds and 1.2 assists in 20.2 minutes. The 25th overall pick in the 2021 NBA Draft, Grimes has appeared in 162 games (90 starts) over three seasons with New York, holding career averages of 8.6 points, 2.5 rebounds and 1.5 assists while shooting .436 from the field and .379 from 3-point range. The Houston, Texas, native played one season at the University of Kansas before transferring to the University of Houston. Grimes averaged 17.8 points and 5.7 rebounds in his junior season for the Cougars and was named 2020-21 American Athletic Conference Player of the Year.

Fournier, 6-6, 205, is a 12-year NBA veteran. He has appeared in 675 career games (504 starts) for Denver, Orlando, Boston and New York. Drafted by the Denver Nuggets with the No. 20 overall pick in the 2012 NBA Draft, Fournier holds career averages 13.9 points, 2.7 rebounds and 2.5 assists while shooting .442 from the field and .378 from 3-point range. Fournier spent three seasons with the Knicks, averaging 11.8 points, 2.4 rebounds and 1.9 assists in 26.0 minutes per game. The Saint-Maurice, France, native has won a silver medal for the French national team in the 2020 Summer Olympics and two bronze medals in the 2014 and 2019 FIBA World Cups.

Flynn, 6-1, 175, has appeared in 45 games this season averaging 4.6 points, 1.4 rebounds and 1.3 assists in 11.9 minutes for the New York Knicks and Toronto Raptors. A four-year NBA veteran, Flynn played four seasons for the Toronto Raptors (2020-23) before being traded to the Knicks on Dec. 30, 2023. The Tacoma, Wash., native played two seasons collegiately at Washington State before transferring to San Diego State. The No. 29 overall pick in the 2020 NBA Draft, Flynn was named Second Team All-American, Mountain West Player of the Year and Defensive Player of the year in his senior year at San Diego State.

Arcidiacono, 6-3, 195, is in his seventh NBA season. In 257 career NBA games, he’s averaged 4.0 points, 1.8 rebounds and 1.9 assists with Chicago, New York and Portland. The Philadelphia, Pa., native played four seasons at Villanova University (2012-16) where he helped the wildcats to the 2016 NCAA championship. Arcidiacono was named 2015 Big East Player of the Year and crowned Most Outstanding Player in the 2016 NCAA tournament. Undrafted in 2016, Arcidiacono signed a two-way contract with the Chicago Bulls prior to the 2017-18 season.

Bogdanovic, 6-7, 226, appeared in 87 games (86 starts) for Detroit, averaging 21.1 points, 3.6 rebounds and 2.6 assists while shooting .481 from the field and .413 from 3-point range across two seasons. Bogdanovic was acquired via trade from the Utah Jazz on Sept. 22, 2022. He holds career averages of 15.8 points, 3.6 rebounds and 1.7 assists in 690 career games.

Burks, 6-6, 214, appeared in 94 games for Detroit over two seasons, averaging 12.7 points, 2.9 rebounds and 1.9 assists while shooting .416 from the field and .407 from 3-point range. Burks was acquired via trade from the New York Knicks on July 11, 2022. He holds career averages of 10.9 points, 3.4 rebounds and 2.0 assists in 719 career games.

76ers trade Danuel House Jr. to Pistons

The Detroit Pistons have acquired guard/forward Danuel House Jr., a 2024 second round draft pick and cash considerations in a trade with the Philadelphia 76ers for future 2028 second round draft pick.

House, 6-6, 220, has averaged 7.3 points, 2.5 rebounds and 1.1 assists in 294 career NBA games with Washington, Phoenix, Houston, New York, Utah and Philadelphia. House went undrafted in the 2016 NBA Draft and signed as a free agent with the Wizards. He averaged career highs of 10.5 points and 4.2 rebounds during the 2019-20 season with the Rockets.

A Texas native, House played his first two collegiate seasons at the University of Houston before transferring to Texas A&M where he led the Aggies in scoring in his final two seasons. House averaged 14.1 points, 4.7 rebounds and 2.0 assists for his college career and earned honorable mention All-American honors by the Associated Press as a senior.

Pistons trade Kevin Knox II to Jazz

The Detroit Pistons have acquired forward Simone Fontecchio in a trade with the Utah Jazz for Kevin Knox II, the rights to Gabriele Procida and draft considerations.

Fontecchio, 6-8, 209, is in his second NBA season after signing with Utah as an international free agent out of Italy in 2022. He is averaging career-highs across the board this season with 8.9 points, 3.5 rebounds, 1.5 assists and 23.2 minutes in 50 games (34 starts). Fontecchio is shooting a career-high 39 percent from 3-point range this season and has made at least half of his 3-point attempts in 19 outings. In 102 career NBA games with the Jazz (40 starts), he has averaged 7.6 points (.363 3FG), 2.6 rebounds and 1.1 assists.

A native of Pescara, Italy, the 28-year-old Fontecchio played professionally for 11 seasons overseas prior to entering the NBA. A three-time Italian Super Cup winner (2016-18) and a 2014 Lega Basket Serie A All-Star, he competed for Team Italy in the 2023 FIBA World Cup and averaged 18.0 points and 5.6 rebounds, leading the Italian team to the quarterfinals. Fontecchio also reached the quarterfinals with the Italian National Team in the 2020 Tokyo Summer Olympics. In his 2021-22 season with Baskonia in Liga ACB (Spain), he averaged an international career-high 12.4 points (.410 3FG).

Knox II, 6-7, 215, appeared in 73 games for Detroit over the past two seasons, averaging 6.3 points, 3.5 rebounds and 15.8 minutes per game (12 starts). Originally selected No. 9 overall by the New York Knicks in 2018, Knox signed as a free agent with Detroit in 2022 and was traded to Portland in a four-team deal at the 2023 trade deadline. He re-signed with the Pistons on Nov. 8, 2023, and averaged 7.2 points and 2.4 rebounds in 31 games (11 starts) for Detroit this season.

Per the Detroit News, “Knox, a former lottery pick, has been traded by Detroit at the NBA’s annual deadline for the second consecutive season. Last February, he was part of a four-team deadline day trade and was sent to the Portland Trail Blazers, as part of the deal to acquire James Wiseman. He’s become a journeyman since entering the league in 2018, but had a more productive second stint with the Pistons this season. Now, he’ll head to a Jazz team that is hovering around the 10th seed in the Western Conference playoff picture.”

Procida, 6-7, 191, was acquired in a trade with Portland in 2022 after being selected No. 36 overall in the 2022 NBA Draft. The 21-year-old native of Como, Italy, has not yet played in the NBA and is averaging 8.7 points, 1.6 rebounds, 0.9 assists and 1.5 steals in 17.8 minutes across 23 games for ALBA Berlin in the EuroLeague this season.

Earl Cureton passes away at age 66

Earl Cureton, former Pistons player and community ambassador with the organization for the last 10 years, passed away unexpectedly this morning at the age of 66.

A 12-year NBA veteran, Cureton was originally drafted by the Philadelphia 76ers with the 58th overall pick in the 1979 NBA Draft. Known as “The Twirl”, the 6-9 forward was a part of two NBA championships teams, the 76ers in 1982-83 and the Houston Rockets in 1993-94. Cureton also played three seasons with the Detroit Pistons (1983-86, where he averaged 5.9 points in 234 games) and spent time with the Chicago Bulls, LA Clippers, Charlotte Hornets and Toronto Raptors.

A basketball journeyman, Cureton made coaching stops in the NBA, United States Basketball League and Continental Basketball Association following his retirement from the NBA in 1997. He was also an assistant coach with the ABA’s Long Beach Jam in 2004, alongside coaching legend Paul Westhead. When Westhead left to become an assistant for the Orlando Magic, Cureton took over as head coach and led the Jam to an ABA Championship.

Cureton played collegiately at Division I Robert Morris University before transferring to University of Detroit Mercy for his final two seasons under head coach Dick Vitale. His number 24 was retired by U of D on Jan. 23, 2020. Fulfilling a life-long dream 30 years later, Cureton went back to U of D and earned his college degree in Human Services and was awarded his Bachelor of Science in 2011. A native Detroiter, Cureton prepped at Finney High School.

Statement from the Detroit Pistons Organization: “The Detroit Pistons organization is deeply saddened by the passing of Earl Cureton, a person who meant so much to the organization as a colleague, former player, community ambassador and friend. As tough a competitor as he was during his playing years on the court, he was equally kind-hearted, outgoing and impactful off it. He represented our franchise with great passion and truly enjoyed working to give back and improve the lives of Detroiters in the city he loved so much. We extend our heartfelt condolences to Earl’s family and countless friends and teammates during this most difficult time.”

Statement from Pistons Owner Tom Gores: “Earl was one of the most generous, positive and caring people I knew. He was a loving father, devoted to his family, and I was honored to be his friend. He was a champion as a player and an important ambassador in our community. We are heartbroken over his loss.”

Former Pistons player and Hall of Famer Isiah Thomas: “All of us are hurting with the unexpected loss of Earl Cureton. He was a tremendous teammate, tough competitor, a champion and a great human being. Earl always held the Detroit community close to his heart and worked tirelessly to make a difference for the city he loved. He will be greatly missed.”