Report: Zaza Pachulia signs one-year deal with Detroit Pistons
At least one member of the Golden State Warriors championship core is moving away from the team.
Fifteen-year NBA veteran Zaza Pachulia has agreed to sign a one-year, $2.4 million deal with the Detroit Pistons. That figure represents a minimum salary contract for Pachulia given his experience.
Via Twitter:
Priority Sports✔@PrioritySports
A big congratulations to our guy @zaza27 on signing with the @DetroitPistons! You’re amazing career adds another exciting chapter!
Pachulia’s advanced statistics suggest that he is still a useful player, although his age and minutes might dictate how much of an impact he has on the box score this coming season for the Pistons. Detroit already has several star forwards, including Blake Griffin and Andre Drummond, and they have useful backups like Jon Leuer.
What the Pachulia’s role will be at this time in his career and for a team that is not expected to contend for a championship is unclear. However, getting a veteran presence on the Pistons is a solid move for Dwane Casey as he tries to reform the culture of the team in his own vision.
Bulls match Zach LaVine’s four-year, $80 million offer sheet from Kings
Zach LaVine is officially staying with the Chicago Bulls.
The athletic young shooting guard signed a massive four-year, $80 million offer sheet with the Sacramento Kings once free agency officially began on July 6th. Chicago was reportedly set to match the massive restricted free agent offer sheet, which they did on Sunday.
Bulls EVP of Basketball Operations John Paxson released a statement with the signing, saying that he was excited to have LaVine back on the team and that he showed real heart working back from an ACL injury.
Via Bulls.com:
“We were excited last summer when we got a dynamic athlete in Zach LaVine through the trade, and we’re excited now that we get to keep him,” said John Paxson, Chicago Bulls Executive Vice President of Basketball Operations. “Zach showed a relentless work ethic in rehabbing his ACL injury to return to the court, and he has a visible passion for the game of basketball. We know that those attributes, along with his honed skills, will make him an impact player in this league for years to come. We’re thrilled to keep Zach on this Bulls team moving forward.”
The question moving forward is whether LaVine will have the same kind of athleticism he had before the ACL injury.
Smart money would put his game needing to move to a more measured approach, and by matching LaVine’s RFA offer it seems Chicago is betting that he has the wherewithal to make that happen moving forward.
Knicks’ Kevin Knox turns heads with Summer League debut
LAS VEGAS — It’s becoming a Knicks’ tradition: Fans boo their team’s pick on draft night, then by the end of Summer League think he’s the franchise savior.
We may not be to the second part of that equation for Kevin Knox, but he turned heads with an impressive and athletic debut at the Las Vegas Summer League, dropping 22 points.
He had seven early points against Atlanta, using his athleticism to get to the rim and throwing down some highlight dunks.
Def Pen Hoops@DefPenHoopsKevin Knox
“(The Coaches) wanted me to be able to attack the basket, get to the free-throw line,” Knox said postgame. “That’s kind of what I did. I settled myself in. I got to the free-throw line, hit some shots and next thing I know, I was playing really well. I want to keep staying aggressive, keep getting to the basket.”
Things were not perfect — he was 1-of-6 from three — plus, we need to throw in the caveat this is just Summer League. Don’t read too much into it.
But the athletic Knox showed why he climbed up draft boards during workout process of the draft, getting all the way up to the Knicks at ninth. He’s got a lot of potential, and he’s going to get the chance to show it this season with Kristaps Porzingis out for at least the first half to three quarters of the season (if not more).
Mad Tatafo 