NBA free agency: Pistons claim Paul Reed after center was waived by Sixers

Detroit has an overabundance of bigs again, but this is good value

By James Herbert Jul 9, 2024 at 6:26 pm ET• 2 min read

The Detroit Pistons have claimed center Paul Reed off waivers, the team announced Tuesday. The Philadelphia 76ers waived the big man on Saturday, and by claiming him, Detroit has acquired his existing contract. 

The contract has two years and $15.7 million remaining, but there's a twist: both seasons are non-guaranteed. (The Utah Jazz initially designed the deal, with whom Reed signed an offer sheet as a restricted free agent last summer.)

Does Detroit needReed? Not really, especially if one assumes that the arrival of Tobias Harris means that Isaiah Stewart will no longer start at power forward. Jalen Duren will presumably continue to start at center under new coach J.B. Bickerstaff, and, while Stewart (and Reed, I suppose) canplay some 4, it's not ideal for either of them. As long as Duren, Stewart and Reed are all on the roster, there will be a bit of a frontcourt logjam, just like there has been for much of the previous few seasons.