Hasheem Thabeet to Pistons’ D-League affiliate
By Dan Feldman
"Former No. 2 overall pick Hasheem Thabeet has passed on European interest to commit to new Grand Rapids franchise in @nbadleague"
It seems the Pistons have made Thabeet — who was in Detroit’s training camp before being waived — an affiliate player. This allows them to assign his D-League rights to their D-League affiliate, the Grand Rapids Drive. If Thabeet signs with the D-League,* which he apparently did, he must play for the Drive.
*D-League players sign with the league, not specific teams.
Any NBA team can sign Thabeet. It likely won’t be the Pistons who have a full roster of 15 players, but they’ll be able to most closely monitor his progress.
Stan Van Gundy clearly sees something in Thabeet. Now, the Pistons’ president/coach will see whether Drive coach Otis Smith can prepare Thabeet for the NBA before the Pistons next have a roster vacancy (most likely next offseason).