Tyreke Evans was one of the wing free agents the Detroit Pistons were interested in. You can check him off the list with his dismissal and disqualification from the NBA.
The Detroit Pistons are desperate for a wing player. They were going to free agency in search for a potential candidate to fill that position.
Tyreke Evans was one of those wing players the Pistons were looking at. The Pistons had the potential to offer the mid-level exception on Evans.
And there was a good chance that Tyreke Evans took the Pistons offer due to playtime he would receive and contract value.
All that chance was thrown out the window. News broke out Friday afternoon that Tyreke Evans has been dismissed and disqualified from the league for violating the NBA/NBPA Anti-Drug Program.
Pacers free agent Tyreke Evans has been dismissed and disqualified from the league for violating the terms of the NBA/NBPA Anti-Drug Program.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) May 17, 2019
This is shocking news because this is the second time the NBA has disqualified a player for violating the Anti-Drug Program. The other player who violated it was former number 3 overall pick O.J. Mayo.
Similar to Tyreke Evans, O.J. Mayo also violated the Anti-Drug Program in 2016. And his punishment was a dismissal from the league.
Tyreke Evans tested positive for "drugs of abuse." According to ESPN (when Chris Andersen was dismissed for this), "The drugs on that list are amphetamine and its analogs, which include methamphetamine; cocaine; LSD; opiates, including heroin, codeine and morphine; and PCP."
— Alex Kennedy (@AlexKennedyNBA) May 17, 2019
Tyreke Evans is availability for reinstatement in two years. Meaning he’s able to return to the NBA in two years.
Tyreke signed a one-year deal with the Indiana Pacers this season. After having a bounce-back season with the Grizzlies in the 2017-18 season, Evans failed to build up on top of it during the 2018-19 season with the Pacers.
He averaged 10.2 points per game and shot a career low 38.9 percent from the field. Overall Evans spent 10 seasons in the NBA. After starting his career being drafted by the Sacramento Kings in 2009 and winning the Rookie of The Year Award, Evans’ career took a huge decline.
He played in Sacramento for five seasons before traveling to New Orleans for four seasons. Then during his fourth season he was traded back to Sacramento and signed a one-year deal with Memphis the following season.