Pistons news: Detroit free-agent signing a head scratcher

*Since the writing of this article, it was revealed that Zavier Simpson signed an Exhibit 10 contract with the Detroit Pistons.

The Detroit Pistons came into the offseason flush with cap space and fans were dreaming of landing a big-time free agent to speed up the restoration.

Instead, the Pistons used almost all of that space on trades for Joe Harris and Monte Morris, which may have been financially pragmatic, but were not exactly the moves fans were hoping for.

Unfortunately, free agency has never been the way for the Pistons to improve, they’ve always relied on the draft and trades, and nothing really changed this offseason and I don’t expect it to anytime soon.

So Troy Weaver kicked his cap space down the road again in hopes that internal improvement and the eventual big trade will be enough.

But the Pistons still have roster spots to fill, though it appears that one of them may have been claimed yesterday.

Detroit Pistons sign free agent Zavier Simpson

If I told you that Zavier Simpson would be the biggest free agent the Detroit Pistons would sign this offseason, you’d probably say, “who?”

According to HoopsHype, the Pistons have inked the former Michigan Wolverine point guard to a  one-year deal, though it’s not clear if this is a two-way contract or the final roster spot.

Given that Simpson has only appeared in four NBA games (2 years ago), it’s likely he’s been awarded the final two-way spot, as it’s hard to fathom why the Pistons would add yet another guard to their already guard-heavy roster.

Simpson did put up nice numbers in the G-League last season, averaging over 16 points, 8.8 assists and 4.4 rebounds while shooting 52 percent from the field and an outstanding 46 percent from long range, albeit on only 2.9 attempts per game.

Simpson is just 6-feet tall but is known for taking care of the ball, running the offense and being able to knock down shots from all three levels.

Given the number of guards the Detroit Pistons already have, it’s hard to envision Simpson making the rotation (or even the full-time roster) unless there are several more moves coming. This signing is a bit of a head scratcher given Detroit’s need to develop some talent at the forward position, but I am sure Michigan fans will be happy to see their guy come back to the state.