Detroit Pistons reportedly sign former Grizzlies big man

The Detroit Pistons haven’t had the kind of offseason most fans were hoping for, but have made some low-key additions that could help them take the next step as a franchise.

The biggest will obviously be the return of Cade Cunningham, but rookie Ausar Thompson should help shore up the perimeter defense and veteran Monte Morris will solidify the guard ranks with a solid hand who can shoot and defend the position.

But the Pistons still have an open roster spot, so don’t be shocked if we see another trade at some point before next year’s trade deadline.

For now, the Detroit Pistons are content to wait it out, see what their current roster can be, and try to add parts at the periphery, which is what they did with a recent signing.

Detroit Pistons reportedly sign Jontay Porter

According to James Edwards III of The Athletic, the Detroit Pistons have signed big man Jontay Porter to an Exhibit 10 contract:

Porter had an 11-game cup of coffee with the Memphis Grizzlies back in 2020-21 and has since toiled in the G-League, where he is trying to establish himself as a stretch big.

It’s something the Detroit Pistons could use, as their current crop of bigs all lack in the shooting department and Porter can play both center and power forward.

The problem is that his shooting hasn’t been a strength, as he hit just 28 percent of his long range shots last season on a whopping 6.8 attempts per game. So the volume is there, but the accuracy is not.

The Porter signing still leaves the Pistons with an open roster spot, as well as a two-way, so it’s highly likely that he was just brought in for training camp competition and not for a realistic shot at making the team.

His rights were traded to the Motor City Cruise, so we’ll probably see the 23 year old in the G-League, with the possibility of landing a two-way deal.

Porter, like his brother Michael Porter Jr. of the Nuggets, is 6-foot-10 and likes to spread the floor. We saw some of it in his one year of college basketball for Missouri, when he did shoot over 36 percent from long range. But unlike his brother, Jontay Porter has not been able to find consistency with his outside shot, which will be the key to him ever making the NBA.

He’s also battled injuries throughout his career, so at this point Jontay Porter has plenty to prove.

He’ll get a chance at a two-way deal if he can impress in Pistons’ training camp, but it’s likely he ends up back in the G-League for now.