The Detroit Pistons did some dealing this weekend, re-signing Simone Fontecchio to a two-year deal and inking free-agent Malik Beasley for one season.
Free agent sharpshooter Malik Beasley plans to sign a one-year, $6 million-plus deal with the Detroit Pistons, sources tell @TheAthletic @Stadium. Beasley's agent, Daniel Hazan of Hazan Sports Management, has been negotiating the new deal with Pistons officials. pic.twitter.com/uNt4HRqX5v
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) July 6, 2024
Trajan Langdon is clearly not going to sign anyone to a long-term deal which is smart, as the Pistons need to work with the timeline of their young players and in another year or two, they will be ready to make their move with plenty of financial flexibility.
The Beasley signing was an interesting one, as it makes two new shooting guards added to the roster, both veterans, and in Beasley’s case, one of the best high-volume 3-point shooters in the league.
He hit over 41 percent of his 3-point shots last season on just under seven attempts per game, so this is a guy who will let it fly.
With Marcus Sasser also on the roster, you have to wonder how the Pistons are going to find minutes for all of these two-guards, and do they still need a backup point guard? (more on that in a minute).
And most importantly, what does it mean for Jaden Ivey?
Are the Detroit Pistons going to trade Jaden Ivey?
I saw a lot of fans predicting that the additions of THJ and Beasley might spell the end for Jaden Ivey, but the two are not necessarily related.
Ivey can still slot into the starting lineup with the two veterans sharing minutes (or playing together off the bench).
The Pistons needed shooters and they needed guys who know how to play the game of basketball and they added three of them in Tobias Harris, THJ and Beasley.
If you want to be conspiratorial, sure, Ivey could be gone, as Langdon has no connection to him and may feel his value is at its peak right now. The Pistons have waited too long on prospects before and ended up watching them leave for nothing. So, yes, it is possible.
But both THJ and Beasley are comfortable coming off the bench and have been mostly role players in their careers, so they’ll slide into whatever job coach Bickerstaff needs them to do.
There are two other reasons that these additions are not a bad sign for Jaden Ivey.