The REAL Reason the Pistons Signed Paul Reed and Caris Levert!

The REAL Reason the Pistons Signed Paul Reed and Caris Levert!

what up though everybody welcome back to another episode of the Downtown Deuce show So guys free agency is in full swing We’re about 2 and 1/2 hours from the making of this video of free agency starting and we are going to dive into what the Pistons have done so far and also what has happened around the league that may have impacted what the Pistons may have wanted to do Right But it’s been very very busy As soon as 6 pm hit today um you saw a lot of activity as we’re used to seeing this time this year right so let’s go ahead and get into the moves that the Pistons made So the first move the Pistons made was bringing back Paul Reed right paul Reid is a forward center for the Detroit Pistons He played last season I think he made about $1.5 million a year But here is the official news here from Shams Shirania says center forward Paul Reed has agreed to a two-year deal $11 million deal to return to the Detroit Pistons And secondly as you guys can see guard Caris Levert U O U of M’s own Caris Levert has agreed to a 2-year $29 million deal with the Pistons So those are the two signings the Pistons have made so far And let’s start with Bball Paul right a fan favorite with many uh Detroit Pistons fans because of how he plays because of the effort that he gives and the motive that he always provides right it’s hard not to like a player like him because he does what he can on the basketball court and he never takes plays off He always plays hard and that does fit the Detroit Pistons style of play So I’m not necessarily mad at this signing Um I do think the Pistons may have tried to go a different direction if guys like Nas Reed or Santiama were available because those are some hot names that were being tossed around with regards to the Pistons You guys know Nazi was number one on my list and when he um signed back with the Timberwolves that was a big blow for me but you know guys like Santi Alama were also decent options but now he has resigned with the Memphis Grizzlies right and that happened pretty quickly when free agency started And I think about 10 15 minutes into free agency they made sure they uh locked him up So that was off the table So I think moves like that are what may have moved the Pistons to go ahead and just bring back Bball Ball Paul and it’s a reasonable deal You know 2 years $11 million $5.5 million a season Last year he made 1.5 So it is a bump up but I still don’t think that’s a bad contract You know for 2 years is not really hampering you And I don’t know if the Pistons are still going to decide to make another move I don’t know if this is more so of a security blanket just to have another big if you need him but I still feel like the Pistons may need another third big um to upgrade what they what they had last year because we all know last year especially in the playoffs when Isaiah Stewart was not available guys like Cat you know guys like Mitchell Robinson were eating on the glass They were dominating on the boards and not even just from a numbers perspective but just as far as when it happened right late in games the Patients just couldn’t grab a rebound right so I think having another big potentially to go along with a guy like Paul Reed would be helpful I don’t know if that’s the Pistons plan I think the Pistons for now just wanted to secure him and bring him back but I’m not mad at it I just hope the Pistons aren’t done yet when it comes to their bigs cuz I still think they need to upgrade in that department for sure Okay moving on to the other signing Caris Levert So Caris Levert has agreed to a 2-year $29 million deal with the Pistons So just taking a look at some of his numbers Um we all know that Caris Levert is a very talented player right that’s never really been the issue He’s very talented He’s always had the ability to be able to score the basketball right so I think that is a positive you know especially with the Pistons you know kind of lacking scoring right now and needing some scoring punch with guys like Malik Beasy unfortunately being under investigation for you know gambling and things like that We’re not going to get into that right now but we all know the situation with Mal Beasley right so I think because of that that’s why the Pistons were starting to look around and see what else may be available because they can’t wait right they can’t wait especially with free agency just now taking effect they couldn’t wait and sit around and let all these free agents just get scooped up while they just wait especially when they don’t know how long this is going to drag out So I understand the move Um it hurts because you know there were a few guys the Pistons were looking at to try to fill some of that void because I don’t think anybody out there was going to fully fill the void that a guy like Mal Beasley left in his absence because he was just so important to this team last year And he had an the kind of year that I don’t think anybody expected to have as far as what he was able to bring on and off the court with his shooting with his efficiency with his consistency just everything that he did last year was great We know he didn’t play great in the playoffs but that’s another story Overall he had a really really good season So I don’t think there’s one guy out there that you could point to to say “Yeah he can fill this void.” But I think there were a collective of guys like for example Nquille Walker Alexander Walker that many were looking at you know and unfortunately he um is also off the off the table He signed with the Hawks for 4 years 62 million So I don’t know if Trajan Landon already knew he wasn’t going to be available but that was reported after the Pistons had signed Caris Levert to his 2-year $29 million contract which is the middle level exception that they gave him They gave him the full mid-level exception So we we got to wait and see what happens at this point We got to wait and see Um but my issue with Caris Levert as we mentioned is not even it’s not even that as far as being able to totally fill the void that was left by Malib That’s part of it But the other part of it for me is just availability You know he has not really been healthy for most of his career I took a look at his numbers here Let’s just go back a few seasons This year he played 26 games Last year 38 games then 64 then 68 then 74 That was a good stretch But then 19 39 58 35 12 47 45 40 71 57 That is actually his entire career that I just rattled off So one thing about the Pistons last season is that they for the most part were healthy They had guys who were willing and wanted to play right we we know that at the end of the season Isaiah Stewart went down unfortunately We know that mid-season Jaylen or Jaden Ivy went down with his freak injury with his leg injury and had him out for the rest of the season So we understand that But those were at least in the case of Jaden that was more so a freak injury right not something that should be recurring or anything like that So outside of those two the Pistons had a lot of health They were not really bitten by the the injury bug until late in the season So I think it’s going to be very important for the Pistons to add guys to this team who are going to be available And that’s the only thing with Caris Levert that kind of scares me a little bit is how much is he going to be available if he’s going to be here It’s not a really hefty contract but you still want guys as that are going to be available And especially with guys like Millie Beasley not being available You’re going to need guys who can step into that role into their role and try to just fill some of that void bring some scoring And I do think he can do that But the question once again is how much is he going to be available so that’s my only issue I know sometimes fans not even just Pistons fans but fans in general when they get a injury plagued player that comes to their team they have this expectation that because since they’re on their team now they’re going to revert back to their prime version And that it just doesn’t work that way It just does not work that way And I think the Pistons still have some work to do The Pistons still have some work to do Um but with Caris Levert last season he averaged for about 15 points a game Um he averaged three rebounds two assists one steal one turnover uh half a block in about 26 minutes a game So I think that 26 minute mark is doable I think Malik played around 30 minutes a game last season But once again you’re not looking for one guy to fill the void that was left by Malik Beasley So I do think that he can come in in a help right the only issue is just is just his health If he can remain healthy I think he can be a help to this team Give this team some scoring punch But I it’s it’s still like I mentioned the Pistons still have work to do with this roster I don’t think this is enough for them to advance much further than they did last year Now we know we’re getting guys back like Isaiah Stewart and and Jaden Ivy but I still think the Pistons could have upgraded a little bit more especially in the front court with that third big or maybe even the second big with the stretch four spot whether you want to have somebody who couldn’t start at the four or you want to have somebody come behind Tobias as the backup four right i think that was the biggest need this off seasonason But then once the Malik Beasley thing happened now it’s like we have two needs that need to be addressed right so I really think the Pistons have more work to do I think that Tan Langden was caught off guard by the Malik Beasley situation and I think that’s why we saw him pivoting to guys like Nquille Alexander Walker and Caris Levert and we’ve also heard names like Luke Canard So you know or even Duncan Robinson right we’ve heard all these names And once again these are guys who you’re looking for to come and be a sixth man type of player right we know Luke Canard is not a defender right when he was here the first time he was not a defender but he’s a very good three-point shooter And I think having guys like Cade and Jaden who can facilitate and get him the ball would get him good shots But once again he also has dealt with injuries He’s also been injuryprone and he’s not even that old of a player but he’s got bad knees you know and he’s been dealing with this for a few years now So once again the injury bug how much are you going to be available those are things that I’m looking at Duncan Robinson I think he actually declined his 20 million a year option for next season um with the Heat So I don’t know if that’s really an option anymore I think Caris Levert was probably the answer at least for now for what the Pistons want to do I didn’t think the Duncan Robinson thing would actually happen because if he’s declining 20 million you know the Pistons were in agreement with Lee Beasy for about 14 million a year 3 years 42 million right so 14 million a year was what they’re looking at which may have been the mid-level exception they plan to give him But if Duncan Robinson asking for 20 plus million if he’s already declining his $20 million option already you know that probably means he’s going to want more And I don’t think the Pistons should be giving a guy like him who’s not an elite defender who’s really just a good shooter You can’t give him that much money if you’re intending to still improve your roster especially particularly in the front court So I think this may be it for now Um I don’t really know what else the Pistons may do It’s not a lot of guys out there really available but maybe now we just kind of transition and pivot to the trade market because there are some guys on this roster who could still be moved right so we got to wait and see there’s still some flexibility with that There few guys that come to mind um that could potentially be moved in a trade So I don’t think this is the end This is really just the beginning Free agency just started and I want to keep that in mind and encourage everybody else to keep that in mind They just got started You know it’s kind of hard sometimes to remain patient and calm when you see names flying off the board right but there’s more than one way to skin a cat right we can get guys in the trade market as well as free agency It doesn’t always have to be done only via free agency So we got to wait and see what happens But that is the news guys To recap the Pistons have added Paul Reed back to their roster on a 2-year $11 million deal to return And they have also added guard Caris Levert to a 2-year $29 million deal about $14.5 million per season which is the mid-level exception So now we will wait We have to wait and see what happens going forward And we you know we’ll get more information on these guys to potentially see what their role might be for this team So I will tap back in with you guys when I have more information on these guys and anything else that happens which very well could I’ll be right back here for you guys Make sure you guys tap in And as always man Detroit verse everybody Peace All the dirty work All dog I’mma dive on the floor Go try to block every shot I’m going to be physical with you the whole game You know still going to be physical with you When you think of the Pistons you think just hard work and just gritty basketball That’s his identity you got to have when you put on that jersey I’m not your average dog I’m bad boy for life I set the tone Don’t care about no sick Let it be known I kiss my respect Come in the lane and see I don’t love you If you retaliate on you talking I hear your shing that you must run this way the dog mess around the mess around barbecue sauce You better comprehend

The Detroit Pistons sign Caris Levert & Paul Reed to 2 year deals on the opening day of free agency. Today we break down the moves and how theu impact the Pistons future.

0:00 Intro

0:35 Paul Reed

3:33 Caris Levert

6:19 Can Levert Stay Healthy?

8:35 What’s Next?

9:22 Luke Kennard & Duncan Robinson

11:05 Trade Market

12:24 “Dawg Pound” Pistons Outtro

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