Pistons Sign Former Undrafted Player to Two-Year Contract on Sunday

The Detroit Pistons didn’t make a lot of deals at the trade deadline, opting to keep their main core intact instead of making some win-now moves.

Detroit acquired Kevin Huerter and Dario Saric from the Chicago Bulls in a three-team trade that sent Jaden Ivey and Mike Conley to the Windy City franchise. The Minnesota Timberwolves got cash considerations in the deal.

It’s not surprising that Detroit chose not to risk ruining what’s working, though. After all, at the time of writing, they are the No. 1 team in the Eastern Conference with a 38-13 record.

On Sunday, the Pistons doubled down on their belief in the players they currently have by giving two-way player Daniss Jenkins a standard NBA contract.

According to Shams Charania of ESPN, the Pistons are signing Jenkins to a “two-year contract, with a team option for 2026-27.

“The Pistons and Jenkins’ agent, Derek Jackson of UNLTD Sports Group, negotiated the new deal using part of the team’s bi-annual exception,” Charania added.

Jenkins has been a standout contributor for the Pistons this season, averaging career-highs of 8.2 points, 1.8 rebounds and 3.3 assists in 42 games played so far, including eight starts.

It was a massive leap for the 24-year-old guard, who went undrafted in 2024 and made only seven appearances for Detroit as a two-way player in 2024-25. He averaged just 1.0 point in his rookie season.

Jenkins has delivered after the Pistons gave him a bigger role. Now, he has been rightfully rewarded for his efforts.

The official financial terms of Jenkins’ deal with the Pistons were not disclosed, but Michael Scotto of HoopsHype reported that it’s an $8 million deal.

In a related move, the Pistons are reportedly waiving Saric to make room for Jenkins’ standard NBA contract, per Scotto.

Detroit Pistons guard Daniss Jenkins (24) dribbles during a game.David Reginek-Imagn Images

(David Reginek-Imagn Images)What’s Next for the Pistons?

As for the Pistons’ next steps, Pistons president of basketball operations Trajan Langdon said on Friday that they did discuss bigger deals with other teams prior to the trade deadline, per ESPN. However, none of those trades went through.

“There were some things, whether it was the other team pulling out or us just saying, now’s not the right time for that,” Langdon stated. “There were some things that I wouldn’t say, got close, that we thought about but didn’t execute.”

For now, Langdon wants to see how the current Pistons team will grow, especially once they get more meaningful postseason experience.

“What are we going to do in the postseason? What’s our rotation, who are the guys that step up in crunch time,” Langdon added. “The hope is we give ourselves a chance to play meaningful basketball in the postseason and that’ll allow us to assess what this team is and who we are going forward.”

This story was originally published by Athlon Sports on Feb 9, 2026, where it first appeared in the NBA section. Add Athlon Sports as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

Pistons Sign Former Undrafted Player to Two-Year Contract on Sunday

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