What happened?
With the NBA offseason firmly ticking along, there is still some business to address as a handful of key free agents remain on the market, but that batch of players reduced in size today when longtime vet DeMar DeRozan signed with the Denver Nuggets earlier today. Not long ago, DeRozan was bought out from the Sacramento Kings in a move that opened his options significantly while also providing a bit more financial flexibility for the team given the multi-year nature of his buyout. In the time since then, DeRozan met with different teams to find the best fit for the next stage of his career before ultimately reaching a one-year agreement with the Nuggets worth $3.9 million for this season. At this stage of his career, DeRozan is realistically looking at one last shot at an NBA Championship with the Nuggets, so his landing spot was ultimately a strategic choice, though there was some discussion that he could end up with the Detroit Pistons. Even though DeRozan has slowed down, he still averaged 18.4 points per game last year for the Kings and has the ability to create his own shot off the dribble, which is a quality that the Pistons were very much in the market for this offseason. As a longtime vet, DeRozan is comfortable playing multiple roles and could have served as the second, third or fourth option in Motown without a problem, but instead he will be teaming up with Nikola Jokic in Denver and staying in the Western Conference for the 2026-27 campaign. And considering the Nuggets just traded Peyton Watson to the Cleveland Cavaliers, DeRozan could be considered a low-cost replacement for Watson on the wing who could score and make plays around Jokic and Jamal Murray, as opposed to Watson who was more of a stingy defender and knock-down three-point shooter. But as a whole, DeRozan did not exactly fit the profile and archetype of player that the Pistons have brought in during the summer. Up to this point, the Pistons have kept a youthful focus in swapping out Tobias Harris for John Collins and Caris LeVert for Isaiah Joe, and both players are reliable perimeter shooters to boot. Taurean Prince and Gary Harris, two other vets acquired in a massive multi-team trade earlier this offseason, are also 40% shooters from deep, so the Pistons made it a priority to put some shooters around Cade Cunningham this summer. DeRozan, on the other hand, is a career 30% shooter from beyond the arc who needs the basketball to be effective, so his skill set, while still valuable, was not exactly what the Pistons were looking for. In terms of self-creating players in the half court, Detroit brought in Ebuka Okorie in the first round of the 2026 NBA Draft this year, and he's expected to excel in isolation matchups for the Pistons this season, so that covers another one of DeRozan's strong suits. In total, DeRozan would have provided some quality depth off the bench for the Pistons and at a low price point, but the Pistons already made the bulk of their offseason moves outside of re-signing Jalen Duren, so there was not a huge sense of urgency inside the Motor City to get this deal done, which allowed for DeRozan to find a landing spot with the Nuggets. Last result: Detroit Pistons 94-125 Cleveland Cavaliers (2026-05-18). Recent form (last 5): 2W-0D-3L (LLWWL, most recent first); lost the last 2.
