NBA Rumors [Update]: Detroit Pistons Among Three Teams Interested In Signing Eric Moreland
The Detroit Pistons have overhauled their roster this offseason and are reportedly far from being done making moves.
Shams Charania of RealGM is reporting that Detroit is the frontrunner to sign unrestricted free agent center Eric Moreland. The news of the possibility of the Pistons adding Moreland comes a day after Adonis Thomas told MLive that the team could make a few roster moves prior to the season.
Update Moreland has agreed to sign with Sacramento Kings.
Sources: free agent Eric Moreland has reached agreement on a one-year contract to re-sign with the Sacramento Kings. Significant guarantees.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) September 3, 2015
Moreland is coming off a very good summer league campaign. He averaged 6.4 points, 8.0 rebounds along with 2.0 blocks in 21.0 minutes of action, though he shot only 38.7 percent from the field. Moreland tallied at least seven points in each of his last three games and grabbed a minimum of six boards in all five games.
Last year, Moreland appeared in three games for the Sacramento Kings before suffering a lateral tear in his left shoulder. The 6-foot-10 power forward made his only shot he attempted, and grabbed one rebound in two total minutes of action. He tallied four points, hauled in five caroms, and blocked two shots in three preseason games last year.
Detroit currently has 18 players under contract, including 17 players with guaranteed deals, according to BasketballInsiders. The Pistons are currently over the NBA’s salary cap, but they do have their $2.8 million room exception to spend.
Despite the Pistons’ current roster number problems, the team could use some frontcourt help as Andre Drummond, Ersan Ilyasova, Anthony Tolliver, Aron Baynes, Joel Anthony, and Adonis Thomas are the only “bigs” on the Pistons roster. Thomas is the only player on the roster not to hold a fully guaranteed pact.
It is believed that Danny Granger, who was acquired along with Marcus Morris from the Phoenix Suns, as well as rookie Darrun Hilliard and Spencer Dinwiddie, are the players in the most trouble in terms of making the 15-man roster. However, according to Inquisitr, the Pistons could deal point guard Brandon Jennings. Jennings is recovering from a ruptured left Achilles tendon.
The Kings and Los Angeles Lakers are also reportedly interested in the 23-year-old, who went undrafted out of Utah State in 2014.
While Moreland would have a good chance at making the Pistons’ 15-man roster, he would likely have a better opportunity if he signed with Sacramento and the Lakers. The Kings have 14 fully guaranteed contracts — the team also has two partial/non-guaranteed contracts with the recent signing of Marshall Henderson — and just five frontcourt players.
The Lakers have 12 fully guaranteed contracts and four non/partially guaranteed contracts. Los Angeles currently has seven frontcourt players on its roster and they could also sign undrafted rookie center Robert Upshaw to a training camp deal.
[Photo by Lintao Zhang / Getty Images]
