Paul Reed was waived on Saturday by the Philadelphia 76ers after they signed Caleb Martin. It didn’t take long for Reed to resurface with a new team. Shams Charania of The Athletic is reporting that the Detroit Pistons are picking up the 25-year-old off waivers.
The Detroit Pistons are claiming F/C Paul Reed off free agency waivers, sources tell @TheAthletic @Stadium. Reed is in the second season of a three-year, $24 million deal, and now BBall Paul joins Detroit. pic.twitter.com/GW6mxkTFZp
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) July 9, 2024
Reed was signed to a three-year deal with Philadelphia last offseason after the 76ers matched the Utah Jazz’s offer for the then restricted free agent. Only the first year was guaranteed though and the $7.7 million salary he has for 2024-25 is non-guaranteed until early January.
Pistons Claim Former 76ers Center Off Waivers
Reed Was a Serviceable Backup Behind Embiid
Reed was selected with the 58th overall pick in the 2020 NBA Draft by the 76ers. After averaging just 9.3 minutes per game over his first three seasons, the four-year veteran received his most playing time last season.
The six-foot-nine center was inserted into the starting lineup when Joel Embiid went down with an injury. Reed appeared in all 82 games while making 24 starts. In 19.4 minutes per contest, he averaged 7.3 points, 6.0 rebounds, 1.3 assists, and 1.0 blocks. Reed shot 54.0% from the field, 36.8% (21-57) on three-point tries, and 71.8% from the foul line. Unfortunately, Reed made little impact in Philadelphia’s first-round loss to the New York Knicks in the 2024 playoffs. He totaled just nine points over the six-game series.
In his 215 career regular season games, Reed has posted averages of 5.1 points, 4.2 rebounds, 0.8 assists, and 0.8 blocks. His career shooting splits are .555/.312/.690.
Paul Reed is Another New Addition for the Pistons
It has been somewhat of a busy offseason for Detroit. That much was expected after they experienced their worst record in franchise history at 14-68. They at one point lost 28 games in a row which is an NBA record for the longest losing streak in a single season.
The Pistons added free agents Tobias Harris (two years, $52 million) and Malik Beasley (one year, $6 million). Detroit acquired Tim Hardaway Jr. in a trade with the Dallas Mavericks where they shipped out Quentin Grimes. They re-signed restricted free agent Simone Fontecchio (two years, $16 million). They extended Cade Cunningham on a max rookie extension (around five years, $224 million). Detroit will also have a new head coach in J.B. Bickerstaff. He replaces Monty Williams who was fired after just one season.
Reed should receive reserve minutes behind starting center Jalen Duren. The team also has power forward/center Isaiah Stewart who started 45 of his 46 appearances last season but may be moved to the bench after the signing of Harris. While the additions to the club aren’t likely to insert Detroit into the playoff picture, they should at least be more competitive.
