Detroit Pistons Rumors: Deal Reggie Jackson Got From Pistons Shocks Fans, NBA Analysts


Detroit Pistons rumors reveal Reggie Jackson just got a huge contract. The Pistons will pay Jackson $80 million over the next five NBA seasons, making him one of the higher paid players in the league. A report from ESPN late Sunday (July 5) reveals that there weren’t even any bidders for the restricted free agent, making it surprising that Jackson would get a max deal from the Pistons.

This deal makes Jackson the highest paid player on the Pistons, way above the nearly $8.4 million for Brandon Jennings and the $7.9 million for Ersan Ilyasova. It’s important to note that the team is still on the hook for $14 million a season for Josh Smith, despite waiving him during the last NBA season. The deal with Smith is one the front office is going to regret for a while.

These Detroit Pistons rumors surely indicate that the front office was extremely impressed with how Reggie Jackson played last season. The team acquired him from the Oklahoma City Thunder in exchange for D.J. Augustin, Kyle Singler, and two future second-round picks (2017 and 2019). He played just 27 games for the Pistons in the regular season, but averaged 17.6 points, 9.2 assists, and 4.7 rebounds per game. He did that in just 32.2 minutes a night, suggesting that Jackson may have his best basketball still in front of him.

Putting that new contract into perspective, though, in the first half of the 2015-16 NBA season, Jackson will have already made more than he did over his first four years in the league. He was certainly an important part of the Oklahoma City Thunder, but the team needed to gain some size in the low post, receiving Enes Kanter as part of the three-team trade with the Utah Jazz and Pistons. Now it seems that Jackson is going to get a real shot at leading his new team and won’t have to worry about playing time with that new salary.

As previously reported by the Inquisitr, center Greg Monroe signed a long-term deal with the Milwaukee Bucks, cutting into the depth of his former team. Unrelated to that signing, the Pistons acquired Ersan Ilyasova from the Bucks in exchange for Caron Butler and Shawne Williams. Though there have been quite a few Detroit Pistons rumors this offseason, none come close to the front office giving Reggie Jackson a max contract. Expect all the sports debate shows to take a crack at that on Monday (July 6).

[Image Source: Jason Miller/Getty Images]

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