The Detroit Pistons have agreed to a partially guaranteed deal with NBA veteran Joe Johnson. As part of bringing Johnson aboard, Michael Beasley will not be joining the club:
Detroit Pistons on the verge of signing Joe Johnson, source told @Stadium. Pistons likely to release Michael Beasley to open roster spot.
— Jeff Goodman (@GoodmanHoops) September 12, 2019
Joe Johnson, a seven-time All-Star, is the first player to land an NBA deal out of Ice Cube’s BIG3 league. Johnson is a reigning BIG3 championship and MVP award-winner. https://t.co/ZVvwUzDjI9
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) September 12, 2019
Detroit will not have to have put a waiver request in for Michael Beasley. The veteran never signed a contract with the Pistons. Barring a trade to open a roster spot, Joe Johnson will compete against Christian Wood for roster spot no. 15.
— Bobby Marks (@BobbyMarks42) September 12, 2019
Johnson, now 38 years of age, has been making waves in the BIG3. In fact, he earned the league's MVP award for his outstanding level of play. Several NBA teams were said to be interested in his services, but it's the Pistons who wound up striking a deal with the former No. 10 overall pick after he took part in a workout with them earlier this week.
Johnson has played 17 years in the NBA, recording averages of 16.0 points on 44.1 percent shooting from the field (37.1 percent from beyond the arc), 4.0 rebounds, 3.9 assists and just under one steal (0.8) in 34.7 minutes per outing.
Johnson is now the first player out of Ice Cube's BIG3 to land an NBA deal. He and the Triplets were league champions this season.
At this point, it's not clear how the Pistons plan to utilize Joe Johnson's services, but there is no doubt he will be a solid addition to the team's rotation.
As for Beasley, he had agreed to a non-guaranteed deal earlier this summer. But as Marks notes, he never actually signed the contract, so now he'll just officially be a free agent again.
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