Pistons pick up guard at deadline
The Detroit Pistons picked up some veteran help at Thursday’s NBA trade deadline.
Detroit acquired 13-year NBA veteran guard Jameer Nelson from the Chicago Bulls for centre Willie Reed. Chicago also has the right to flip second-round picks in the 2022 NBA Draft.
The club then acquired 27-yearold forward James Ennis III from the Memphis Grizzlies for forward Brice Johnson and a 2022 secondround pick.
The six-foot, 190-pound Nelson had not played a game with Chicago since being acquired from the New Orleans Pelicans on Feb. 1 as part of the deal for Nikola Mirotic.
Reed had played three games for the Pistons after being acquired as part of the Blake Griffin deal, but was sitting out a six-game suspension for domestic violence. Hours after making the trade, the Bulls waived the 27-year-old Reed.
In Detroit, Nelson will be reunited with Pistons head coach Stan Van Gundy, who coached him in Orlando from 2007 to 2012. Nelson is Orlando’s franchise leader in career assists.
The Pistons have been short at guard since Reggie Jackson was sidelined with an ankle injury on Dec. 26. No timetable has been set for Jackson’s return.
The 20th pick overall in the 2004 NBA Draft, Nelson is on a one-year contract for a reported $2.26 million this season.
In 43 games this season, Nelson was averaging 5.1 points per game and 3.6 assists per game. In 871 career games, he’s averaging 11.4 points per game and 5.1 assists per game.
The six-foot-seven, 210-pound Ennis is in his fourth NBA season and has averaged 6.3 points and 3.3 rebounds in 193 career games with Miami, New Orleans and Memphis.
The six-foot-10, 230-pound Johnson had not played a game since being acquired by Detroit in the Griffin trade with the Clippers.