‘Productive’ Umude, Boeheim, Evbuomwan get new contracts with Detroit
DETROIT >> After nearly two years, Stanley Umude is officially a full-time member of the Pistons.
The two-way guard signed a standard two-year NBA contract with the Pistons — one of three transactions completed by Pistons general manager Troy Weaver on Friday.
The Pistons also signed Buddy Boeheim and Tosan Evbuomwan to two-way contracts, which the team announced on Friday. Evbuomwan’s 10-day contract expired on Thursday, but his familiarity and progress with the Motor City Cruise provided an opportunity for Detroit to desire a closer look at the former Princeton standout.
Umude, a 6-foot-6 guard, has appeared in 17 games for the Pistons this season with averages of 5.2 points and 1.8 rebounds. His 55% clip from 3-point range makes him a viable threat from the perimeter. The former Arkansas guard has career averages of 16.2 points, 5.1 rebounds and 38% from the 3-point line in 38 games with the Cruise. Umude scored a career-high 19 points on the road against the Toronot Raptors on Nov. 19.
Umude went undrafted in 2022 and signed an Exhibit 10 camp contract with the team on Sept. 25, 2022. He was ultimately waived and picked up by the Cruise. He received another glimpse with the Pistons after they signed him to a 10-day contract on Feb. 10, 2022. After a promising training camp, Umude signed a two-way contract with the Pistons in October and remained with the team for 15 of Detroit’s first 19 games of the season.
The Pistons announced that Umude has been placed on assignment with the
Cruise, which begins a two-game road trip against the Greensboro Swarm on Friday night.
Evbuomwan, a 6-8 forward, signed with the Cruise this season after going undrafted in the 2023 NBA Draft. He’s averaged 15.1 points, 8.6 rebounds and 3.9 assists in 29 games for the Cruise. The Memphis Grizzlies took a flyer on Evbuomwan and signed him to a 10-day contract and the Pistons did the same on Feb. 12. He appeared in the blowout loss to the Phoenix Suns on Feb. 14 and
finished with five points.
“(Stanley), along with Tosan and all of our guys that have been in our program and have been in our practices continue to show progress,” said Pistons coach Monty Williams. “They’ve done it playing with the Cruise, and (Stanley) has been able to do it with us on occasion. We don’t just want to reward guys because they’ve been in the gym. We want to reward them for being productive.
The first domino of four roster moves by Detroit fell on Wednesday when the
Pistons waived guard Malcolm Cazalon, which opened up a two-way spot for Boeheim — the youngest son of former Syracuse coach Jim Boeheim and one of the best 3-point shooters in the G League. Boeheim spent last season on a two-way contract with the Pistons and he’s had a promising season for the Cruise. He’s averaged 14.3 points and 3.1 rebounds while shooting 41% from the 3-point line this season. He’s also knocked down 67 triples, which ranks third in the G League.
Williams didn’t have the benefit of utilizing a G League team during his four seasons with the Phoenix Suns, who recently announced a new G League affiliate that will debut during the 202425 season.
“(Stanley’s) been pretty productive when he’s played with us,” Williams said. “Tosan had a pretty good year with the Cruise. It’s just another way to grow players. This is again new for me because I haven’t had a G League in a while, so I like the idea of assigning guys and having them in practice and figuring out ways to use those guys. It’s all based on them being productive and growing as players, and they’ve done that.”
Williams didn’t have the benefit of utilizing a G League team during his four seasons with the Phoenix Suns, who recently announced a new G League affiliate that will debut during the 2024-25 season.
“(Stanley’s) been pretty productive when he’s played with us,” Williams said. “Tosan had a pretty good year with the Cruise. It’s just another way to grow players. This is again new for me because I haven’t had a G League in a while, so I like the idea of assigning guys and having them in practice and figuring out ways to use those guys. It’s all based on them being productive and growing as players, and they’ve done that.”