NBA Notes: Pistons, Paul Reed, Timberwolves, Heat, Nick Richards

Pistons

Paul Reed isn’t going anywhere. The Pistons have fully guaranteed Reed’s $5.6 million salary for the 2026-27 season, Jake Fischer of The Stein Line and Bleacher Report reported.

The move isn’t much of a surprise, particularly after Detroit traded Isaiah Stewart to Memphis earlier this offseason. Reed now projects as the primary backup to Jalen Duren, assuming the restricted free agent eventually reaches a new deal with the Pistons.

Reed averaged 7.8 points and 4.5 rebounds in 65 games last season, but Cavs fans probably remember him better from the playoffs.

After initially sitting outside Detroit’s postseason rotation, Reed emerged during the second-round series against Cleveland. He averaged 11.4 points and 5.0 rebounds in just 13 minutes over five games, shooting 24-of-34 from the field.

In other words, he was pretty hard to miss. Reed is scheduled to become an unrestricted free agent next summer.

Timberwolves

The Timberwolves have spent the offseason doing something fairly simple to describe and considerably harder to execute. They’re going for it, as written by Dana Gauruder of Hoops Rumors.

Minnesota traded Julius Randle and Naz Reid, then surrendered significant draft capital to acquire LaMelo Ball. More recently, the Wolves agreed to a deal with Jonathan Kuminga.

That leaves Anthony Edwards and Ball as the centerpiece backcourt, with Rudy Gobert, Jaden McDaniels and potentially Kuminga up front.

It’s a major bet on Ball’s talent and health. The Timberwolves have reached the Western Conference finals twice in the past three seasons but haven’t broken through to the Finals. They lost to San Antonio in the second round last season and responded by making another significant roster overhaul.

Ball should provide Minnesota with considerably more offensive creation at point guard, while Kuminga adds another athletic scorer alongside Edwards.

Ayo Dosunmu, who received a five-year deal this summer, also figures prominently in the rotation, while Joan Beringer and Terrence Shannon Jr. could see increased opportunities.

There’s certainly no guarantee all of this works. But nobody can accuse Minnesota of standing still while Edwards is entering the heart of his prime.

Heat

Nick Richards didn’t envision entering training camp having to prove he belongs on an NBA roster. That’s exactly what he’ll do with the Heat.

Richards signed a one-year, non-guaranteed contract with Miami after failing to generate the type of free-agent market he expected. His $3.1 million salary will become fully guaranteed if he’s on the opening-night roster, according to Anthony Chiang of the Miami Herald.

“I think that there are a lot of teams that passed up on me that I felt like they should have given me more consideration,” Richards said. “But it didn’t work that way, and I feel like it’s just time for me to show them that you guys were wrong and you should have picked me.”

Richards, 28, has made 114 starts during his NBA career and gives Miami another option in the frontcourt.

He admitted a non-guaranteed deal wasn’t what he and his representatives had planned entering free agency. Now it’s pretty straightforward.

Make the team first. Prove everybody else wrong after that.