Detroit Pistons And Hasheem Thabeet Reach Agreement
By Zach Libby
After bouncing around from multiple franchises in his career, Hasheem Thabeet has found a new home to continue his dream of playing in the NBA.
According to Marc Stein of ESPN, the Detroit Pistons have agreed to a non-guaranteed contract with the former No. 2 overall pick in which he can earn a spot on the roster in training camp.
ESPN sources say Pistons are signing Hasheem Thabeet to non-guaranteed deal to give him a shot to make their team in training camp
— Marc Stein (@TheSteinLine) September 24, 2014
The Detroit Pistons will be Thabeet’s fifth team in six seasons, as he was selected by the Memphis Grizzlies in the 2009 draft behind Blake Griffin but has not lived up to the expectations set forth after a successful college career with the UConn Huskies.
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As a junior, Thabeet averaged 13.6 points and 10.8 rebounds a game. He also recorded a total of 152 blocks at the end of the season. His production on the court earned him the Big East Defensive Player of the Year award and was also named the co-Big East Player of the Year along with DeJuan Blair.
In two seasons with the Grizzlies, Thabeet played in 113 games but only started 13. Seeing the court for 11.1 minutes per game, the Tanzania native grabbed a mere 2.8 rebounds and scoring only 2.3 points.
The 27-year old’s recent stop was in Oklahoma City where he played in 89 games, alongside Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook. Earlier this month, he was waived by the Philadelphia 76ers following a trade by the Thunder in order for the team to get under the NBA’s luxury tax.
Heading into training camp, Thabeet is already at a disadvantage due to the fact that the Detroit Pistons are loaded up front with Andre Drummond and Greg Monroe leading the way for head coach Stan Van Gundy.
Detroit also has recent free agent signee Aaron Gray coming off the bench to play the five, so unless Thabeet out performs him in training camp, the chances of the 7-foot-3 big man donning the red and blue in 2014-15 are slim to none.
The signing of Thabeet now brings the number of contracts for the Detroit Pistons up to 18, three more than the NBA requirement. Former NC State guard Lorenzo Brown also signed a non-guaranteed contract with Detroit for a shot at a roster spot.