Detroit Pistons Officially Announce Roster Move After Loss vs. Heat

The Detroit Pistons have confirmed a roster change on Saturday afternoon.

According to a team-released announcement, the Pistons are signing the veteran center Taj Gibson to a contract that will keep him on board for the remainder of the 2023-2024 NBA season.

Over a week ago, Gibson joined the Pistons for the first time by signing a 10-Day deal with the team. For the Pistons, it was a good move to add a veteran player with tons of experience to join a young and rebuilding franchise, so he could help in the leadership department.

From Gibson’s perspective, the move made sense for multiple reasons. Perhaps a multi-game showcase could’ve helped him prove his value to an interested team that plans to play for a postseason slot.

Or, in this case, Gibson finds a temporary home for the remainder of the year and doesn’t have to wait patiently on the free agency market searching for his next move.

This season, Gibson played for two franchises. Back in December, he joined the New York Knicks for a second stint. Although he signed a one-year deal at the time, Gibson was waived the following month. A couple of weeks later, Gibson returned to New York on a 10-Day contract. When it expired, he re-upped with another. After that, he landed on the free agency market once again.

A few months later, the Pistons came calling. Although Gibson’s been with Detroit for the last two weeks, he has yet to make an on-court debut for the franchise. Despite the lack of production from the veteran, he’s been useful in a vocal veteran role, receiving praise from head coach Monty Williams and the veteran center, James Wiseman, for the value he’s brought to the table in such a short amount of time.

With just 16 games left in the year, Gibson could have an opportunity to play at some point in the near future. Either way, he’ll stick with Detroit until the regular season concludes rather than hitting the open market to search for a different team.