2:21pm: The deals for both guards are now official, according to an official statement from the Pistons (via Twitter).
2:08pm: Guards Derrick Walton and Cassius Stanley are expected to sign 10-day deals with the Pistons via hardship exceptions, per Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link).
Walton and Stanley logged some preseason run with Detroit before ultimately being waived ahead of the 2021/22 NBA season. They were most recently playing for Detroit’s NBAGL affiliate, the Motor City Cruise.
Stanley, a 6’5″ shooting guard, is averaging 9.6 PPG and 4.4 RPG for the Cruise, with a shooting line of .380/.256/.600. The 22-year-old was selected with the No. 54 pick by the Pacers in 2020 out of Duke.
The 6’0″ point guard Walton, 26, went undrafted out of Michigan in 2017. He has logged time with the Heat, Clippers, and Pistons. Walton also has played internationally, with Lithuanian club Žalgiris Kaunas and later German club Alba Berlin.
In 12 games for Motor City, Walton is averaging 13.6 PPG, 7.7 APG, 4.8 RPG, and 1.3 SPG. He holds shooting averages of .416/.365/.765 with the G League club.
The 5-26 club could use all the help it can get. Cade Cunningham, Killian Hayes, Saben Lee, Rodney McGruder, and Isaiah Stewart are among the Pistons in the NBA’s COVID-19 health and safety protocols. Detroit is also without star forward Jerami Grant, still dealing with a thumb injury; big man Kelly Olynyk, absent due to a grade-2 MCL sprain; and Isaiah Livers, who continues to be day-to-day while he works on his conditioning.
Keep tabs on the league’s various coronavirus-related absences via our daily tracker.