Paul Reed’s Salary Fully Guaranteed by Pistons for 2026-27 Season
· Yahoo Sports
According to Jake Fischer, the Detroit Pistons have fully guaranteed Paul Reed’s salary for the 2026-27 NBA season. This doesn’t necessarily come as a surprise, with Jalen Duren still in negotiations with the Pistons and Isaiah Stewart being traded to the Memphis Grizzlies. Technically, Paul Reed is the only center on the roster with real playoff minutes from last season (apologies to Tolu Smith).
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However, given the full context of Paul Reed’s NBA Career and how he came to Detroit, this development is another milestonein one of the most underrated stories in the league. Reed, affectionately known in Detroit as “B-Ball Paul,” was originally claimed off waivers by the Pistons after being offloaded by the 76ers to sign Caleb Martin. Since the transaction, Reed has appeared in 124 total games between the regular season and postseason.Caleb Martin played only 31 games for the 76ers before being traded to the Dallas Mavericks.
Only Julian Champagnie rivaled the playoff impact made by a player acquired off waivers. (Ironically, the 76ers waived Champagnie too. Philadelphia could almost build a bench rotation out of the guys it cut.) According to Basketball-Reference, Paul Reed averaged 7.8 points per game and 4.8 rebounds, while shooting 66 percent from the field and 32 percent from three. The numbers by themselves don’t pop out, but they don’t fully encapsulate Reed.
B-Ball Paul has earned his role in Detroit because he is known for his high-level work ethic and his professionalism. In a league where maximizing opportunities is paramount, Reed garnered a reputation for doing exactly that. Per StatMuse, the Pistons were 8-3 this past season when he was in the starting lineup. In those starts, he averaged 15.2 points and 7.6 rebounds while shooting 63 percent from the field and 38 percent from three. Some nights, he’s been called to play starter minutes and help carry the offensive load. Other nights, he didn’t play at all and was tasked with staying ready.
The Pistons found in the playoffs that they were better when Paul Reed was on the floor. Combine that with his contract, which is more team-friendly than Isaiah Stewart’s ($5.6 million for Reed versus $15 million for Stewart), and Detroit had the confidence to bet on Reed by moving off its longest-tenured player.
His role will naturally be larger this season, and based on how Reed has handled elevated responsibility, it’s reasonable to expect a quality campaign from him.
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