More Offseason Analysis: Coaching changes, news | Free Agency | Draft
Just about every year, some Los Angeles Lakers' free agent gets a bigger contract than expected on the open market. This year, Jodie Meeks is apparently that player. New Detroit Pistons' president and coach Stan Van Gundy is happy to give it to him too.
Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo Sports is reporting the Pistons and Meeks have verbally agreed to a three-year contract worth $19.5 million. The Pistons also signed small forward Cartier Martin on a one-year contract. Martin and Meeks share the same agent.
Free-agent guard Jodie Meeks has reached agreement on a three-year, $19.5 million contract with the Detroit Pistons, league sources told Yahoo Sports.
Free-agent forward Cartier Martin has agreed to a one-year deal with the Pistons, too, sources told Yahoo Sports.
Meeks is the first free-agent signing for new Pistons president Stan Van Gundy and general manager Jeff Bower. Detroit has been desperate to add shooting to its roster.
Meeks had the best individual statistics of his career last season for an awful Lakers team. He averaged 15.7 points on 46.3 percent from the field and 40.2 percent from 3-point range. He played 33.2 minutes per game in 77 contests. He was a starter for 70 of those games. He also set career-highs in 3-pointers made (162) and 3-pointers attempted (404). He set a career-high for points in a game with 42 in March in a victory over the Thunder.
Martin split time between the Bulls (six games) and Hawks (53 games) in his sixth NBA season. Overall, he averaged 5.6 points on 43.2 percent from the field and 39.1 percent from downtown.
Van Gundy has an offensive system that seems to maximize the 3-point shot and Meeks certainly can provide that. Deals can not be officially signed until July 10.
