Kwame Brown signs with the Detroit Pistons for 2 years/$8 million.

[Now_Im_Not_Banned]

Brown agrees to two-year deal with Pistons

By Marc Stein
ESPN.com

Kwame Brown's search for another fresh start is taking him back to the Eastern Conference.

The center and the Detroit Pistons agreed to a two-year, $8 million contract Monday night. Pistons president of basketball operations Joe Dumars confirmed the deal to The Associated Press late Monday.

The contract is likely to be signed Tuesday and will include a player option for Brown to return to free agency after completing one season according to agent Mark Bartelstein, who told ESPN.com of the agreement earlier Monday.

It remains to be seen whether the Pistons will be able to make the splashy trade that Dumars vowed to consider after Detroit's loss to Boston in the Eastern Conference finals. But this signing is bold in its own way for the Pistons. They will be hoping that Brown can finally start to find a foothold in Detroit after another recent top-three pick who has significantly underachieved -- 2003's No. 2 overall selection Darko Milicic -- lasted only 2½ seasons with the Pistons before being dealt to Orlando in 2006.

The Pistons, though, can counter with multiple success stories -- most notably Chauncey Billups and Rasheed Wallace -- when it comes to working with former top-five draft picks who endured problematic starts in their careers. Detroit will try to make Brown its latest reclamation project, figuring that his size, athleticism and relative youth are still too enticing to pass up, especially on a short-term commitment.

Brown earned nearly $9.1 million last season in the final year of his previous three-year deal, which the 26-year-old received in the summer of 2005 in a sign-and-trade from Washington to the Los Angeles Lakers.

Brown's expiring salary was the chief chip that the Lakers used to convince the Memphis Grizzlies to send Pau Gasol to L.A. on Feb. 1 in a trade that earned the Grizzlies widespread criticism. Memphis essentially settled for the salary-cap relief created by Brown's expected departure, two late first-round picks, young point guard Javaris Crittenton and the rights to Gasol's brother Marc. The Grizzlies subsequently signed Marc Gasol earlier this month after his breakout season in the Spanish League and used one of the first-round picks last month to acquire the rights to No. 28 overall selection Darrell Arthur of Kansas.

Brown played in only 15 games with the Grizzlies after the trade, averaging just 3.5 points and 3.8 minutes in just under 14 minutes per game. He returns to the East after spending his first four seasons as a pro in Washington, having been drafted by then-Wizards president Michael Jordan.

There were reports in the past week suggesting that Brown was a candidate to re-sign with the Lakers, with longtime Lakers coach/consultant Tex Winter telling noted Lakers historian Roland Lazenby that coach Phil Jackson "has always liked Kwame" and has "always felt that defensively he's pretty good." Yet sources say that Brown never seriously considered a reunion with the Lakers after a tumultuous stint in which he absorbed plenty of public criticism from Jackson.

In his seven pro seasons, Brown has averaged just 7.5 points and 5.7 rebounds, posting his best season in 2003-04 by averaging 10.9 points and 7.4 rebounds for the Wizards. Brown has likewise been plagued by various injuries, appearing in 42 games or less in three of the past four seasons.



Not bad, for someone as frowned upon as Kwame...I wish him all the best in Detroit.

[Antonio]

Fuck it!!! Let's get Kurt Thomas or PJ Brown, now.

[Don Jacob]

the lakers have been covetting brown for a while now, i say go with him for a 1 year deal.

[OG Hack Wilson]

Fuck it!!! Let's get Kurt Thomas or PJ Brown, now.

thomas is taken

[Antonio]

Fuck it!!! Let's get Kurt Thomas or PJ Brown, now.

thomas is taken

By?

Shit Garbajosa went to Russia, Kwame to Pistons, Kurt is taken, Turriaf is in Golden State.. it's not looking good for us. 

[OG Hack Wilson]

Fuck it!!! Let's get Kurt Thomas or PJ Brown, now.

thomas is taken

By?

Shit Garbajosa went to Russia, Kwame to Pistons, Kurt is taken, Turriaf is in Golden State.. it's not looking good for us. 

thought i saw KT resign to the spurs

[Now_Im_Not_Banned]

Fuck it!!! Let's get Kurt Thomas or PJ Brown, now.

thomas is taken

By?

Shit Garbajosa went to Russia, Kwame to Pistons, Kurt is taken, Turriaf is in Golden State.. it's not looking good for us. 

thought i saw KT resign to the spurs

Not yet...

[OG Hack Wilson]

Fuck it!!! Let's get Kurt Thomas or PJ Brown, now.

thomas is taken

By?

Shit Garbajosa went to Russia, Kwame to Pistons, Kurt is taken, Turriaf is in Golden State.. it's not looking good for us. 

thought i saw KT resign to the spurs

Not yet...

SAN ANTONIO -- The San Antonio Spurs re-signed Kurt Thomas on Tuesday, getting the veteran forward under contract after trading for him in February.

Terms of the deal weren't disclosed but Spurs general manager R.C. Buford said Thomas will be with the team at least two seasons.


Kurt Thomas
 
Center
San Antonio Spurs

Profile

2008 Season Stats GM PPG RPG APG FG% FT%
70 6.3 7.2 1.0 .492 .663

"He was a big part of a team that went to the Western Conference finals [last season], and if we're going to pursue the championship Kurt will continue to be a big part of that," Buford said. "I don't know how long his career will go, but at least we know the next couple of years are going to be with us."

The 6-foot-9 Thomas, a 14-year veteran, was unavailable for comment.

Since being acquired from Seattle in a trade-deadline deal, he averaged 4.5 points and 4.9 rebounds for the Spurs in 28 games. He appeared in all 17 playoff games for San Antonio, averaging 4.1 points and 4.9 rebounds.

To get Thomas, now playing for his sixth team, the Spurs sent Brent Barry and Francisco Elson to Seattle. Barry has since signed with the Houston Rockets.

Thomas has also played for Miami, Dallas, New York and Phoenix. In 817 career games, he has averaged 9.7 points and 7.4 rebounds.

Thomas' signing indicates the Spurs could be ready to part ways with veteran Robert Horry, and it brings fellow veteran Michael Finley's status further into doubt. Both are unrestricted free agents.

Horry, who has seven championship rings, will be 38 when the season begins. Finley, like Thomas, will turn 36 this season.

Buford would not comment on negotiations.

The Spurs already have signed free agent Roger Mason Jr. from the Washington Wizards. Mason, 6-5, is expected to be a backup guard. George Hill, the team's No. 1 draft choice this year from Indiana-Purdue-Indianapolis, is expected to add more depth at guard.

Besides Thomas, the Spurs are expecting 21-year-old Ian Mahinmi to get more minutes at forward. Mahinmi, the Spurs' first-round pick in 2005, played mostly with Austin of the NBA Developmental League, averaging 17.1 points and 8.2 rebounds per game.

The signing of Thomas was important considering Mahinmi's inexperience and the signing of a longterm contract in Spain by last year's top draft pick, 7-foot Tiago Splitter.

"He fits us at this time," Buford said. "He has great maturity and presence in the locker room, and winning a championship is important to him."

[Now_Im_Not_Banned]

^Oh well...I don't want PJ Brown. I'd rather go with Theo Ratliff, Jamaal Magloire, or even Francisco Elson.

[OG Hack Wilson]

kurt thomas should be a starter on the spurs, niggas ill

[7even]

^Oh well...I don't want PJ Brown. I'd rather go with Theo Ratliff, Jamaal Magloire, or even Francisco Elson.

Any word what the hell happened to him? I don't feel like he played a second for the Mavs, hasn't played for the Nets a whole lot either. And he's not even old or anything and used to have a good All-Star game. What the fuck is wrong with him now?

["THE" MoSav]

Lakers should have traded for Camby

[Stone Cold is Bout It, Bout It]

That's alot of money for a Lazy Bum.

I'm glad the Lakers didn't bring him Back.

[Now_Im_Not_Banned]

^Oh well...I don't want PJ Brown. I'd rather go with Theo Ratliff, Jamaal Magloire, or even Francisco Elson.

Any word what the hell happened to him? I don't feel like he played a second for the Mavs, hasn't played for the Nets a whole lot either. And he's not even old or anything and used to have a good All-Star game. What the fuck is wrong with him now?

Injuries