Restricted free agent guard Reggie Jackson and the Detroit Pistons have agreed to a five-year, $80 million contract, reports Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports. The lucrative deal will keep Jackson in a Pistons uniform through the 2019-20 season.
Reggie Jackson reportedly agrees to 5-year, $80 million contract with Pistons
That’s a monster deal for the restricted free agent.
Raj Mehta-USA TODAY Sports
Detroit acquired Jackson from the Oklahoma City Thunder at the trade deadline with hopes of keeping the point guard around for the long haul. Team president and coach Stan Van Gundy said the Pistons "want Reggie back," and now that's come to fruition. Jackson is a playmaking point guard who, when playing well, can be one of the most electric perimeter players in the NBA. Consistency, however, has been a problem for the 25-year-old.
That was on full display in Oklahoma City and Detroit during the 2014-15 season. Fresh off an amazing playoff run in 2014, Jackson had a chance to prove himself with Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook out of the Thunder lineup due to injury. Instead, he slumped and lost minutes to Dion Waiters. He did pick up his play once he was traded to Detroit, but by then the Pistons were out of the playoff hunt in the dismal Eastern Conference. Jackson averaged 17.6 points and 9.2 assists in 27 games for Detroit.
With Jackson secured, the Pistons are starting to form their identity. Van Gundy traded for Ersan Ilyasova to get a stretch four that could match up with Andre Drummond, drafted Stanley Johnson with the eighth pick and now has Jackson for the long haul. With a healthy Brandon Jennings in the mix, the team is quickly trying to move on from the failed Monroe-Josh Smith era.
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