After clearing waivers, guard Wayne Ellington has signed a free-agent deal with the Detroit Pistons on Saturday, the team announced. Terms were not announced. Ellington, who cleared waivers Saturday afternoon, was one of the top available players in the post-trade-deadline buyout market. The Pistons released forward Henry Ellenson to clear the roster spot for Ellington, who was waived by the Phoenix Suns after they acquired him in a trade with the Miami Heat. The Pistons sold Ellington on taking a bulk of the playing time that opened up with the trade of Reggie Bullock to the Lakers, allowing him a chance to showcase his talent for summer free agency. The 31-year-old guard averaged 8.4 points in 21.3 minutes per game for the Heat this season, both slightly above his career averages.<doc-sep>The Detroit Pistons signed free-agent guard Wayne Ellington on Saturday, waiving Henry Ellenson in the process, the club announced. The 6-5 Ellington, 31, was regarded as one of the top players available in the buyout market following Thursday’s trade deadline. The Phoenix Suns waived him after acquiring him in a trade with the Miami Heat this week. Ellington could join the Pistons’ starting lineup as the team sorts out its rotation after trading Reggie Bullock and Stanley Johnson. Ellington averaged 8.4 points while shooting a career-low 37.5 percent from the field in 25 games for the Heat this season. He is a 3-point threat, shooting 36.8 percent from beyond the arc. He has played in 617 games over 10 seasons, for seven teams, averaging 8.0 points and shooting 38 percent from 3-point range. Ellenson, the 6-11 forward the Pistons selected with their first pick in 2016 (18th overall), didn’t develop under former coach Stan Van Gundy and has played in only two games this season under coach Dwane Casey. Ellenson appeared in 59 games over three seasons and averaged 3.8 points and 2.2 rebounds. The Pistons had declined his option for next season, and he was set to become an unrestricted free agent.<doc-sep>MIAMI, FL - JANUARY 30: Wayne Ellington #2 of the Miami Heat shoots the ball against the Chicago Bulls on January 30, 2019 at American Airlines Arena in Miami, Florida. (Photo by Issac Baldizon/NBAE via Getty Images) DETROIT (AP) -- The Detroit Pistons have signed guard Wayne Ellington and waived 2016 first-round draft pick Henry Ellenson. The Pistons announced the moves Saturday night. The 6-foot-5 Ellington is in his 10th NBA season. He averaged 8.4 points with Miami this season before he was traded to Phoenix and then waived. The Pistons needed outside shooting after trading Reggie Bullock. Ellenson, who was drafted with the 18th pick in 2016, has averaged just 3.8 points in 59 NBA games. The Pistons traded Stanley Johnson, their 2015 first-round pick, earlier in the week. Ellington is the Heat record holder for 3-pointers made in a season. He also won the national championship at North Carolina in 2009, when the Final Four was played in Detroit. The Pistons traded Bullock and Johnson before the deadline, but Detroit still has its formidable frontcourt tandem of Blake Griffin and Andre Drummond. The Pistons made it clear they're still hoping to make the playoffs, and team executive Ed Stefanski said Detroit would still be looking to add players . --- More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/NBA and https://twitter.com/AP-Sports<doc-sep>Fans expected Arn Tellem to deliver players. When the Detroit Pistons lured the successful agent to join their management team in June 2015, there was immediate speculation he would bring a parade of former clients. That wasn’t why he was hired as vice chairman. That became clear when Tellem, also a minority owner, helped to negotiate the team’s move from the Palace of Auburn Hills to downtown Detroit to play in Little Caesars Arena, and become instrumental in other business ventures as a representative of Pistons owner Tom Gores. But a close relationship with a former client could pay dividends as the Pistons seek to fortify a playoff run in the second half of the season. On Saturday, the Pistons signed free-agent shooting guard Wayne Ellington, who was bought out by the Phoenix Suns. ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski was first to report the news. Tellem remains close to Ellington, 31, who was a camp counselor at Seeds of Peace in 2009. Tellem is on the board of directors for the camp. The camp’s mission of bringing together young people from areas of conflict around the world is still important to Tellem. Pistons players Ish Smith and Luke Kennard have served as camp counselors since Tellem joined the Pistons. Ellington, who spent 2½ seasons with the Miami Heat, was traded to the Phoenix Suns — along with guard Tyler Johnson — on Wednesday. Ellington received a buyout and became a free agent. He didn’t clear waivers until Saturday. A source told the Free Press several months ago the Pistons were monitoring the situation with the Heat to see if Ellington would become available. Ellington is a career 38 percent 3-point shooter, but had fallen out of the rotation with the Heat. The 10-year veteran is averaging 8.4 points in 21.3 minutes per game. Ellington averaged 11.2 points per game, a career high, last season with the Heat. His defense was an issue with the Heat, but he will help the Pistons' spacing. The franchise is also attracted to him because he comes from the Heat's winning culture. He is great at moving without the basketball to find shooting room. The appeal is his shooting, as the Pistons rank 28th in 3-point shooting. The trades of Stanley Johnson and Reggie Bullock saved the Pistons money under the luxury tax, allowing the team to consider candidates on the buyout market. Before Ellington's signing, the Pistons had 15 players under contract, sohave to waive a player. That will be Henry Ellenson, a source told the Free Press on Friday night after the Pistons’ victory over the New York Knicks. Ellenson, 22, was the Pistons’ 2016 first-round pick, but the team declined to pick up his option for next season. Luke Kennard is the only player remaining from the four drafts held under former team president Stan Van Gundy. Follow Vince Ellis on Twitter @vincent_ellis56. Read more on the Detroit Pistons and sign up for our Pistons newsletter.<doc-sep>
The Pistons have done a little addition by addition in the past few days. They added another piece for their potential playoff run Saturday, signing veteran guard Wayne Ellington to a free-agent contract on Saturday. In a corresponding move, the Pistons waived forward Henry Ellenson to make room on the roster. Ellington, 31, is a 10-year NBA veteran who averaged 8.4 points and 1.9 rebounds and shot 37 percent on 3-pointers in 25 games with the Miami Heat. His addition gives the Pistons another wing option, after they traded two forwards in their rotation, including a starter in Reggie Bullock, this week. Stanley Johnson was sent to the New Orleans Pelicans in a three-team deal, leaving the Pistons thin at a key position. Getting Ellington is a bit of a coup for the Pistons, who had to manage their salary cap perfectly in order to get his rights. Before the trades, the Pistons were less than $500,000 below the luxury tax and unable to make any moves. By sending Reggie Bullock to the Lakers for rookie Svi Mykhailiuk and a 2021 second-round pick, they gained about $1 million in cap space. In the Johnson trade, they got Thon Maker, who earns about $1 million less than Johnson. With those two deals, they got two players, plus another pick, which opened enough cap space to add Ellington, who figures to join the rotation as a scorer who can create his own shot off the dribble or score on 3-pointers, where the Pistons rank 28th in the league, at 33.7 percent. The Heat traded Ellington, along with Tyler Johnson, to the Phoenix Suns this week. The Suns waived Ellington, allowing him to become a free agent after he cleared waivers on Saturday. The Pistons pounced from there. Other teams, including the 76ers, were in the market for Ellington’s services, but he chose the Pistons, who entered Saturday at a half-game behind the Heat for the final playoff spot in the East. As for Ellenson, he played in just two games this season and had fallen out of the rotation. He was a first-round pick in 2016 but never found a steady role or playing time with the Pistons, who declined the option for next season on his rookie contract. Ellenson was set to become an unrestricted free agent in the offseason but Ellington’s addition hastened his departure. In 59 career NBA games, he’s averaged 3.8 points, 2.2 rebounds and 0.5 assists.