Joe Johnson Reportedly Waived by Pistons; Currently Dealing with Achilles Injury
The Detroit Pistons are waiving Joe Johnson, according to ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski.
Yahoo Sports' Chris Haynes reported earlier that Johnson was "experiencing swelling on his Achilles" but that testing didn't reveal a significant injury and he was "responding well to treatment."
The Pistons had signed Johnson to a one-year, $2.5 million contract that was partially guaranteed.
He made four preseason appearances for Detroit, averaging 3.8 points on 43.8 percent shooting from the field and 16.7 percent from three-point range.
A seven-time All-Star, Johnson went unsigned throughout the 2018-19 season and got himself back onto the radar of NBA teams through his performances in the BIG3 league. He was the league's MVP and leading scorer (21.9 points) in 2019.
The 38-year-old didn't look great in the NBA preseason, which followed a largely forgettable 2017-18 season. Splitting his time between the Utah Jazz and Houston Rockets, he averaged 6.8 points and shot a career-worst 27.6 percent from beyond the arc. He finished 502nd in ESPN's offensive real plus-minus (minus-3.16).
Perhaps another franchise could see Johnson as a veteran leader in the locker room. He already defied expectations to work his way back to the league, but his move to the Pistons might have been his last shot at cracking an NBA rotation.
