Former Warriors center Zaza Pachulia has agreed to a one-year contract with the Detroit Pistons, according to Shams Charania of Yahoo Sports:
Warriors free agent Zaza Pachulia has agreed to a one-year, $2.4M deal with the Detroit Pistons, league sources tell Yahoo.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) July 8, 2018
Pachulia’s contract value seems to suggest a veteran minimum contract. Pachulia signed a one-year contract worth slightly more than the veteran minimum ($2.9 million) with Golden State prior to the 2016-2017 season and resigned for slightly more than that ($3.5 million) before the 2017-2018 season, winning championships in both years with the team. While he played significant minutes in the 2017 playoffs, his minutes dipped during the 2018 playoffs and he registered several games without a single minute played as Kevon Looney, Jordan Bell, JaVale McGee, and Draymond Green shared the Warriors’ minutes at the center position.
The Warriors were unlikely to show strong interest in Pachulia, even for a veteran minimum contract, as head coach Steve Kerr talked about giving the Warriors’ young centers (Bell, Looney, and Damian Jones) more minutes in 2018-2019 to further their development and prepare them to contribute in the 2019 playoffs and beyond.