Washington’s large amount of guaranteed money (over 50% of his overall contract for this year) meant that the Pistons could have kept him on until the league-wide contract guarantee date of January 10th, without having to pay him a single extra penny outside of meal stipends. Waive him yesterday, and he’ll cost $250,000; waive him on January 6th, and he’ll still only cost $250,000.

I didn’t think the contract was guaranteed at all, but A. Sherrod Blakely of MLive reported in August that it was.

So does that mean a two-for-one (or three-for-two) trade is coming? ShamSports offers another explanation:

The only risk to keeping Washington would be if he were to get seriously injured, at which point Detroit is bound to keep paying him until he’s healthy again. This annoying if justified stipulation caught Miami and Orlando last year, who became stuck with paying fully guaranteed contracts to Jason Richards and Mike Wilks respectively after they both suffered bad knee injuries in training camp. But that risk is minimal, and it’s even smaller if you consider that Washington was only scheduled to be an inactive list talent.

In these economic times, that might be enough to persuade Joe Dumars to waive Washington. But you should still upgrade your trade threat levels to red for a couple days.

AUBURN HILLS, Mich. – Detroit Pistons President of Basketball Operations Joe Dumars announced today that the club has requested waivers on guard/forward Deron Washington. He averaged 3.3 points, 0.6 rebounds and 6.4 minutes in seven preseason games.

Washington was drafted by Detroit with the 59^th overall pick in the 2008 NBA Draft. He played on the Pistons’ summer league teams each of the last two years and averaged 14.8 points and 7.0 rebounds in 27 games for Hapoel Holon of the Greek League in 2008-09.

Bit of a shocker. I think it was assumed Washington would make the team.

I guess this means Chucky Atkins will make the roster – unless the Pistons are going the cheap route with just 13 players.

Position: Small forward/ shooting guard

Age: 23

Height: 6-foot-7

Weight: 210 pounds

Years pro: Rookie

From: Virginia Tech

Role

Not much of one for now. I had hopes Washington could be a defensive stopper off the bench. But this obviously isn’t an indicator of getting on the court much:

Said (Pistons coach John) Kuester, “That first week of practice, he was lost.”

Although Washington didn’t play in the Piston’s first preseason game, he has played in the three since.

Still, a slipup like his first week on such a deep team probably puts him behind the curve in the fight for minutes.

Scouting report

Will: Show off his athleticism.

That might mean a number of things – defending, running the fast break, getting loose balls or grabbing offensive rebounds. When he’s on the court, his energy should stand out.

Won’t: Make jumpers.

Washington made just 26.9 percent of his 3-pointers his senior year at Virginia Tech. And that was after making them a point of emphasis the previous summer.

Must improve: Free-throw shooting.

There are two main ways Washington can earn minutes: running the court well on fast beaks and coming in as a defensive stopper at the end of games.

And he would be so much more valuable at both if he was a just a little better of a free-throw shooter.

Washington made just 61.6 of his free throws at Virginia Tech and 37.5 percent in the summer league this year. If he can get that to 70 percent, his value skyrockets.

Stock

Rising

Washington has a non-guaranteed contract, but it’s well-accepted he’ll make the team. After playing in Israel last year, that has to be a good feeling for him.

Three predictions

1. The first time Washington plays meaningful minutes, he will impress.

Kuester probably won’t go to Washington until there’s a situation where Detroit looks lethargic. Washington will come in and inject life to he Pistons and look like one of their top players.

2. Washington will play in fewer than half Detroit’s games this year.

I think he’ll spend a good amount of time on the inactive list. And isn’t he a prime candidate for the D-League?

3. Washington will never receive regular NBA minutes.

A lot of players come through the NBA with great athleticism, but limited skills. A large majority don’t stick.

Washington seems like a good guy, but just playing the odds, he won’t last in the NBA.

For each of the Pistons’ new players, I want  get another voice (or more) besides my own into the previews – someone who has seen these players up close more than I have. I call this feature “in other words.”

In other words: Brad Greenberg

Before he became the head coach at Radford, Brad Greenberg was an assistant on his brother Seth’s staff at Virginia Tech, where he coached Washington for three years.

Brad Greenberg was also the Philadelphia 76ers’ GM from 1996-97, when they drafted Allen Iverson, and spent seven years in the Portland Trail Blazers’ front office.

He was nice enough to answer a few questions about Washington.

When you coached him, did you see any skills that were NBA-ready?

He had a tremendous quickness and spring and courage. He was a fearless player.

Some people don’t think those are skills, but I think those are pretty valuable things in the NBA, as athletic as the players are.

He has the physical attributes to get to balls and make some plays that players who just aren’t as quick or as springy or as bold and courageous can make.

What do you think about his label of being more of an athlete than a basketball player?

I think he’s worked hard to develop a lot of his basketball skills. He’s improved over the years as a shooter. He’s improved as a ball handler. He’s improved, I think, as a passer.

But he’s still a young player. I think most people, when they say that, they’re talking more about offensive skills. His defensive instincts are advanced.

He’s a young player and still developing and will keep working to get better

Kuester said Washington looked “lost” the first week of practice, but that he picked things up after that. When he first came to Virginia Tech, did he have similar problems?

No, he was able to learn offensive and defensive tactics – no problem. The NBA is a much more complicated and fast-paced process for young players. …

Even now, watching preseason exhibition games, teams are running are running fairly complex offenses and reading off each other while playing. And they haven’t been going very long.

So, I think for any young player, that’s an adjustment.

In college, Washington guarded anywhere from point guards to power forwards. Is he limited to covering shooting guard and small forwards in the NBA?

I think that’s ideal. He matches up best with players close to his height. …

He’s very quick, though, and hard-working if he were matched up with a bigger, stronger guy who tries to post him up. He’s learned how to use his quickness to compensate for if he’s giving up some size or giving up some weight.

Is the ideal system for him offensively something more up-tempo?

I don’t know. … It might be easier for him to attack the basket on a team that was extremely aggressive at trying to create open-court situations.

That’s one of his best things – to use that quickness to drive to the basket. So, he probably have a few more opportunities to do some things with the floor spread out. …

He’s pretty good at one or two dribbles, 25 feet and in, and just attack the basket and use his quickness. That could play to his strengths more than a team that was going to walk the ball up the court.

Everybody talks about his dunks, but what are some nuances in his game that, unless you watch him closely, you’re not going to appreciate?

I think he moves well without the ball. He’s a pretty good cutter. …

He can get out and fill the lane. So, obviously, he’s a good runner to go out and fill the lane.

To dunk the ball, you’ve got to get yourself in position. He’s got great instincts at trying to crash the offensive glass. …

He’s got a unique ability to chase down a breakaway and block what looks like a clear-path layup from behind. …

There are some players who have done that over the years in the NBA that I was always amazed by. I was lucky, in my years with the Trail Blazers, Jerome Kersey was incredible at that. He could be five feet behind a guy on a breakaway. And miraculously, he could catch up and time it and pin the ball to the glass.

Deron is incredibly aggressive at trying to make that kind of play. He’s able to make some plays that basically erase clear-path layups.

What’s something about Deron most people would be surprised to know?

His mom was a great athlete. He’s probably the third best athlete in his family behind his dad and his mom.

(His mom, Denise, played basketball at Xavier University in New Orleans. His dad, Lionel, played defensive back at Tulane and for 15 seasons in the NFL. He’s now the Oakland Raiders’ defensive backs coach.)

What’s Deron like off the court?

He’s a very nice, wonderful young man, respectful, quiet, loves basketball. He’s a good guy. He’s just a good guy.

He’s been raised real well. He’s been around pro athletes with his dad and football. I think he knows that character is an important part of having a chance to be a pro player.

In other words: Darryl Slater

Darryl Slater covers Virginia Tech for the Richmond Times-Dispatch and also took the time to answer a few questions.

How would you assess Deron’s game?

He’s a great defender. He’s so long and lanky. He was their guy at the top of their press when they did press.

He was a versatile defender. He was able to guard anyone from a point guard to a power forward. His length really helped him with that.

And that’s why he fit so well into Seth Greenberg’s system. Seth likes gritty kind of defenders. And Deron, as I recall, was that.

He’s not a great shooter. I know that’s one thing he wanted to work on going into his senior year. … I don’t think he ended up doing much in terms of his field-goal percentage. (It actually dropped from .503 to .416.) …

I think that’s what, obviously, has kept him from being very attractive to NBA teams. …

But he’s a pretty tenacious player. I think another knock on him is his frame. …

He’s pretty swift in his ability to get to the rim. He’s one of those gliding kind of guys.

I’m sure you’ve seen some those dunks that he’s had, like the one where he got over Greg Paulus. He’s iconic here for those.

Do you agree with the assessment that Washington is more of an athlete than a basketball player?

At the college level, where I saw him, he was a very good player. He wasn’t a 100-percent complete player, but few guys are. He was very effective in the ACC.

But as a pro, that probably is more true.

You mention he got to the rim very easily and smoothly. Was that mostly in transition, or could he do it in the half-court, too?

Definitely in transition, for sure, he could out-run guys.

I think of one moment from his senior year. They were playing Virginia up in Virginia. … He drove to the basket (for the game-winning layup at the buzzer). It was a half-court situation off an inbounds play. …

That’s one of the iconic moments of his career, for me at least. People talk about those dunks and stuff like that, but this was just a great sense of basketball awareness.

I mean, he’s not like Dr. J or anything getting to the rim. But that’s good basketball sense.

Do you have a sense of what kind of guy he is, what kind of presence he is in the locker room?

Great guy. …

He was so close to his mom. He’s from New Orleans, and she was living down there after he came to college. After Katrina, their house got destroyed. …

She moved to Blacksburg, and she got an apartment, so she could be close to him. He’s really, really close to his mom. She’s like one of his best friends.

He’s really a super approachable guy. He’s one of the nicer guys I’ve dealt with. … Always willing to talk after the game, never got snippy, never got surly.

I don’t know how he did with his teammates, but I always got the sense that he wasn’t necessarily a really, really vocal leader. …

But I got the impression guys like him. I liked him. Really down to earth.

Anything else Pistons fans should know about him?

He can’t palm a basketball. For a guy who’s a great dunker, I remember writing that a few times, how ironic.

The guy’s got smaller hands than I do I think, and I’m like 6-foot-2, 6-foot-3.

Slater was kind enough to send over his pre-draft story on Washington, too. A couple excerpts:

Few college players leap higher than Washington, a 6-7, 205-pound forward blessed with an elastic body that makes him a fast-break offensive threat and versatile defender. Problem is, Washington won’t be able to play in the NBA as he did in college.

Because of his spindly build, he’ll have to move farther from the basket, where his weaknesses could be exposed. An NBA team will insist that Washington develop an outside shot; he made 41.6 percent last season and 26.9 percent on 3-pointers.

"It’s not just shooting," said Keith Drum, a North Carolina-based college scout for the Sacramento Kings. "He’s going to have to improve ballhandling, decision-making with the ball away from the basket. His athleticism and energy are good enough. It’s the physical strength and the skill set that will have to get a little bit better. But the strength is less of a problem as he moves away from the basket."

Washington’s scoring and rebounding averages increased every year at Tech, and his career averages were 11 points and 5.4 rebounds. But (Virigina Tech coach Seth) Greenberg knows Washington’s defense might be his biggest asset.

"How many guys in the draft can guard Sean Singletary, Jack McClinton and [James] Gist?" he said, referring to Virginia’s shifty 6-foot point guard, Miami’s 6-1 perimeter ace and Maryland’s 6-9 power forward.

Said Drum: "Defensively, I think he’s capable of guarding people away from the basket because of his energy and his athleticism."

Washington also will be featured in a giant picture at Virginia Tech’s new practice facility (Hat tip: Deadspin). Or maybe, Greg Paulus is featured. Either way, Washington is in it.

Austin Daye

My biggest worry about Austin Daye’s NBA potential stems from his terrible combine performance. He was the weakest and one of the slowest and least agile players there. I didn’t think he had the athleticism to compete in the NBA.

Daye had trouble reeling in rebounds in traffic in Las Vegas, according to Vince Ellis of the Free Press. That’s expected. Daye will be a worse rebounder than most players with his size and wingspan.

But it’s very encouraging he still pulled in 8.8 rebounds per game.

And I didn’t think he would have the physical ability to defend well. But his long arms were very effective at disrupting passing lanes, according to Chris McCosky of the Detroit News.

Everyone knew Daye could shoot. But he also impressed TrueHoop’s Kevin Arnovitz with his ability to run the pick-and-roll, drive to the basket and post up small forwards. He’s also a good passer, according to ESPN’s David Thorpe.

Daye got mixed reviews on his ability to handle contact when he drives to the basket. Arnovitz said he was effective. But Ellis said contact sometimes rattled him.

I’m a lot more encouraged about Daye than I was when Detroit drafted him. I’m still not sure if he’ll be ready to contribute regularly this year. But I’d no longer be surprised if it happened.

*game started

DaJuan Summers

The consensus is Summers is the most NBA-ready of Detroit’s three rookies.

He showed a polished offensive game in Vegas. He scored outside and inside. He hit jumpers and drove to the basket.

And maybe Arnovitz uncovered why Summers looks so good on offense. Summers knows how to move without the ball and create shot opportunities.

Summers is the favorite to back up Tayshaun Prince – even if his defense isn’t quite as good as desired.

Jonas Jerebko

Although he was billed as a forward when he was drafted, he played center most of the summer league. Darrell Walker compared him David Lee.

Is that just wishful thinking? The Pistons obviously could use another center.

The number suggest he became more comfortable at the five. His scoring and rebounding trended up as the league went on. And his fouls went down.

He also had a fairly high number of steals. Maybe he can keep centers off guard with quick hands. But is he strong enough at 235 pounds to stop anyone if he doesn’t get the steal?

I doubt Jerebko ever gets regular minutes at center in the NBA. But that probably means he won’t play much this year.

Deron Washington

It seemed likely Washington would make the team anyway, but Detroit trading Arron Afflalo basically assures him a spot.

Washington has amazing athleticism, so he should be a good defender. And he seems to have a knack for making hustle plays.

But he has no offensive game. He doesn’t shoot well from the outside, and he’s not a good ball-handler.

With his athleticism, I’d hope he can drive and draw contact. But he shot just 38 percent from the free-throw line. He was just a 61-percent shooter at Virginia Tech, too.

Most of his offensive production is going to come with put-backs.

But I think he’ll be a good addition to the team. Detroit lacked hustle and defense last year. Washington will help set the right tone and push the veterans.

Third point guard

The Pistons were hoping to find their third point guard in Las Vegas, but nobody really stood out.

Andre Owens had 16 assists and just two turnovers in 64 minutes. But he didn’t make a shot.

Look at Detroit’s point guards under Joe Dumars – Chauncey Billups, Rodney Stuckey and Chucky Atkins. Dumars hasn’t gone for pure distributors. He wants guys who can score.

Owens may have earned a training camp invite with his passing and ball control. But there’s a good chance it won’t be with the Pistons.

Singletary’s numbers are solid, but unspectacular across the board.

Jeremy Pargo is the most talented of the three, according to Ellis. But he was a late addition to the roster, suggesting the Pistons weren’t as interested him . Maybe Pargo won them over with his play, though.

Owens and Singletary have NBA experience. Pargo is just a rookie.

But he’s my bet to make the team. Dumars has shown a preference for younger, more athletic players this offseason.

Sean Singletary

Andre Owens

Jeremy Pargo

Trent Plaisted

Plaisted, who Detroit picked in the second round last year, was injured after two games in Italy last season, according to Ellis. Ellis writes he’s likely to go overseas for a second season.

His playing time went down as the league went on, suggesting Detroit knew he had no chance of making the team this year. No need to spend too much time evaluating him.

He averaged more fouls (3.4) than points (3.0) or rebounds (2.8). He has a long way to go to ever make the NBA.

DaJuan Summers

Summers has been Detroit’s best player (for full stats see below). I didn’t see either game, but here’s some analysis from those who did.

Kevin Arnovitz of TrueHoop:

Summers executes that inside-out game with smarts. He recognizes mismatches in the halfcourt. Against a slower defender, he drives to the hole. Faced up against a shorter guy, he’ll get separation and launch a jumper.

Vince Ellis of the Free Press:

He hit the Kings with an assortment of midrange jumpers and quick moves to the basket. Jason Thompson, the Kings’ first-round pick from 2008, was at the receiving end of many moves.

Although he’s bulky, the 6-11 Thompson was no match for Summers.

Thompson was victimized by several jab steps that left him flat-footed. Summers would either shoot the jumper or get to the basket.

And not only can he score, he banged inside for seven rebounds — displaying his ability to play small forward and power forward.

"It’s a luxury to have a guy that can play both positions," (Pistons assistant Darrell) Walker said. "Some nights he can play the four, and he is definitely a three. What he brings is another shooting big that can shoot the basketball."

Chris McCosky of the Detroit News:

He also defended Kings power players (Jason Thompson and Jon Brockman) and smaller players (Donte Green and Marcus Landry) with equal success.

Gary Washburn of AOL FanHouse:

Summers was by far the best player on the court. He played on the perimeter and in the paint. He distributed the ball. He committed one turnover and stuck his hand to deflect passes. Georgetown players generally make solid NBA players because of their all-around skills and Summers resembles Oklahoma City forward Jeff Green.

Austin Daye

Arnovitz:

Austin Daye has been playmaker extraordinaire for Detroit. On the Pistons’ first possession Saturday, he whipped a sharp pass from the perimeter to Trent Plaisted underneath for an easy two. On his team’s second sequence, he took his man straight off the dribble to the rack for a layup. A minute later, on a pop-out, Daye nailed a silky 3-pointer. A few possessions later, he flew in from the weak side for an offensive rebound and a vicious putback slam.  And that was only the first eight minutes. For all the talk about Daye lacking an NBA body, it’s hard not to draw the comparison to another lanky, versatile Pistons small forward who’s done well for himself in the league.

McCosky:

Darrell Walker, Pistons Summer League coach, wanted to put rookie Austin Daye into some situations that he might not have experienced much while at Gonzaga.

He wanted to put Daye in pick-and-roll situations where Daye was the ball-handler and decision-maker. He wanted Daye to initiate the offense some, similar to the way Tayshaun Prince occasionally does from the small forward position. He wanted to test Daye’s defense, matching him up with Raptors first-round draft pick DeMar DeRozen.

Mostly, he wanted to test the slender rookie’s endurance.

By all measures, Daye passed.

…

As for Daye’s defense, DeRozen produced 20 points, but Daye kept him in front of him most of the game. DeRozen had to take 20 shots (making nine) to get his 20 points.

Also, be sure to check out Daye’s chat with the Free Press at 6 p.m. today.

Deron Washington

Washington seems to have a legitimate shot at making the roster. And his play in Las Vegas has been solid. From Ellis:

The athleticism has always been there, and Washington was an NBA-ready defender last summer. But on offense, he showed that his season in Israel helped and he is making the leap from being a great athlete to a good basketball player.

…

"His decision-making has become better. I think he doesn’t force as many things as before he went over there. He takes his time a little bit more. He doesn’t rush things and doesn’t force himself into bad situations. I think that’s where he benefitted the most."

With Washington’s athleticism and shaky jumper, a lot of his offensive production will have to come at the free throw line. But he’s only shot 4-of-14 from the line in Las Vegas.

And that’s not much of an anomaly. He shot just 61 percent at Virginia Tech.

Jonas Jerebko

The 6-foot-10 Jerebko had been billed as a combo forward. But the Pistons have been playing him at center a lot in Las Vegas. Are they short on big men or trying to convert Jerebko?

From McCosky:

"I just want to get him some minutes," Walker said. "He’s a four-five (power forward-center) more than a three-four (small forward-power forward) as far as I’m concerned. I just want to put him out there and he’s played well.

"He can run and obviously he can finish. He reminds me of (New York Knicks forward) David Lee a little bit."

…

"I’ve never done it before (play center), so it’s a new experience," Jerebko said. "It’s physical but I like it. I don’t like to play the five, but to get minutes, I will do it."

His numbers have been lackluster. But the Pistons are desperate to add a center. Maybe they luck out, and Jerebko can fill the void.

Third point guard

Sean Singletary and Andre Owens are competing to be the third point guard come fall. If they continue to play how they have, it will come down to taste.

Owens has 13-to-1 assist-to-turnover ratio, but he hasn’t made a single shot. He has two more steals and four more rebounds than Singletary.

Singletary is 4-for-6 and averaging 6.5 points. His 7-to-4 assist-to-turnover ratio isn’t bad, either.

Singletary

Owens

congrats to Deron Washington for signing a guaranteed contract with the Pistons Great to have a Hokie in the league!

But that tweet no longer appears on Greenberg’s Twitter page. And the Pistons haven’t announced the signing. So, what gives?

Odds are Greenberg had some misinformation and removed the tweet upon realizing. Maybe Washington was told he could earn a guaranteed contract with a strong summer-league showing.