If Tayshaun Prince wants buyout, Pistons not responsible

By Cameron La Fontaine | Feb 21, 2015

Jan 28, 2015; Minneapolis, MN, USA; Boston Celtics forward Tayshaun Prince (12) dribbles in the third quarter against the Minnesota Timberwolves at Target Center. The Minnesota Timberwolves beat the Boston Celtics 110-98. Mandatory Credit: Brad Rempel-USA TODAY Sports /

Tayshaun Prince wasn’t too thrilled that he was traded back to the Detroit Pistons, but they don’t plan to buy him out if he wants it.

The Detroit Pistons made a deal for Boston Celtics 34-year-old forward Tayshaun Prince to return to Detroit Thursday by sending Jonas Jerebko and Luigi Datome to Boston. It was the second trade that Detroit made that day as they had already agreed to a trade to acquire Reggie Jackson from the Thunder, who was very ecstatic about coming to Detroit. It wasn’t the same reaction for Tayshaun Prince.

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Prince is nearly the end of his career in his mid-30s and may have rather signed with a team that was a title contender, according to Vince Ellis of the Detroit Free Press, but Pistons head coach Stan Van Gundy made it clear that they don’t plan to buy him out of his contract.

Tayshaun Prince was traded from the Memphis Grizzlies earlier in the year, who sit at second in the Western Conference right now and are competing for a title, to the Boston Celtics.

Now, he’s bounced back to Detroit, who drafted him in 2002 and who he won a championship with in 2004.

Head coach Stan Van Gundy was asked Friday and Saturday if a buyout from the Pistons was an option, but he said absolutely not.

“That’s not my decision,” Van Gundy said. “In other words the reason Boston made the trade was to save money. We’re paying Tayshaun more money. If he was going to get bought out, he should have done it in Boston. They should have let him be bought out. That’s not on me to buy him out. That was not part of the deal. We weren’t told of this until after we made the trade by Tayshaun’s agent and the whole thing.”

Prince will made $7.7 million this season and Detroit doesn’t deserve to have to face the buyout question according to Van Gundy.

“Why would we trade guys who were making less money to take on more money to waive the guy?” Van Gundy said. “That would have been the dumbest personnel move ever. It’s not on us. I understand he didn’t get what he wanted.

“But the question you’re asking should be asked of (Celtics general manager) Danny Ainge. Not of us.”

You’d think Tayshaun would be grateful, being returned to the team that he started with, who is passionate about making a run into the playoffs this year currently sitting just 1.5 games out of eighth seed and building a team that could compete for the title in the near future with long-term Andre Drummond, Reggie Jackson and guys like Brandon Jennings and Greg Monroe who may or may not stay with Detroit for long.

Hopefully for Detroit, Prince will get over this disappointment and try to make a run with Detroit, when he plays for them starting on Sunday against the Wizards.

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