NBA Free Agents 2014: Jameer Nelson waived by Magic; does he make sense in Detroit?

Longtime Orlando Magic point guard Jameer Nelson has been waived by the team, according to media reports. Nelson was set to be paid $8 million next season but only $2 million was guaranteed if he was waived before July 15.

The 32-year-old Nelson spent five seasons as the starting point guard for Stan Van Gundy's Magic squads -- including a finals appearance in  2009. With his extensive history with Van Gundy and the point guard position in Detroit looking anything but settled it's natural to ask whether Nelson could possibly have a role going forward with Van Gundy's Detroit Pistons.

The answer to that is, "probably not." Nelson has struggled for three seasons now and injuries are starting to pile up. Last season Nelson averaged just 12.1 points on 39-percent shooting including just 34 percent from the 3-point line. He doesn't have the athleticism or explosiveness to get into the lane anymore. Nearly half his shots the past two years have been 3-point attempts, and as stated previously he doesn't convert those at a high rate.

He also is just 6-foot-0 so he doesn't qualify for the bigger reserve point guard the Pistons seem to be looking for to spell or push the incumbent starter Brandon Jennings. All that being said, he does have the ability to control an offense. And as Van Gundy said when he was hired, the team is more concerned with finding pieces that fit and not so much with amassing the biggest collection of talent.

By all accounts, Nelson is a good guy who would be willing to put in the work, run the system and not hog the ball or the available shots. So if the team was somehow able to ship Jennings in a future deal, it wouldn't be bad to bring Nelson in as a one-year stopgap.

But it's unclear if that is at all something Nelson would be interested in. At this stage of his career I'm not sure he would want to be part of a rebuilding project. He might be much happier latching onto a contending team that plays a slower brand of basketball and allows him the chance to win.

I just don't see how a marriage between Nelson and the Pistons makes any sense.

Now your thoughts.