Tony Mitchell mention in Detroit Piston's Mailbag

[Harry]

Brady (Bowling Green, Ky.): I’m concerned about the futures of rookies Tony Mitchell and Peyton Siva. When can rookies be traded? If a rookie is waived, does the rookie continue to be paid the amount remaining on his contract? How are rookies supposed to improve when they spend so much time on the bench or dressed in suits during games? Do player development staff have the opportunity to work with them or are they expected to hire their own shooting or other coaches?

Langlois: No one should have had any reasonable expectations that Mitchell or Siva were due to crack the rotation as rookies, Brady. They were both second-rounders, for one thing, and they came to the Pistons at the deepest positions on their roster, for another. Rookies can be traded now. You might be thinking about the Dec. 15 date that opens the door for free agents to be traded, but it doesn’t apply to rookies. As for pay, it all depends on the contract and how much of it was guaranteed. It was widely reported that Mitchell, as a high second-round pick, got two fully guaranteed seasons and Siva got one such guaranteed year. There is no expectation that either will be waived at any time before their contracts are up.

Read more: http://www.nba.com/pistons/chat/mailbag_131218_1.html