The Detroit Pistons are nearing an agreement to add Ryan West to their front office, league sources told Adrian Wojnarowski.

West would be assigned to a player evaluation role. 

West has previously worked for the Lakers and Clippers. 

Former Portland Trail Blazer Cliff Robinson has passed away at age 53.

Robinson played 19 seasons in the NBA with the Blazers, Suns, Pistons, Warriors, and Nets.

Robinson, who played in the 1994 All-Star Game, averaged 14.6 points and 4.6 rebounds in 1,380 career games.

"He was our first great player. He came from a difficult background in Buffalo, I watched him evolve as a man. ... He was a good man, had a great career, and was instrumental in a lot of the great things that happened at UConn," said Jim Calhoun. 

Fred VanVleet is expected to be one of the NBA's most coveted free agents this offseason. VanVleet re-signed with the Toronto Raptors in 2018 on a two-year, $18 million deal as a restricted free agent. VanVleet will be an unrestricted free agent this offseason. 

Sources that spoke with Shams Charania of The Athletic indicated that the Detroit Pistons, New York Knicks and Phoenix Suns are expected to pursue VanVleet in addition to Toronto. 

Bobby Marks of ESPN reported in December that VanVleet could command $25 million to $30 million per season in free agency. 

VanVleet averaged a career high 17.6 points, 3.8 rebounds, 6.6 assists and 1.9 steals in 35.7 minutes per game.

The NBA and NBPA have reached agreement for the eight teams not involved in the restart in Orlando to conduct voluntary group workouts while residing in campus settings. 

There had been discussions about the teams participating in a second bubble with team workouts and scrimmages, but the union had resisted that concept.

The Atlanta Hawks, Charlotte Hornets, Chicago Bulls, Cleveland Cavaliers, Detroit Pistons, Golden State Warriors, Minnesota Timberwolves and New York Knicks were not invited to participate int he league's restart in Orlando. 

The program is scheduled to take place between Sept. 14 and Oct. 6.

The eight teams excluded from the NBA's restart in Orlando continue to discuss with the league office and NBPA how they can conduct workouts or scrimmages, sources tell ESPN.

The most likely outcome remains in-market workouts starting in September. There had been discussions of a second bubble with those teams playing scrimmages.

Many of those teams want to get players back in their practice facility during a long hiatus. 

The teams would test daily, have one week of individual workouts, two weeks of group practices and one hour of five-on-five per day.

Blake Griffin said he's had conversations head coach Dwane Casey and new general manager Troy Weaver in regards to his role next season with the Detroit Pistons.

Griffin added that he's thinking about how to lead the young Pistons roster.

"I've told them, I'm here to do whatever they ask of me. Whether that's sort of taking on a different role, taking on more of a role, whatever it might be. Whatever they feel the need for me to do. We'll have a lot of young guys so I think spending a lot of time with them and really setting the foundation in making sure that all these guys understand what Pistons basketball is about," said Griffin.

Griffin has a relationship with Weaver going back to their days in Oklahoma.

Weaver has already stated that he sees Griffin and Derrick Rose as pieces on the roster moving forward. 

Griffin added that he's focusing on leadership while the roster continues to form. 

"As the season gets closer, as free agency comes, as the draft comes, I think we'll be able to feel that out more and more, but right now, I'm just here, I'm working and trying to be a leader in any way I can."

The Detroit Pistons have hired Harold Ellis and Ryan West as scouts.

Ellis was most recently with the New York Knicks.

West was with the Los Angeles Lakers for several years before joining the Los Angeles Clippers in 2019 on a contractual basis. 

The NBPA has no interest in having the NBA send the eight teams left out of the original restart to Orlando for an offseason training camp once the first group of 22 games are eliminated, sources tell ESPN.

The concept is a non-starter for the union.

The only viable solution is for the NBA and NBPA to agree to voluntary workouts in the team facilities. 

Several of the teams are frustrated and angry over how far they feel they're falling behind the teams in restart.

"We are looking at nine months between games now, and if the season is delayed, we are looking at possibly a full year between competitive games," one GM told ESPN on Friday. "That's unprecedented in the history of the sport. We deserve help here."

The NBA is considering the possibility of bringing the eight teams who didn't participate in the restart to Orlando for a minicamp and scrimmages, sources tell Sam Amick of The Athletic. 

Six teams will leave Orlando at the end of the restart and the beginning of the playoffs.

The NBPA has been skeptical of any basketball setting that doesn't replicate the conditions the NBA created in Orlando.

The first round will begin on August 17th with the start of the second round and the addition of family members beginning on September 1st.

The eight franchises that weren't included in the NBA's restart in Orlando now are pessimistic about the odds of a second site being created for minicamps and intrasquad scrimmages. There is also pessimism about even in-market minicamps for group workouts.

“There’s nothing happening,” one general manager told The Athletic after a Tuesday call between the eight GMs and league officials. “It’s a shame. It’s a huge detriment to these eight franchises that were left behind.”

Sources say the National Basketball Players Association remains concerned about the safety concerns that would come with creating another location for the other eight teams to compete (Charlotte, Chicago, New York, Detroit, Atlanta, Minnesota, Cleveland, Golden State).

NBPA prefers the idea of having in-market bubbles for individual team minicamps.

The 20-21 season has a tentative training camp start date of Nov. 10th.