REPORT: Balsa Koprivica, Pistons' 57th Pick in 2021 NBA Draft, Signs Overseas

Image: Raj Mehta, USA TODAY Sports

The Detroit Pistons' 57th overall pick in the 2021 NBA Draft has signed with KK Partizan, a basketball club in Belgrade, Serbia. The team announced the deal is for three years.

https://twitter.com/PartizanBC/status/1429726352769490944

The Detroit Pistons will retain the draft rights to Korpivica, a 7'1" center that the franchise drafted out of Florida State. It is undisclosed if the contract has any clauses that would allow Koprivica to leave the club to join the Pistons prior to the conclusion of the deal.

Koprivica, 21, appeared in two Summer League games with the Pistons earlier in August but did not play a major role with the team. 

Last season at Florida State, the Serbian averaged 9.1 points, 5.6 rebounds, and 1.4 blocks in 19.6  minutes per game. 

The Pistons already have 16 guaranteed contracts on their roster heading into training camp, and will need to trade or waive a player on the current roster to trim down to the league-mandated 15-man roster size. It was unlikely Koprivica would have made the team given the current situation, and Detroit already signed Chris Smith and Luka Garza to two-way contracts with their G League team, the Motor City Cruise. This move will allow Koprivica to develop with a professional organization while away from Detroit.