Detroit Pistons sign Zakai Zeigler to Summer League contract after 2025 NBA Draft

The Detroit Pistons have signed Zakai Zeigler to an undrafted free agent contract after the 2025 NBA Draft, ESPN’s Jonathan Givony reported. It will be an NBA Summer League deal.

Zeigler played the last four seasons at Tennessee, serving as the point guard to facilitate Rick Barnes’ offense. He set new career-highs this past season as he led the Volunteers to the Elite Eight, averaging 13.6 points, 2.9 points and 7.4 assists per game.

Zeigler was a constant at Tennessee during his career on Rocky Top. He started every game this past year after starting 30 of his 36 appearances as a junior. All told, he played in 138 games across his four years.

Zeigler is a Bronx (NY) native, but played high school basketball at Montclair (NJ) Immaculate Conception, where he was a three-star prospect. He then developed into one of the SEC’s top point guards, and he’ll now get a shot with the Detroit Pistons in the NBA Summer League.

Zakai Zeigler filed suit pushing for one more year

After the 2024-25 season, Zakai Zeigler filed a lawsuit as he sought another year of eligibility. He argued the NCAA’s five-year rule – which states athletes have five years to play four seasons in their respective sport – is “an unlawful restraint of trade under federal and state antirust laws.” A judge recently denied his motion for a preliminary injunction, but he is planning to appeal that decision.

In the suit, Zeigler’s attorneys argued he would miss out on millions of dollars in NIL earnings if he can’t play next season. Data from the Tennessee-focused NIL collective, Spyre Sports Group, shows his value ranges from $2 million to $4 million.

“Based on projections from Spyre Sports Group, the NIL collective associated with the University of Tennessee, Zeigler’s NIL valuation for the 2025-26 season ranges from $2 million and $4 million,” the initial complaint states. “This valuation reflects the market value of an upperclassman with a proven performance record and high visibility, especially in a high-profile conference like the SEC.”

In her denial of a preliminary injunction, Crytzler noted the timing of Zeigler’s suit, but also pondered whether the five-year rule has “anticompetitive effects in the market for student-athlete services and NIL compensation in Division I basketball,” she wrote in her opinion. She also pointed to the lack of impact the market had on Zeigler’s case.