Agent: There's no deal yet between Billups, Pistons

	Chauncey Billups has said he wants to return to Detroit, but his agent insists there's no deal yet. AP

NEW YORK (SI.com) -- Chauncey Billups' agent on Tuesday night denied that the point guard has agreed to a deal to stay with the Pistons.

"This is a vicious rumor," Andy Miller told the Detroit Free Press. "It's entirely untrue. We have not reached an agreement. I don't know what stage we're at. We're having ongoing discussions, and I don't believe that we're on the verge of signing an agreement anytime today by any stretch of the imagination."

Earlier Tuesday, The Associated Press, citing a person with knowledge of the deal, reported that Billups and the Pistons had agreed on a five-year contract worth $60 million.

The person, who requested anonymity because of league rules preventing contract announcements before July 11, said the final season is a team option, making the deal worth $46 million guaranteed over four years.

The Pistons made it clear last season and after they were eliminated from the conference finals by the Cleveland Cavaliers that their top priority was re-signing Billups.

Billups had become an unrestricted free agent last month after opting out of the last year of a six-year contract. The 6-foot-3, 202-pound All-Star said he would prefer to stay with Detroit and expected to be back if the team could match any other team's best offer.

Billups, 30, who played with the Celtics, Denver, Orlando and Minnesota in his first four seasons, was named the NBA finals MVP in 2004 when Detroit won the championship and was an All-Star in each of the next two seasons.

He averaged 17 points and 7.2 assists per game in 70 games last season and has averaged 14.5 points and 5.3 assists over his nine-year career. But Billups struggled in the playoffs each of the past two seasons, and averaged 15.3 points, 3.5 assists and 3.8 turnovers in the Eastern finals against the Cavs.

Billups and Richard Hamilton form one of the NBA's top backcourts, but the rest of the Pistons' guard corps is in flux. Guard Carlos Delfino was traded to Toronto, and veterans Lindsey Hunter and Flip Murray may be expendable after three guards -- Rodney Stuckey, Arron Afflalo and Sam Mejia -- were taken in last week's draft.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.