At the ripe old age of 22, Frank Jackson was already in NBA no-man’s land. After averaging 10 points a game in the NBA Bubble, his original team, the New Orleans Pelicans, declined to extend him a qualifying offer. The newly minted unrestricted free agent was signed and waived in the same month by the Oklahoma City Thunder (never a good sign if the retooling-from-the-studs-up Thunder waives you) and was completely available to all when the Detroit Pistons signed him to a two-way contract.
The hope at the time was that Frank would be a fifth point guard (behind Delon Wright, Killian Hayes, Derrick Rose, and Saben Lee), maybe flash enough to be included in a trade package as part of the Troy Weaver Restoration.