DETROIT — Antonio McDyess is coming back to play for the Detroit Pistons.

"After long deliberation Antonio has decided that he will return to the Pistons," Andy Miller, McDyess' agent, informed The Associated Press via text message tonight.

Detroit dealt McDyess, Chauncey Billups and project Cheikh Samb to Denver for Allen Iverson on Nov. 3. The cost-cutting Nuggets waived McDyess a week later and he has to wait until 30 days have passed since the trade to rejoin the Pistons.

The 6-foot-9 power forward averaged seven points and four rebounds in two games as a key reserve for Detroit before the trade.

Detroit kept the former All-Star and Olympian off the free-agent market last summer by giving him a $13.5 million, two-year extension in July 2007. He gave up an undisclosed sum in a buyout arrangement with Denver.

McDyess has averaged 13.4 points and 7.7 rebounds since he was drafted No. 2 overall in 1995.

Detroit has missed McDyess off the bench because of his ability to stretch defenses with his outside shooting touch and rebound at both ends of the court.

The Pistons are 4-5 since the trade, showing their potential with wins over the Los Angeles Lakers and Cleveland Cavaliers but displaying shortcomings in losses such as Sunday night's defeat at home against the rebuilding Minnesota Timberwolves.

Many teams expressed an interest in signing the 34-year-old McDyess, but he chose to return to the city where he revived his career.

McDyess signed with the Pistons after they won the 2004 NBA title and he played nearly 400 games for them in the regular season and playoffs, helping them reach the NBA finals in his first season and Eastern Conference finals in the next three.

Playing his best playoff game in perhaps a decade, McDyess had 21 points and 16 rebounds to lift Detroit to a 94-75 series-evening win over Boston in Game 4 of last season's Eastern Conference finals. The Pistons lost the next two games to the Celtics, who went on to win the title.

After McDyess won an Olympic gold medal in 2000 and played in the All-Star game in 2001, knee injuries limited him to just 52 games over three seasons with Denver, New York and Phoenix.

McDyess told his agent at least twice that he wanted to retire because he was frustrated while rehabbing his knee in New York and Phoenix. But Miller didn't act on his client's wishes, and it proved to be a wise move.