Veteran Sharpshooter’s Deal Considered Big Win for Pistons

Did the Pistons get a major bargain with Simone Fontecchio's contract?

Feb 13, 2024; Los Angeles, California, USA; Los Angeles Lakers guard Austin Reaves (15) is defended by Detroit Pistons forward Simone Fontecchio (19) in the first half at Crypto.com Arena. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports / Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports

Despite entering the free agency period with enough cap space to ink a couple of All-Stars, the Detroit Pistons knew they couldn’t break the bank to cut corners through their rebuild.

Maybe they didn’t land an All-Star, but they made a handful of moves that could turn out to look great as the 2024-2025 NBA season plays out.

In the eyes of Bleacher Report’s Dan Favale, the re-signing of Simone Fontecchio was the team’s “biggest win” this summer.

“Getting Simone Fontecchio's combination of spacing, movement and subtly solid defense for two years and $16 million, on the other hand, is highway robbery. … At least 15 other teams should feel bad about themselves for letting an impact player like Fontecchio remain in Detroit for so little guaranteed money.”

During the 2023-2024 NBA season, the Pistons acquired Fontecchio at the trade deadline. By sending out Kevin Knox, a second-round pick, and rights to Gabriele Procida, the Pistons landed Fontecchio. The veteran appeared in 16 games down the stretch of the season.

It might’ve been a short run for Fontecchio, who ended the year early due to an injury, but he showed enough to keep the Pistons intrigued as he approached the free agent market as a restricted prospect.

In 16 games, Fontecchio averaged 15 points on 43 percent shooting from three. He also accounted for four rebounds per game.

At the end of the regular season, Fontecchio made it clear the Pistons would get a shot to land his services for next season and beyond. Despite the 28-year-old bringing valuable shooting to the table for a championship hopeful, Detroit is where he wanted to be.

The Pistons managed to make it happen. Fontecchio is on pace to make $16 million over the next two seasons.

Based on his small sample size in Detroit, Fontecchio looks like a steal. The Pistons will soon see if that remains the case long-term.