To kick off Day 2 of NBA free agency, the Detroit Pistons signed power forward John Collins to a three-year, $51 million deal, per ESPN's Shams Charania.
Detroit was looking for a long-term starting power forward, and according to Charania, Collins was near the top of their list. Even though the 28-year-old fills an immediate positional need for the Pistons, his on-court fit and the contract the Pistons gave him raise some questions.
Pistons may have overpaid for a player who doesn't move the needle
First of all, this suggests that Tobias Harris may be on his way out. There have been reports about Harris having multiple suitors on the market and the Pistons being hesitant to re-sign him. While Collins is younger, whether he is a better fit or a better player than Harris is unclear.
Collins is an all-around offensive player. He is an athletic lob threat who can finish around the basket. He is an improved three-point shooter, having hit over 40% of his threes over the last two years, albeit on low volume. His shot creation, passing, and playmaking, on the other hand, leave plenty to be desired.
Defensively, he is average. He can guard his position, but he lacks the versatility to defend up or down the positional spectrum. His inability to play any position other than power forward certainly limits his ceiling. He is an alright rebounder and has some rim protection instincts, but he is not a difference-maker in any one defensive aspect.
What Harris' next contract will be remains to be seen, but one has to imagine that he would have required less of an investment than a three-year, $51 million contract. Harris has proven himself as an impactful starter on the Pistons. He was arguably the second-best player during Detroit's postseason run. It's not clear that Collins would be able to provide the same level of two-way impact.
Moreover, there is the issue of opportunity cost. The Pistons didn't have to use their cap space in the free agent market. They could have explored trade opportunities to land a starting power forward. Now, Collins' salary will limit their financial flexibility going forward.
At this point in free agency, most of the teams around the league only have the non-taxpayer midlevel exception available, starting at $15 million per year. This includes the Pistons. It's difficult to imagine Collins having any other offers around the league exceeding a $15 million annual salary, making this a slight overpay for Detroit.
In fact, the Pistons will have to make more moves to fit Collins into their cap space. This could mean waiving Duncan Robinson or trading Marcus Sasser. Another possibility is a sign-and-trade with the Los Angeles Clippers. The machinations of the signing could change the grade here, but this is not an inspiring signing by Detroit. It's understandable, but it doesn't move the needle enough.
Grade: C-
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