The Detroit Pistons are ready to fully embrace basketball's offseason once the 2024-25 NBA Finals wrap up. There's a lot of excitement around the Motor City after the Pistons went 44-38 en route to a playoff appearance last season, leaving the fanbase pumped to see if general manager Trajan Langdon can take this team to another level with a crafty offseason move or two.
Although the 2025 NBA draft and free agency can be used to help bolster their roster, the Pistons can also use the trade market to upgrade head coach J.B. Bickerstaff's lineup. Any potential trades will likely involve players being kicked out of Detroit, which includes one veteran who'd be lucky to still be on the roster by the time July arrives.
Pistons' Simone Fontecchio Will Be Lucky if He's Still in Detroit in July
Of the few trade candidates the Pistons could move on from this summer, forward Simone Fontechhio is likely near the top of the list. The Italian veteran is heading into the last deal on his contract and will hold an $8.3 million cap hit, making him the perfect option to be moved — potentially before next week's draft.
Fontecchio, 29, is a former three-time Italian Super Cup winner who began his NBA career when he signed a two-year contract with the Utah Jazz in 2022. His time with the Jazz lasted until the 2024 trade deadline, which is when he was shipped off to the Pistons for Kevin Knox II, Gabriele Procida's rights, and a future second-round pick.
Fontecchio's post-deadline play was solid, as he averaged 15.4 points and 4.4 rebounds while shooting 47.9% from the field and 42.6% from deep in 16 games (9 starts). Unfortunately, he couldn't replicate that performance in 2024-25, putting up only 5.9 points and 2.9 rebounds with .402/.335/.833 shooting splits. His minutes per game went from 30.3 to 16.5 on top of his also going the entire campaign without a start.
A toe injury forced Fontecchio to miss the entire NBA postseason, and the subsequent surgery will likely sideline him until training camp. In other words, there's a lot of uncertainty surrounding his future, and the Pistons could be weighing their options to cut ties if they don't picture him having a long-term future in Detroit.
The next few weeks are going to be crucial for Fontecchio's outlook, to say the least. He should consider himself lucky if he's still with the Pistons by the beginning of July, let alone when the 2025-26 NBA regular season begins.