The Detroit Pistons have been one of the most active teams of the offseason so far. Even though the Jalen Duren saga remains unresolved, the Pistons have made moves to revamp their roster. They moved on from Isaiah Stewart, traded up for Ebuka Okorie in the draft, acquired Isaiah Joe from OKC, re-signed Kevin Huerter, and signed John Collins to a three-year, $51 million deal.
While the rotation is certainly revamped, whether it has been upgraded is another question. This is especially worth asking once ESPN's Shams Charania reported that Tobias Harris was leaving Detroit to sign a new deal with the San Antonio Spurs.
Detroit is making a mistake by replacing Tobias Harris with John Collins
Harris is reportedly signing a two-year, $31 million contract with the NBA finalists. This is an excellent move for the Spurs, who have a glaring hole at power forward. They have an excellent guard rotation and Victor Wembanyama, but don't have too much depth on the wings. Not only does Harris provide them with decent two-way play, but he also adds valuable experience to a young team.
Especially considering the contract Detroit gave Collins earlier in the day, letting Harris walk is a head-scratcher. Harris' contract is shorter and for less annual value. It's not clear that Collins is an upgrade over Harris.
Sure, Harris is about to turn 34 and may show some age-related decline. At the same time, he was arguably the Pistons' second-best player throughout the playoffs. He carried a big offensive load, averaging 18.1 points per game and defended at a solid level, all while playing around 35 minutes.
Harris has very few weaknesses in his game. He may not be elite at any one skill, but he can do a little bit of everything. He has been an above-average shooter from three his entire career and made 36.8% of his attempts last season. He can exploit mismatches and post up against smaller defenders. He can attack the basket and create his own shot. Defensively, he can hold his own against most forwards, even though he is not a stopper.
That is a type of player the Pistons need in their rotation. They had to upgrade the starting power forward spot, to be sure, but Harris could have been an ideal sixth man. $15 million is a bench player salary these days, and Harris would have been worth every penny.
If Detroit was going to move on from Harris, it should have been for a clearer upgrade than Collins. When the veteran forward inevitably plays a crucial role in San Antonio's postseason run next year, the Pistons may regret letting him walk.
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