Potential Detroit Pistons Point Guard Target: Darren Collison

The Detroit Pistons are likely to be in the hunt for a new backup point guard. There are a handful of targets, but could Darren Collison be the answer?

As free agency awaits, the Detroit Pistons have three major needs. Despite adding Tony Snell and Sekou Doumbouya, they likely would prefer to add another wing player. They do not have a single backup center on the roster, and they only have one point guard in Reggie Jackson.

Should they decide to spend most of their MLE on a point guard, their main target should be Darren Collison.

Collison, at 32 years old, is a seasoned veteran in the NBA. Last season with the Indiana Pacers he put up a career-high six assists per game while shooting over 40 percent from three for the last four seasons in a row.

Collison started 76 games last year and has been a starter for the majority of his career. If Jackson can’t play a full 82 games this year, or if the team decides to move Jackson during the season, Collison could step into the starter role.

When Jackson has gone down in the past, despite Ish Smith‘s ability to run with the second team, Smith’s skills were unable to translate to the starting lineup. His change-of-pace style of play greatly benefitted the Pistons bench, but the Pistons should look to add somebody that could slide into the lineup if necessary, and succeed in the half court offense.

The Money

Adding Collison would likely take most of the Mid-Level Exception, which totals $9.246 million. His last contract with the Pacers, after his age 29 season was two years, $20 million.

Bobby Marks of ESPN said that Collison is probably an $8 million per year kind of player, and he wouldn’t feel comfortable paying him more than that. Even if the Pistons have to offer Collison $9 million per season, it wouldn’t be much of an overpay for a guy that could step in and help immediately.

Because high profile point guards are available this offseason, like Kyrie Irving, Kemba Walker, DeAngelo Russell, many teams will likely wait to see what the big name guys do before targeting the lower-tier options. This could allow Collison to fall through the cracks, and into the Pistons lap for a majority of the MLE.

The longest that the Pistons should offer Collison for would be for two seasons. Collison is on the wrong side of 30, and handing out long contracts for role players has been an issue for the Pistons of the past, specifically during the Stan Van Gundy era.

The Fit

Collison’s style of play doesn’t rely on his explosiveness or athletic ability. Collison is still quick enough to create his own shot, as fifty-six percent of the points, last year came unassisted.

Collison’s best season of his career came only two seasons ago in 2017-2018, where Collison led the league in three-point percentage, shooting 46 percent. During this season, Collison shared ball-handling responsibilities with the emerging off-guard Victor Oladipo, allowing Collison to take advantage of many catch and shoot opportunities.

Collison could succeed playing alongside Blake Griffin in the starting lineup, or even with Luke Kennard off of the bench, sharing ball-handling responsibilities and playing off of each other.

If the Pistons want an affordable point guard option that could slide into the starting lineup, Darren Collison could be their guy.