The Detroit Pistons are going to be in the market for a point guard this Free Agency period. Unfortunately, one of their targets is already off the board.
It’s been no secret the Detroit Pistons are looking to upgrade their backup point guard position during this free agency period. Ish Smith held down that spot for the last three years, but it looks like we will no longer see Smith in a Pistons uniform.
The point guard position is extremely deep in this free agency class. With Reggie Jackson firmly in control of the starting spot at the one, the Pistons bowl of targets is overflowing.
This site has written about potential point guard targets since the trade deadline last season, whether it’s Mike Conley, Seth Curry, Patrick Beverley, Derrick Rose, and many others.
Unfortunately for the Pistons, one of their potential targets has already come off the board before free agency even started. It was reported and confirmed yesterday that point guard Darren Collison has retired from the NBA after 10 seasons in the league.
This was an extremely surprising decision by Collison, even his former Indiana Pacer teammates were completely caught off guard.
Collison wrote this in The Undefeated yesterday:
"While I still love basketball, I know there is something more important, which is my family and my faith. I am one of the Jehovah’s Witnesses and my faith means everything to me. I receive so much joy from volunteering to help others and participate in a worldwide ministry. The joy I feel is unmatched.With that being said, I have decided to retire from the NBA."
Collison just finished this past season with the Pacers averaging 11.2 points, and 6.0 assists while also shooting 40 percent from beyond the arc. Two seasons ago he led the NBA in three-point percentage after shooting nearly 47 percent (46.8) from long-distance.
Everyone, of course, wishes Collison nothing but the best in retirement. One’s family and faith coming before a game that you play is certainly nothing surprising.
However, many looked at Collison as possibly the number one option for the Detroit Pistons to go after. With him off the board, it’ll be interesting where the Pistons attention shifts.
As I said earlier, the pool of targets is deep so it shouldn’t hurt the Pistons too much.
Feel a little bad for my fellow PistonPowered writer who published this just a few hours before Collison announced his retirement.