The Detroit Pistons didn’t waste any time signing NBA free agents, inking Kelly Olynyk to a 3 year $37 million deal to come to the Motor City.
Free agent Kelly Olynyk has agreed to a three-year, $37M deal with the Detroit Pistons, his agent Jeff Schwartz of @excelbasketball tells ESPN.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) August 2, 2021
The Twitter mobs immediately started complaining, but that was to be expected, as Olynyk is not in the same tier as some of the big names we were hearing.
He’s not Tim Hardaway Jr., Norman Powell or some other big time guy, so some fans are disappointed, which I understand.
The thing is, for what this team needs and where it is headed, Kelly Olynyk was a great free-agent signing, especially for the price.
He’s a big upgrade from Mason Plumlee, is only making a bit more and the third year of his contract is a team option, so the Pistons didn’t take on any long-term money.
There are a lot of reasons to love this free agent signing for the Detroit Pistons.
The Detroit Pistons have a lot of lineup versatility with Kelly Olynyk
Olynyk can play the four or the five, so he is going to give Dwane Casey a lot of lineup versatility and combinations.
The Pistons could throw Olynyk into the starting lineup with Cade Cunningham, Killian Hayes, Saddiq Bey and Jerami Grant, which would give the Pistons more shooting, or he can run Olynyk off the bench and create mismatches in the second unit.
If the Pistons want to go for defense, then Isaiah Stewart can be in the starting five with Olynyk a nice complement off the bench. With he and Cory Joseph potentially coming off the bench, the Pistons now have two reliable veterans to go along with all the kids.
The Detroit Pistons just improved their lineup versatility and 3-point shooting with this move, but there are plenty of other reasons to like it.
The Detroit Pistons are one season away from adding another star and contending
The Pistons didn’t quite have the cap space to make the splashy move some of us were hoping for. I thought there were some compelling reasons to sign a big time free agent this offseason, but I also understand that the market never really worked out that way.
However, the Pistons will have a huge amount of cap space next offseason after the Blake Griffin contract is gone, and now they have the perfect team to attract a star in free agency.
The Pistons have a potential superstar in Cade Cunningham, two solid young role players in Saddiq Bey and Stewart, a high-ceiling point guard in Killian Hayes, and an MIP candidate in Jerami Grant to go along with veteran role players like Olynyk and Joseph.
This team is some development and a star player away from contending in the Eastern Conference and now they have everything they need to attract him to Detroit.
If the Pistons can sniff or even make the playoffs, this is going to be one of the most attractive rosters in the NBA for free agents, and Olynyk helps that as a stretch-four who is on a reasonable contract.
Which reminds me…
The Kelly Olynyk contract is great for the Detroit Pistons
Some fans freaked out when they saw Olynyk getting 3 years $37 million. These were mostly the “Timeline Truthers” who don’t seem to understand that not every player on the team has to be the same age and that veteran role players are a key part of every good team.
There were also some who think the Pistons should have just kept Mason Plumlee, who was making less.
First off, Olynyk is WAY better than Plumlee in pretty much every facet of the game. Plumlee was good for the Pistons, averaging nearly a double-double per game, but he can’t shoot and his pick-and-roll defense was not great.
Olynyk averaged 19 and 8 as a starter for the Rockets while shooting 39 percent from 3-point range. He is going to add space where Plumlee took it away, which will be great for the young guards.
Secondly, the Olynyk contract is only marginally more than Plumlee’s and the third year is not guaranteed. This contract is very moveable, so the Pistons could trade him if things don’t work out. Of course, you don’t want to get in the habit of having to give away (albeit useless) assets just to get rid of a guy, but the Pistons aren’t going to be stuck overpaying Olynyk.
The team option for the third year makes this a great deal, as Olynyk can be off the books at any time via trade or just not picking up the option after season two.
The Pistons got a solid role player who fills multiple needs and didn’t have to give up anything to get him. I’d say that’s a big win for Detroit.