The Detroit Pistons have addressed their outside shooting this offseason by adding John Collins, Isaiah Joe, Taurean Prince and Gary Harris, if he ends up on the team.
And in that theme, bringing back Kevin Huerter on a $9 million per year deal makes some sense, as he was once a very good 3-point shooter and played well at times for the Pistons last seaon.
But when you look at the Pistons' depth chart, it's hard to see Huerter's place, which makes this signing somewhat confusing until you look at the big picture.
Is Kevin Huerter in the Detroit Pistons' rotation?
If you had to nail down a rotation for the Pistons right now (assuming Jalen Duren eventually re-signs), it would likely look something like this:
Starters: Cade Cunningham/Duncan Robinson/Ausar Thompson/John Collins/Jalen Duren
Bench: Daniss Jenkins/Isaiah Joe/Ron Holland II/Javonte Green/Paul Reed
Huerter will be fighting some of these guys for minutes, but right now, he'd likely be relegated to deep bench duties, so $9 million is a fairly expensive price to pay for his services. Consider that Paul Reed makes around half that and is expected to play a big role as the backup center, and it does make Huerter's number a tad baffling.
But the Pistons did have a thought process here, and are planning for the future.
Kevin Huerter isn't all about the present
The Huerter signing may not make a lot of sense now, but it could in the future, especially if the Pistons end up moving Duncan Robinson at the trade deadline as has been widely predicted. Robinson will be the Pistons' best contract for salary-matching purposes, so the Pistons may be thinking ahead here to a time when they don't have him.
Isaiah Joe and Huerter could potentially provide cheaper and younger alternatives if the Pistons end up trading Robinson.
We also saw last season that JB Bickerstaff is not afraid to use a 12-man or even larger rotation, so there is a chance all of these guys will see action as he tries to get through the grind of the regular season.
And there are always injuries, as we know a very deep team can suddenly look vulnerable if one or two players go down for an extended period. Huerter provides some insurance against injuries, as he can play a couple of spots in a pinch.
It might look like a confusing signing at the present, as Huerter may not even be in the rotation to start the season, but the Pistons did have other reasons to bring him back.
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