The Detroit Pistons made their first splash in free agency, signing forward John Collins to a three-year deal, according to Shams Charania of ESPN.Â
Collins is one of the kings of the trade machine, as fans have been putting his name in there for years, and it finally happened, as the Pistons land much-needed shooting at the power forward spot.Â
Collins shot nearly 41 percent from long range last season, something the Pistons will try to tap into even more. Collins shot 43 percent on the corner three, which is an area Detroit had to improve after watching their forwards miss a ton of them in the playoffs.Â
Collins is not a name I had heard attached to the Pistons recently, so Langdon’s ultimate plan is still a mystery, but Collins is a guy who will help get them some spacing in the half court right away.Â
The question is what this means for Tobias Harris.Â
Is Tobias Harris done in Detroit?Â
Harris is reportedly taking meetings with other teams, so the Pistons may already know he’s out the door. It was surprising when they didn’t sign him right away in free agency, and now that they have Collins on board, Detroit may look to bolster other areas first, as Collins was signed to be a starter.
This is around the mid-level exception, and though it’s not clear that’s what the Pistons are using yet, it’s around the same amount of money they likely would have had to pay Harris.Â
I am sure the Pistons aren’t finished dealing, but a Harris reunion is now far less certain than it was a few weeks or even days ago.Â
A Collins/Harris platoon could work in Detroit
If the Pistons were going to bring back Tobias Harris, it would be best to push him to a bench role anyway, so the Collins news doesn't necessarily mean Harris' time in Detroit is over.
Harris is as steady as they come and rarely misses games. Collins hasn't been injury prone, but he has missed games in his career, including two seasons ago when he appeared in just 40 games for the Jazz.
It wouldn't be the worst thing to have a reliable backup, especially one that could be a scoring weapon off the bench, eating up second-string defenders with his post game.
Harris is also a leader on this team, so losing him for Collins is not a great cultural trade off. In an ideal world, Harris would be back with Detroit as a backup who plays 20+ minutes a night and provides a boost of bench scoring, but some other team may offer more in terms of money and role.
Detroit can't wrap too money into the position, especially for two players who aren't even fringe All-Stars, but it would be a shame to swap out Harris for a guy who is only minimally better, if at all.
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