The Detroit Pistons have until October 31st to make a decision about the final team option on Ron Holland’s rookie deal.
On the surface, this seems like an easy call, as Holland has shown enough to warrant another year.
But it’s not exactly a no-brainer, as his salary for the 2027-28 season jumps up to $11.5 million, which is a fair chunk of money for a guy who wasn’t able to get off the bench in the playoffs last season.
When you consider that Holland would be the 4th-highest paid Piston on that amount (not counting the non-guaranteed contracts), it’s something to consider, as I don’t think anyone would argue that Holland is currently the 4th-best Pistons player and may never be.
I’m already excited about Holland’s development this season, so it would still be surprising if the Pistons declined his option, as that would be pretty rare for a guy who was chosen with a top five pick and has shown his kind of unrealized potential.
But there are things to think about, which makes this call slightly trickier than it should be.
Should the Pistons re-negotiate Ron Holland’s contract?
If the Pistons were to decline Holland’s option before the deadline, he would become an unrestricted free agent at the end of the season, in which case they could potentially lose him for nothing.
But the Pistons would still hold his Bird Rights in this situation, so they could potentially negotiate a longer deal with a slightly lower annual salary.
Given that Holland still hasn’t proven he’s anything more than a bench reserve, this wouldn’t be the worst option, as the Pistons could potentially lock him into a favorable deal that he’d end up outplaying.
This option also comes with huge risk, as Holland could make a big leap and then the Pistons would be stuck paying him even more, so exercising the team option is the best middle ground for mitigating risk.
The Pistons could trade Ron Holland
If the Pistons decide to make a big trade deadline move, Holland will be one of their most attractive trade chips, but less so if he is not under contract.
Teams aren’t going to trade for a guy who could be a free agent anyway, and having an extra year of his rookie deal still remaining makes Holland far more attractive for potential trade partners who would far rather have a young player that is under team control.
The Pistons are most likely going to exercise Holland’s option, as it makes the most sense, but he’ll need to improve to justify that pay bump.
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