The Detroit Pistons were aggressive this summer in reshaping their support system to continue building on a breakout season. That aggression led to a bad trade that only looks worse as a former Piston balls out overseas.
Last year was a fantastic one for the Pistons and their fans. New head coach J.B. Bickerstaff brought the roster together and they bought in on a tough, defensive-minded approach. Cade Cunningham realized his potential and put together an All-NBA season. Free agent additions Tobias Harris and Malik Beasley had excellent seasons and Detroit tripled their win total from the previous season and made the playoffs.
The year after the breakout is always a tenuous one for NBA teams. Do they take a small step back as they consolidate the roster? Do they push in their chips to continue to rise? Detroit didn't mortgage their future, but they were very active in ensuring veteran pieces were still surrounding Cunningham.
When Malik Beasley got pulled into a federal investigation into sports gambling, Detroit's plan to bring him back on a multi-year contract was in jeopardy. Not wanting to wait and lose out on a proper replacement, the Pistons pivoted quickly, working out a trade with the Miami Heat to bring in sharpshooting wing Duncan Robinson and hand him a lucrative new contract.
Heading out was Italian wing Simone Fontecchio, a player Bickerstaff didn't prioritize as a full-time rotation option; heading in was Robinson, a seven-year NBA veteran who turned 31 just after last season ended. The Heat and Pistons worked the deal out as a sign-and-trade, with Robinson declining a player option and signing a new three-year, $48 million contract with Detroit.
At the time, the deal was a questionable and expensive, a deal they would likely live to regret. That regret has already arrived, however, as two recent developments have both cast the deal in a negative light for the Pistons. A bada deal is now even worse.
The Duncan Robinson trade is a disaster
The Pistons would absolutely rather have Malik Beasley than Robinson. The longtime Heat veteran battles nagging injuries, is a defensive sieve and is a really good, but not elite, high-volume shooter. Beasley had a higher volume of 3-point attempts, made 1.3 more triples a game, and shot 41.6 percent to Robinson's 39.3 percent. Beasley's 319 3-pointers last season ranks eighth-most all-time, behind Anthony Edwards, James Harden and five Stephen Curry seasons.
The Pistons wanted Beasley, but chose Robinson because of the uncertainty around Beasley. In recent days Beasley's agent has announced that he is no longer the target of the federal investigation (although he is still a subject, so he could end up charged in some manner) and is negotiating with teams to sign Beasley. The Pistons are limited in what they can offer Beasley to bring him back after using their salary cap flexibility on other options, including the contract they gave to Robinson.
Wait, and the Pistons may have brought him back on a discount. Take another path to replacing him, and they may have brought him back. Now their chances of doing so are extremely limited, and he may very well sign with another team -- and play better for them than Robinson.
Simone Fontecchio is breaking out
Yet Beasley was hardly the only casualty in bringing in Robinson, as the Pistons also traded away Simone Fontecchio. He played in 75 games last season but averaged just 16.5 minutes and did not start a single game. He was not a player the Pistons prioritized, either on the court or off of it, despite Fontecchio's two-way ability and breakout year in Utah before Detroit brought him in.
The Heat will now benefit if Fontecchio takes a step forward, and he looks to be doing just that as he competes for his country in EuroBasket. On an Italy team largely devoid of NBA talent, Fontecchio has stepped up as the No. 1 option and thrived.
In a key matchup with Bosnia and Herzegovina, Fontecchio was unstoppable, dropping 39 points in 37 minutes of action to lead Italy to a 17-point win. That included seven 3-pointers on just ten attempts, with eight rebounds and three assists added in.
Players have turned EuroBasket performances into NBA breakouts in recent years. Lauri Markkanen leveled up for Finland last time around and parlayed that into an All-Star season for the Utah Jazz. While no one is expecting Fontecchio to be an All-Star, there is room in Miami for him to step up into a larger role.
Duncan Robinson will make an average of $16 million per season for the Detroit Pistons and play one side of the court. He will shoot less often and less accurately than Malik Beasley, and he won't have the on-ball versatility or defensive ability of Fontecchio. Combined, the two of them might make as much as Robinson this year; Fontecchio makes only $8.3 million this season.
The Pistons wanted to move quickly, and in their haste they made a massive mistake. If Fonctecchio continues his ascent, it will only look worse.