The Detroit Pistons recently traded away the NBA’s only Italian player, Simone Fontecchio, as part of a sign-and-trade for Duncan Robinson.
In an interview with Italian newspaper Il Centro, Fontecchio talked about his time in Detroit and the aftermath of the recent trade. One quote in particular may pique the interest of Pistons fans: Fontecchio claims that Kevin Durant told him soon after arriving in Detroit via trade, “Abbiamo provato di tutto per portarti qui da noi, ma non ci siamo riusciti.” In translation, “We tried everything to bring you here to us, but we didn’t succeed.”
Seeing this quote evokes an interesting mix of feelings in Pistons fans. First, it brings to mind the impressive flashes that “Tek-19”, as Pistons fans affectionately called him, showed in the 2023-24 season. After having a very solid under-the-radar season with the Utah Jazz, Fontecchio was traded to the Pistons for Kevin Knox II, a second round pick, and the draft rights to Gabriele Procida (a fellow Italian).
Simone Fontecchio was a big “what if” for the Pistons
In his 16 games with the Pistons at the end of a franchise-worst season, Fontecchio was a rare bright spot. He shot career-best percentages of 48% from the field and a whopping 42.6% from three while averaging 15 points a game. He was also an active defender and made plays on that end. Tek gave Pistons fans hope that he could be the 3&D power forward of the future.
Unfortunately, he regressed significantly last season. He averaged under six points per game and his percentages cratered to 40% from the field and 33.5% from three. Some of his struggles may have stemmed from the toe injury/surgery that ended his 2024 season. His role was also greatly diminished last season with the addition of veterans to the Pistons roster, especially Tobias Harris taking the starting power forward spot. Either way, it was very disappointing to see Fontecchio perform so poorly in his minutes.
Hearing this quote also reminds Pistons fans of Fontecchio’s trade value at the 2024 deadline and possibly even offseason. It’s certainly sad to see him being salary dumped after a promising initial stretch and, in retrospect, we wish the Pistons had traded him last offseason when he still had positive trade value. Perhaps it would’ve been worth sending him out earlier to shore up some other weaknesses on the Pistons roster, or even gain some draft capital and a replacement power forward.
Regardless of how Fontecchio’s time in Detroit ended, here’s hoping he finds more success on whatever team he plays for next season.