The Detroit Pistons salvaged an underwhelming offseason by signing Duncan Robinson to a three-year deal in a sign-and-trade for Simone Fontecchio.
It did leave a big hole at backup power forward, but Robinson addresses the Pistons’ biggest weakness, which is 3-point shooting. The Pistons were 21st in the league in 3-point makes this season and just lost three guys that accounted for 614 of them. Malik Beasley and Tim Hardaway Jr. made over 40 percent of the team’s 3-point shots last season, so getting a shooter like Robinson was huge.
Caris LeVert adds some playmaking and scoring chops to the bench, so you can argue the Pistons have at least stayed put if not gotten better, especially when you consider most of the improvement they need has to come from their young core.
I instantly got negative reactions to news of the Robinson signing, with several fans complaining it was an overpay at three years and $48 million, but when you look at the final details, it’s actually a brilliant deal for Detroit.
Duncan Robinson contract details: Maintaining flexibility and adding tradable contracts
The Pistons only gave up Simone Fontecchio in the deal and didn't have to send picks according to various reports, so this is a clear upgrade for Detroit.
The Pistons desperately needed Robinson’s shooting, so even if this deal were fully guaranteed, it wouldn’t be catastrophic.
Luckily, we don’t have to worry about that, as the second year is only partially guaranteed and the third year is not guaranteed at all according to Omari Sankofa II.
UPDATE: Year 2 for Duncan Robinson is partially-guaranteed. Non-guaranteed Year 3. https://t.co/5LOWfvrq8f
— Omari Sankofa II (@omarisankofa) July 1, 2025
The Pistons essentially committed one year to Robinson, who is an upgrade from Tim Hardaway Jr. and has plenty of meaningful playoff experience.
His contract will also come in handy if the Pistons want to make a big trade at some point. I’ve been harping on this a lot this offseason, but one of the reasons it was challenging for the Pistons to make a big deal (aside from the fact that they weren’t looking to) was that they don’t have any medium sized contracts other than Isaiah Stewart.
This Robinson deal could be enticing to any team looking to cut money, as they can get out of it after this season. Add Robinson’s deal to Tobias Harris, and you are on your way to matching a big salary. I am only using that as an example, but much like Harris’ expiring deal, Robinson’s contract gives him more than one way to add value to the team.
The Pistons got their shooter, now they need to add some depth at power forward, and Trajan Langdon will have done a nice job of saving a surprisingly challenging offseason.