Detroit Pistons: An interesting wrinkle in Simone Fontecchio's contract
The Detroit Pistons haven't won many deals in the Troy Weaver era, but it looks as if he did well at this year's trade deadline.
Quentin Grimes hasn't played much due to injury, and his shot hasn't been falling in Detroit, but he fits the 3-and-D mold that they need to complement their core. He's also on a team-friendly contract for next season, so even though the Pistons had to give up a lot to get him, he was a good pickup.
Even better was Simone Fontecchio, a player the Pistons got for next to nothing and who is already proving to be a steal. He's averaging over 15 points per game and has been shooting the lights out of late.
But he will be a restricted free agent this summer, so talk has already turned to how much the Pistons should offer him and more importantly, how much would be too much.
Related Story. Pistons final month stock watch: 3 rising, 2 plummeting fast. Pistons final month stock watch: 3 rising, 2 plummeting fast. dark
That number might go up based on some incentive clauses in Simone Fontecchio's contract that he is rapidly approaching.
Detroit Pistons: Simone Fontecchio's contract
If Troy Weaver can lock Fontecchio up to a team-friendly deal, it will be one of his better moves as GM of the Pistons, as he's a solid two-way wing who is shooting over 43 percent on 6.1 shots per game from long range since coming to Detroit.
He's versatile enough to fit into most lineups and you can plug him into the starting lineup or bring him off the bench, which the Pistons might be doing for the rest of the season.
Fontecchio has both starters and minutes clauses built into his contract, which could affect his future salary if he reaches them according to Keith Smith of Spotrac:
Simone Fontecchio of the Detroit Pistons needs to start one more game to reach starter criteria. If he does, that will see his potential qualifying offer go from $3.8M to $6.3M.
— Keith Smith (@KeithSmithNBA) March 12, 2024
Fontecchio's potential cap hold would also go up from $3.9M to $6.3M.
Something to keep an eye on.
Fontechhio will hit the starts with one more for the Detroit Pistons, which he could get tonight if Ausar Thompson has to sit against the Raptors.
Even if the Pistons decided to bring Fontecchio off the bench for the remainder of the season, he could get there with minutes, as he has currently logged 1,238 and needs 2,000 to reach his incentive.
Hopefully, this won't factor into how the Pistons use him, as I'd hate to see them bench a player just to keep his cap hold down, as it likely won't matter anyway.
manual