Did the Miami Heat get over on the Detroit Pistons?

Few in Miami Heat history have overachieved as Duncan Robinson did.

As undrafted free agents go, only franchise pillar Udonis Haslem accomplished more (over two decades) than Robinson did from 2018 through the end of the 2025 season. He played in two NBA Finals. He became the Heat's all-time three-point shooter. He was a fixture in many of Miami's best lineups, and he earned a significant contract extension for his services.

But at the end of the 2024-25 season, which was not Robinson's best, the Heat had decided to move on, but appreciated Robinson enough to allow him to seek a suitor and salary that he desired. The Detroit Pistons play close to where Robinson did at the University of Michigan, and they made sense. The question was what the Heat would receive in return to make the numbers work.

The Heat received Simone Fontecchio.

It's been quite the gift so far.

Fontecchio, one year younger than Robinson, is under contract for $8.3 million this season, the final one of his deal. Robinson is starting a 3-year, $48 million committment from the Pistons.

So far, though, Fontecchio is outplaying Robinson.

It's time to have a short sample size conversation:https://t.co/YjvrFQVUtj pic.twitter.com/MJfSAjSCJA
— Five Reasons Sports 🏀🏈⚾️🏒⚽️ (@5ReasonsSports) October 30, 2025

It's incredibly early, of course. Robinson has a long track record of finding his form, and he's not that far off from it now.

But Fontecchio has been exceptional, and one of the Heat's biggest surprises. He's not getting the plays called for him that Robinson did -- dribble handoff after dribble handoff -- but he's feasting in the Heat's new free-flowing system, with fewer set calls from Erik Spoelstra and more body and ball movement.

Fontecchio has been so good that, even when Tyler Herro returns from an ankle injury and even with Jaime Jaquez Jr. excelling, there should still be a spot in the rotation. It's not just the shooting accuracy (61 percent overall, including 55 percent from behind the arc). Fontecchio has shown the ability to make plays for others, and his defense hasn't been as spotty as Robinson's could sometimes be.

None of this is to say that Robinson couldn't be doing similar things with the Heat now; he certainly had some scorching stretches. But considering their relative cost, the Heat are getting more bang for the buck from Fontecchio than anyone could have imagined.

That gives them more flexibility going forward than a long-term commitment Robinson would have allowed, and another sign that the Heat had a smart offseason that mostly went under the radar.

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