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Veteran Sharpshooter’s Deal Considered Big Win for Pistons

Did the Pistons get a major bargain with Simone Fontecchio's contract?
Justin Grasso|
Feb 13, 2024; Los Angeles, California, USA; Los Angeles Lakers guard Austin Reaves (15) is defended by Detroit Pistons forward Simone Fontecchio (19) in the first half at Crypto.com Arena. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports
Feb 13, 2024; Los Angeles, California, USA; Los Angeles Lakers guard Austin Reaves (15) is defended by Detroit Pistons forward Simone Fontecchio (19) in the first half at Crypto.com Arena. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports | Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports

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Detroit Pistons

Despite entering the free agency period with enough cap space to ink a couple of All-Stars, the Detroit Pistons knew they couldn’t break the bank to cut corners through their rebuild.

Maybe they didn’t land an All-Star, but they made a handful of moves that could turn out to look great as the 2024-2025 NBA season plays out.

In the eyes of Bleacher Report’s Dan Favale, the re-signing of Simone Fontecchio was the team’s “biggest win” this summer.

“Getting Simone Fontecchio's combination of spacing, movement and subtly solid defense for two years and $16 million, on the other hand, is highway robbery. … At least 15 other teams should feel bad about themselves for letting an impact player like Fontecchio remain in Detroit for so little guaranteed money.”

During the 2023-2024 NBA season, the Pistons acquired Fontecchio at the trade deadline. By sending out Kevin Knox, a second-round pick, and rights to Gabriele Procida, the Pistons landed Fontecchio. The veteran appeared in 16 games down the stretch of the season.

It might’ve been a short run for Fontecchio, who ended the year early due to an injury, but he showed enough to keep the Pistons intrigued as he approached the free agent market as a restricted prospect.

In 16 games, Fontecchio averaged 15 points on 43 percent shooting from three. He also accounted for four rebounds per game.

At the end of the regular season, Fontecchio made it clear the Pistons would get a shot to land his services for next season and beyond. Despite the 28-year-old bringing valuable shooting to the table for a championship hopeful, Detroit is where he wanted to be.

The Pistons managed to make it happen. Fontecchio is on pace to make $16 million over the next two seasons.

Based on his small sample size in Detroit, Fontecchio looks like a steal. The Pistons will soon see if that remains the case long-term.

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Justin Grasso
JUSTIN GRASSO

Justin Grasso was a credentialed writer and publisher covering the Philadelphia 76ers for Sports Illustrated’s 76ers On SI Network. Grasso got his start in sports media in 2016 with FantasyPros, working the news desk, providing game-by-game player analysis and updates on the Portland Trail Blazers and the Golden State Warriors. By 2017, he joined FanSided’s Philadelphia Eagles site as a staff writer. After spending one season covering the Eagles as a staff writer, Grasso was promoted to become the site’s Co-Editor. For the next two NFL seasons, he covered the Eagles closely before broadening his NFL coverage. For a brief stint, Grasso covered the NFL on a national basis after joining Heavy.com as an NFL news desk writer. In 2019, Grasso joined the 76ers' beat on a part-time basis, stepping into a role with South Jersey’s 97.3 ESPN. Ahead of the 2019-2020 NBA season, he concluded a three-year stint covering the Eagles and joined the Sixers beat full-time. Grasso has covered the 76ers exclusively since then for Sports Illustrated. He is a member of the Pro Basketball Writers Association. Twitter: @JGrasso_ Instagram: @JGrassoMedia

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