DHJ Quick Take: John Collins Lands in Detroit on Three-Year Deal
John Collins has agreed to a three-year, $51 million contract with the Detroit Pistons, adding frontcourt scoring as the team reshapes its rotation in free agency.
- What will John Collins sign? A three-year, $51 million deal with the Detroit Pistons that averages about $17 million per season.
- Why does the signing matter for Detroit? It brings an efficient frontcourt scorer alongside Cade Cunningham after the team cleared cap room by trading Isaiah Stewart.
- How does John Collins fit? He gives the Pistons a big man who shot 55.2% last season and provides insurance while the Jalen Duren situation plays out.
- What’s next? Detroit still needs to resolve Jalen Duren’s restricted free agency and decide on Tobias Harris, while the wider power forward market, including Rui Hachimura, stays unsettled.
Free agent forward John Collins has agreed to a three-year, $51 million contract with the Detroit Pistons, giving a team fresh off a run to the Eastern Conference semifinals another scorer for its frontcourt heading into next season.
The deal averages about $17 million per season. Collins spent last year with the LA Clippers, where he averaged 13.6 points, 5.3 rebounds and 1.0 assists while shooting 55.2% from the field. He stayed efficient even as his role shifted between the starting lineup and the bench, and he shot better than 50% from the floor over a strong stretch late in the season.
Now 28, Collins is joining his fourth franchise since Atlanta took him 19th overall in the 2017 draft. He spent six seasons with the Hawks, was traded to the Utah Jazz in 2023, then landed with the Clippers last summer. His scoring and rim-running have held up through the moves, and Detroit is betting that carries into a larger role.
John Collins Fills a Frontcourt Need in Detroit
In Detroit, Collins slots in alongside a young core led by Cade Cunningham. The Pistons created the room to add him earlier this offseason when they traded Isaiah Stewart to the Memphis Grizzlies for future second-round picks, a move that opened roughly $20 million in spending flexibility. President of basketball operations Trajan Langdon has spent the summer looking for scoring to put around Cunningham, and Collins answers part of that.
The signing also gives Detroit cover in the frontcourt while it works through a trickier negotiation with restricted free agent Jalen Duren, whose situation has drawn trade speculation in the opening days of free agency. However, the Duren talks land, Collins gives the Pistons a reliable interior scorer already under contract.
Power Forward Market Still Has Names to Watch
Collins is off the board, but the power forward market is one to monitor because several notable players still need to find a resolution. Tobias Harris, who played last season in Detroit, is an unrestricted free agent, and the Pistons have shown interest in a return even as other teams check on his availability. Harris averaged 13.3 points, 5.1 rebounds and 2.5 assists last year while shooting 46.9% from the field and 36.8% from three.
Rui Hachimura is another forward still waiting on a landing spot and was linked to Detroit. He reached unrestricted free agency after finishing a three-year, $51 million contract with the Los Angeles Lakers, and he shot the ball well through the regular season and into the playoffs. Multiple teams have been connected to him early, and where he signs could move the rest of the market.
How the remaining forwards come off the board figures to shape the next stretch of free agency, especially for teams still hunting frontcourt help. Detroit, for now, has one of its priorities settled.
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