After it became clear they would lose Tobias Harris in unrestricted free agency, the Detroit Pistons had a quick pivot in mind. In came John Collins, who they landed in a sign-and-trade with the Los Angeles
Clippers in July and inked to a partially-guaranteed three-year, $51 million contract.
It's since been a warm welcome for Collins, who turned 29 last Wednesday. Team president Trajan Langdon and coach J.B. Bickerstaff both spoke highly of his versatility during media day on Monday, Sept. 28. A day later on Tuesday, training camp opened at the team's practice facility and Collins talked to local media for the first time.
"It was definitely a mutual energy coming from both ways," Collins said of his initial interactions with the Pistons. "Obviously have a great group here. Got guys like [Cade Cunningham], [Daniss Jenkins], trying to build a great group of guys. When I got that call from [Pistons president] Traj[an Langdon], I was delighted to hear from him and I said let’s talk about something, you guys are trying to do something that I agree with in my soul, that agrees with me basketball-wise. It came very fast, as you said. To me, that’s a good sign."
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At 6-foot-10, Collins brings size and athleticism to the Pistons at power forward. He averaged 13.6 points and 5.3 rebounds while shooting 55.2% overall and 40.6% from 3 (3.2 attempts over 69 games) for the Los Angeles Clippers last season. His outside shooting will be an asset and helped make him a priority, as the Pistons wished to improve the spacing around Cunningham, Ausar Thompson and Jalen Duren, who has yet to report to camp amid an ongoing contract standoff in restricted free agency.
"He’s legit size at that position," Bickerstaff said of Collins on Monday. "Above-average athletic ability at that position. Adds versatility. Obviously has the ability to shoot it. But he can play the five if you want him to, he can set screens and roll, he’s a lob threat at that spot. He can pop and play secondary actions and he can space in corners. He just brings a ton of versatility. And then defensively, we were a below-average rebounding team last year and one of his strengths is defensive rebounding.
"He adds to what we’re trying to do and I give Trajan and his group a ton of credit. They find the margins of areas where we’re looking to improve and then they find a way to get somebody who can do it."
Collins said he sees parallels between his game and one of his favorite all-time Pistons, Rasheed Wallace, as both are stretch-fours who can rebound and defend. Collins also has a relationship with Isiah Thomas, dating back to his time with the Atlanta Hawks from his rookie season in 2017 through 2023. Thomas is a longtime NBA TV studio analyst, which was operated by TNT Sports and based in Atlanta.
"Zeke, I had a chance to talk to Zeke in Atlanta," Collins said. "He was always in the Turner studios down in Atlanta. Just trying to give me some words of wisdom, and ever since then we’ve been great. Haven’t talked to Sheed yet, but it’s just love from over here.
"They have a different passion, a different heart when they play basketball," Collins continued when asked about the Pistons' identity. "They truly have that Pistons roar, that energy that I grew up with. Trying to continuate that and that’s something that I have inside of me. That’s something that’s not embraced the same way around the league, so it’s something I have to bring back out of myself and adjust to the guys, man. We have a group of guys who play their hearts out every day. It’s good to see and I’ve gotta turn my motor on, too."
Now entering his 10th season, Collins will be among the Pistons' veterans this season. He spent his first six years in Atlanta before being traded to the Utah Jazz in 2023, and Clippers in 2025. The Pistons are the winningest franchise he's played for, though, and he will be a big contributor for a squad looks to build on a 60-win season and disappointing Game 7 exit in the second round.
"I’m excited to be back with John," Kevin Huerter, who played with Collins with the Hawks during the first four years of his career from 2018-22, said during media day. "I think he’ll be an organization-wide favorite. He just has a ton of positive energy when he walks in the building every day.
"And then on the court, his ability to impact the game, defensively and offensively, I think his game has grown from even when I played with him from his time in Utah and with the Clippers. Defensively I think he really fits into what we do here, being big, playing with physicality, blocking shots, being at the rim, rebounding. That’s all big strengths of his game."
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Contact Omari Sankofa II at osankofa@freepress.com. Follow him on X and/or Bluesky.
For (preseason) openers: Suns
Matchup: Pistons (60-22 in 2025-26) vs. Phoenix (45-37), exhibition opener.
Faceoff: 7 p.m. Monday, Oct. 5; Little Caesars Arena, Detroit.
TV/radio: The Spot – Detroit 20; WXYT-FM (97.1).
Regular-season opener: Vs. Celtics; 3 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 20; NBC.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Why John Collins feels like a great fit with Detroit Pistons
