The Detroit Pistons made their first significant addition of the offseason, adding John Collins on a three-year, $51 million deal. The move likely signals that fan favorite Tobias Harris is going to play elsewhere in 2026-27. The news of the impending Collins signing was first reported by Shams Charania of ESPN.
A deal of that size eclipses what the Pistons could offer through the taxpayer midlevel exception, meaning the Pistons are planning to open the significant cap space needed to sign Collins
outright or they will work out a sign-and-trade deal with the Clippers. Detroit had already been laying the groundwork to make additions like this possible by sending out Isaiah Stewart for draft picks and are reportedly close to doing the same with Marcus Sasser in a deal with the Mavs.
The Pistons could fold this into the previous Stewart trade, organize another move to get off money (such as Caris LeVert), or they could simply waive Duncan Robinson, who only has $2 million guaranteed on his deal in order to open up the space needed to sign Collins.
It is hard to divorce the addition of Collins from what it means Detroit is losing in Tobias. Collins is an athletic big man who, at 6-foot-9 and with incredible burst, can play power forward or small-ball center. As his shooting has improved throughout his career, he’s found himself manning the power forward spot more and more.
On paper, he’s a perfect fit for what Detroit is looking for. A rangy athlete who is ultra-efficient near the rim and behind the three-point line. He has shot better than 60% on twos throughout his career, including 62.5% for the Clippers last season. He is also a career 37% three-point shooter and shot 40% last season in Los Angeles. He is not a prolific three-point shooter, averaging around 3-3.5 per game over the majority of his career. That is mostly in line with Harris’ volume in his second stint in Detroit.
Collins presents Cade Cunningham with a reliable three-point threat, a dangerous pick-and-roll partner who can put pressure on the rim, a player who loves to run in transition, and someone who is capable of forcing himself to the free-throw line. Those are all ingredients the Pistons have targeted the past few seasons since Trajan Langdon came to town.
What Collins can’t do is be what Harris brought to Detroit. He isn’t going to be the wise veteran leader within the locker room. You can’t feed him the ball when the offense isn’t functioning and ask him to back down his man for a mid-range look. Collins is not going to fill the role of what JBB called his “security blanket” as Harris was in Detroit.
This is a significant move for Detroit, but it is by no means sure to be its last. The Pistons still need to resolve the Jalen Duren stalemate, find a new starting center if Duren is sent out in a sign-and-trade, and neither this signing nor the previous trade for Isaiah Joe means they won’t still be searching for high-end talent on the wing.
