The Detroit Pistons could be an offseason suitor for three-point sharpshooter C.J. McCollum
During the playoffs, it became painfully obvious that the Detroit Pistons did not acquire the requisite three-point shooting help at the Trade Deadline when they shipped out Jaden Ivey in exchange for Kevin Huerter and a first round pick swap with the Minnesota Timberwolves.
Now, that conclusion is not solely Huerter’s fault since he was injured with a left adductor strain throughout most of the postseason. However, once the Orlando Magic found success clogging the paint and the Cleveland Cavs stuck with that same strategy in round two, the clarity of Detroit’s three-point shooting inconsistency crystallized.
During the regular season, the Pistons checked in as the No. 17 squad in terms of three-point shooting percentage, so the team’s lack of perimeter gravity was a known weakness for much of the year. But if Detroit’s President of Basketball Operations, Trajan Langdon, would like to address that issue, then there’s several players in the current crop of free agents who could fill that role such as C.J. McCollum.
Playing the first half of last season with the Washington Wizards, McCollum was also dealt at the Trade Deadline to the Atlanta Hawks, but he kept up his sharp shooting in his new location and helped the Hawks on a playoff run. McCollum shot 37.5% from beyond the arc last season with a 39.3% clip while a member of the Wizards, so his long-range prowess hasn’t deteriorated with age. In fact, McCollum would theoretically step into the Pistons’ locker room with the second-best career three-point shooting percentage if Langdon opted to bring in the veteran, so there’s more than just a legitimate argument that CJ would make Detroit a tougher team to defend in the playoffs.
Based on his most recent two-year contract, McCollum earned an average of $32 million per year according to Spotrac, so he’d be an expensive player to bring into the Motor City, but elite shooting is not the cheapest trait to come by as Langdon admitted himself. The Pistons are entering the summer with a good deal of roster and cap flexibility, so they’d be able to make the numbers work if they were both pressed and determined to bring in the near-20-point per game scorer
From a stylistic standpoint, Detroit used Duncan Robinson on the perimeter to keep opposing teams honest considering his laser-like three-point reputation, but the Pistons need more than just one competent long-range threat when the paint collapses on Cade Cunningham and Jalen Duren. But if the Pistons brought in McCollum this offseason, they’d have a pair of marksmen to space along the wings with Cunningham and Duren creating offense closer to the hoop with Tobias Harris (or another four) roaming the floor as a connector.
Now, the Pistons have explored the possibility of adding three-point shooting through the 2026 NBA Draft, and they’ve brought in a series of guards for pre-draft workouts to help evaluate the field. McCollum, on the other hand, would offer proven perimeter shooting that would turn the Pistons into a much more balanced squad from an offensive standpoint.
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