Pistons' $27 million signing named one of offseason's worst overpays

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The Detroit Pistons have had an interesting offseason so far. 

Tobias Harris and Isaiah Stewart are gone, and those are big losses. There's also a weird ongoing situation with big man Jalen Duren, but it's still expected that he will return. Still, it's fair to wonder if the Pistons have done enough to stay atop the Eastern Conference. 

The Heat got Giannis, the 76ers got Jaylen Brown, the Raptors got Kawhi, and several other teams made improvements as well. Meanwhile, the Pistons have added Isaiah Joe and John Collins, while re-signing Kevin Huerter. 

However, that Huerter re-signing is not being received well around the league. 

Pistons roasted for extending Huerter

The Pistons added Huerter at the deadline in a bid to add more shooting around Cade Cunningham. It didn't exactly go well, though, as Huerter ended up shooting just 29% from deep in 25 games with the Pistons. 

Still, the Pistons decided to give him a three-year extension worth $27 million. Zach Buckley of Bleacher Report identified the top overpays so far, and naturally, the Huerter deal made the list. 

Buckley offered the following analysis: 

Three years and an average annual salary shy of $10 million seems reasonable enough for a shooting specialist, right? Well, how much does the calculation change if that specialist can't actually shoot?

Yikes. The Pistons, who seemed routinely starved for spacing this past season, converted 35.6 percent of their long-range looks. The Brooklyn Nets, who brought up the NBA's rear in three-point accuracy, shot an even 34 percent—a mark Huerter has landed below in back-to-back seasons.

As Buckley mentioned, Huerter was once thought of as a shooting specialist, but he's struggled for a few seasons now. The wing hasn't shot better than 35% from deep since the 2023-24 season, so it's fair to say this isn't just a little slump. 

And the thing is, if Huerter isn't hitting shots, he's not really helping much in other ways. Huerter has never been a lockdown defender or great with the ball in his hands, so it seems like the Pistons are just banking on him regaining his shooting form. 

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