Pistons expand qualifying offer to acquire key trade deadlines

Simone Fontecchio almost immediately emerged as a sneaky quality acquisition for the Detroit Pistons at this year’s NBA trade deadline. For this reason, the franchise wants to keep him.

The Pistons announced on social media that they had extended a qualifying offer to Fontecchio. Per team policy, the terms of the offer will not be disclosed.

Before the season ended, it was widely reported that his qualifying offer would be around $5.2 million.

By extending a qualifying offer to the Italian-born forward ahead of the June 30 deadline, the Pistons have the right to match any offer he signs with another soccer club.

The Pistons acquired Fontecchio from the Utah Jazz at this year’s NBA trade deadline in exchange for Kevin Knox II, a second-round pick, and the rights to Gabriele Procida. In his Pistons debut, he scored 20 points and had nine rebounds in a loss to the Los Angeles Clippers.

In 16 games (nine starts) with Detroit, Fontecchio averaged 15.4 points on 48 percent shooting from the field and 42.6 percent from beyond the arc. He also added 4.4 rebounds. Fontecchio scored more than 20 points in four of those games, including a career-high 27 points against the Dallas Mavericks on March 9, making four 3-pointers.

During pre-season interviews with the Pistons, Fontecchio spoke openly about his desire to remain in Detroit.

“I love my time here,” Fontecchio told reporters. “I love Detroit. I love the Pistons organization. And I think we’ll all work this summer to make sure I stay here for the long haul. This is what I want. This is what we want, so we want to work on it. I’m really excited about it.”

It is worth mentioning, however, that the main reason Fontecchio wanted to stay with the Pistons was to continue playing under Monty Williams, who was fired as head coach.

At this time, the Pistons are still looking for Williams’ replacement.

Fontecchio’s desire to continue playing with Cade Cunningham was also one of the reasons he wanted to stay with the Pistons.

“I think he’s a true point guard,” Fontecchio said. “And I think Detroit is very, very lucky to have him. I’m personally very lucky to have him as my teammate. I love playing with him.”