The Pistons’ looming call on Ron Holland is a lot less straightforward than it looks.
Detroit has until October 31 to decide on the final team option in Holland’s rookie contract, and the easy instinct is to simply pick it up. He’s shown enough to make another year feel justified. But that choice comes with a real financial bite: Holland’s salary for the 2027-28 season would jump to $11.5 million.
That’s a meaningful number for a player who couldn’t get off the bench in the playoffs last season. It would also make him the fourth-highest paid Piston at that figure, not counting the non-guaranteed contracts. And while Holland has plenty of promise, there isn’t much argument that he’s already the fourth-best player on the roster - or even that he’ll ever be.
Still, declining the option would be a surprising move. Holland was taken with a top five pick, and the kind of unrealized potential he’s flashed makes it rare to imagine a team walking away from that kind of investment this early.
There is at least a path where Detroit could get creative. If the Pistons declined the option, Holland would become an unrestricted free agent at the end of the season, which would create the possibility of losing him for nothing. But Detroit would still have his Bird Rights, giving the team a chance to work out a longer deal at a lower annual salary.
That route has appeal if Holland remains what he’s been so far: a bench reserve who hasn’t proven much beyond that role. It could allow the Pistons to lock him into a contract that ends up looking like a bargain.
Of course, it cuts both ways. If Holland breaks out, the Pistons could wind up paying even more on a new deal. That’s why exercising the option is the cleaner middle ground.
There’s also the trade angle. If Detroit makes a major move before the deadline, Holland could be one of its more interesting chips.
But that value only really holds if he’s under contract. Teams are far less likely to give up real assets for a player who might be headed to free agency anyway, and that extra year of rookie-scale control makes him much more appealing.
For now, the likeliest outcome is still the simplest one: the Pistons probably pick up the option. It’s the move that makes the most sense. But Holland is going to have to take a step forward to make that $11.5 million price tag feel right.
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Isaiah Stewarts Rough Memphis Start Says A Lot About Detroits Decision
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The early setback in Memphis only sharpens the reason the Pistons were willing to move on. Detroit had concerns about whether Stewarts approach could survive the grind of a deep postseason push, and the new chapter opened with another reminder that durability is part of the evaluation. For a player whose edge has always been tied to his strength and activity, the bigger question now is whether that same identity can stay on the floor when it matters most. [Read more 🡒]
Pistons Trade That Felt Empty Suddenly Has Something To Prove
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One of the names worth tracking is Ebuka Okorie, a pick-swap selection who has flashed promise in preseason and given the front office at least a reason to keep watching. Kevin Huerter is also in the mix after getting through offseason surgery and looking ready to help as a versatile bench option, giving the Pistons a healthier, more experienced piece to lean on as they try to squeeze something tangible out of a trade that has not yet paid off in the obvious way. [Read more 🡒]
John Collins Already Brought An Edge Pistons Fans Will Notice
The Pistons got a pretty clear look at John Collins edge early in the preseason opener against Phoenix, when he and Dillon Brooks got tangled up in a physical exchange that set the tone for a chippy night. Brooks was assessed a technical foul and Collins was hit with a flagrant 1, the kind of sequence that immediately catches attention in October even if it wont mean anything once the games start counting for real.
Brooks later disputed the technical, while Collins made it clear he is ready for the kind of physical battles that come with an NBA season. For Detroit, that matters as much as the call itself. The Pistons are still sorting out how much toughness and bite they can consistently bring, and Collins already showed he is not going to shy away from that side of the game. [Read more 🡒]