Kelly Olynyk
The Detroit Pistons were criticized last season when they signed Jerami Grant and Mason Plumlee in free agency. Both of those deals they ended up getting the last laugh with, as both played very well. Unfortunately, they will not replicate that success with Kelly Olynyk.
Olynyk and the Pistons agreed to a three-year, $37.2 million deal. For a team in the stage of a rebuild that Detroit is at, signing a 30-year old to that deal makes very little sense.
Olynyk had great stats with the Houston Rockets following a trade from the Miami Heat, but it didn’t result in many wins, as they went 5-23 following his debut with the team.
Adding him to the roster makes little sense. They attached a second-round pick to clear Mason Plumlee from the roster to essentially replace him with Olynyk. Given the state of the Pistons, that is likely a downgrade as Plumlee is a plus defender, rebounder and secondary playmaker. Olynyk is a better shooter but provides nothing defensively.
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The presence of Olynyk will also take minutes away from young Pistons who need playing time to develop. This is a deal that the Pistons will be looking to get out from under sooner than later as Olynyk just doesn’t offer much upside and is an awkward fit in Detroit.
