Last week, the Miami Heat acquired Simone Fontecchio from the Detroit Pistons as the lone returning piece in the Duncan Robinson sign-and-trade.
The Heat will be Fontecchio’s third NBA team in four years after signing a two-year contract with the Utah Jazz ahead of the 2022-23 season. He blossomed with Detroit upon being traded there at the deadline in 2023-24, but saw his role shrink last year, averaging just 16.5 minutes per game.
In a recent interview with BasketNews, Fontecchio, 29, recalled a special moment with now-Houston Rockets superstar and 15-time All-Star Kevin Durant, when he was still with the Suns.
“I was just got traded to the Pistons, and one of the first few games that I played with Detroit was against Phoenix, where Kevin Durant was playing at that time,” Fontecchio recalled. “During a break in the game, Durant came up to me and told me, ‘We tried everything we could to get you here, but we couldn’t do it.’ It was a great show of respect from a champion of the game and it made me realize how much he thought of me.”
Fontecchio had a very strong second season split between Utah and Detroit before suffering a season-ending toe injury in March of 2024. In 66 combined games (43 starts), he averaged 10.5 points and 3.7 rebounds on 46.0 percent shooting and 40.1 percent from 3-point range, where he attempted north of five triple tries per game.
At the time, the Suns were desperate for any ancillary production outside of Durant, Devin Booker, Bradley Beal and Grayson Allen. They acquired Royce O’Neale at the deadline, in addition to David Roddy, while also adding veterans Thaddeus Young (buyout) and Isaiah Thomas.
Now, Fontecchio will join a Heat rotation, spearheaded by Tyler Herro, Bam Adebayo, Andrew Wiggins, Davion Mitchell and newly-acquired Norman Powell. We still don’t know what the final roster will look like because there are still moves to be made, but Fontecchio could garner a role at the back of the Heat’s rotation with Jaime Jaquez Jr., Nikola Jovic, Haywood Highsmith, Keshad Johnson and Pelle Larsson all fighting for minutes.
The 6-foot-8 sharpshooter likened his skillset to Duncan Robinson in his first press conference with Heat reporters this week. He’s far more unseasoned than Robinson was, but there’s still plenty of room for growth despite the fourth-year wing pushing 30-years-old.
***
To check out our other content, click here.
Follow Hot Hot Hoops on Twitter/X here!
Follow Hot Hot Hoops on Instagram here!
Subscribe to our YouTube channel here!
- 2025-26 Miami Heat Player Review: Nikola Jovic
- 2025-26 Miami Heat Player Review: Keshad Johnson
- 2025-26 Miami Heat Player Review: Jaime Jaquez Jr.
- Why Heat should target this under-the-radar free agent wing
- 2025-26 Miami Heat Player Review: Kasparas Jakucionis
- Heat to participate in 2026 California Classic Summer League event
- 3 potential trade partners for this Heat guard
European first pick is looking pretty good right now. 🙂
5-21. Your gonna say it’s sl
I’m gonna say you trying to be funny backfired
It backfired
Vj edgecombe will be the best player in this draft class has a hunger for the game. Also was working out immediately after being drafted from the vids I’ve seen
Nope, we missed on Pelle. We should pick Bronny.
I think Simone, from what I have seen, has a little bulk, a little toughness, that actually may make him a little better contributor than we might expect. His body shape is better for the brutishness of NBA play than the player he replaced. And if his three point shot is as accurate as his stats indicate, we may be pleasantly surprised.
Body shape is not a definitive indicator, but seems to play a big part in the chance for success of the, let’s call them, “European players.” That’s why I am more positive about Pelle, who is well proportioned, than Jovic (too gawky) or JJJ (too bulky). Just my opinion. And, of course, players can bulk up or thin down to more muscle to improve their chances, like Tyler did.
Specifically about Simone, I feel very much the same. He even admitted in his media interviews that he is not a great athlete. But he is solid and doesn’t seem to shy away from contact at all.
PF/C?
I think primarily sf, but looks strong enough to slide to pf.