The Pistons are hoping history repeats itself with Ben Gordon who spent three years at UConn, won an NCAA title in his junior year, declared for the NBA draft, got picked in the lottery and … voila, a few years later appears to be on his way to becoming a Piston.

The Pistons reportedly have agreed to contract terms with Gordon, only 26 and the most desirable free agent on the market by many analyses, according to multiple media outlets. NBA teams are prohibited from commenting on pending free-agent signings until July 8, but players and their agents are free to make clear their intentions.

Hamilton, the No. 7 pick in the 1999 draft, and Gordon, the No. 3 pick in the 2004 draft – the Nos. 2 and 6 all-time scoring leaders at UConn – have both spent their NBA careers playing mostly off the ball at shooting guard, which begs the question how they can co-exist in the Pistons’ backcourt.

Pistons president Joe Dumars, when he’s free to comment on the deal, might remind people that he took part in a fairly successful three-guard rotation that included Isiah Thomas and Vinnie Johnson and provided enough playing time and shot opportunities for all three as the Bad Boys won back-to-back NBA titles.

Skeptics will no doubt point out that the three-guard rotation didn’t work well last season when the Pistons had Allen Iverson and Rodney Stuckey along with Hamilton. And that’s undeniable. But Gordon isn’t Iverson. Nobody is Iverson, one of the most singularly unique players in NBA history.

Gordon isn’t Hamilton, either, but he’s not so radically different than him that the Pistons will have to play digital basketball with one at shooting guard and analog hoops with the other in the lineup. Both are terrific at coming off of screens and getting shots up. Gordon, as he displayed while averaging 24 points a game in the scintillating seven-game series with Boston in the first round of this year’s playoffs, has also become one of the most dangerous guards in the league creating his own shot off the dribble. And Gordon has spent much of his five-year career coming off of Chicago’s bench and has produced 20 points or close to it while rarely playing much more than 30 minutes a game.

It will be up to a new coach, with the recent firing of Michael Curry, to figure a way to integrate the strengths of Gordon, Hamilton and Stuckey into the same lineup, which should be a blessing, not a burden.

Between Stuckey’s strength, penetration skills and ability to guard either backcourt position; Hamilton’s length, lethal mid-range game and ability to play small forward; and Gordon’s superb 3-point range and explosive off-the-dribble repertoire, the Pistons would have the capacity to attack opponents from every conceivable level.

The Pistons were one of the NBA’s weakest 3-point shooting teams last season, ranking 26th in accuracy and 28th in attempts, and they’ll lose their most prolific triple threat, Rasheed Wallace. Gordon, who attempted about five triples per game last season, represents a huge upgrade from the arc, which has become an increasingly important weapon. And in Charlie Villanueva – who, also according to multiple media reports, has agreed to a Pistons contract – the Pistons will add a second 3-point threat.

Gordon has been labeled an average defender, but playing alongside Stuckey will give the Pistons the versatility to choose their defensive matchups for him. Gordon’s quickness and strength give him the physical tools to match up against all but the bigger shooting guards, such as Atlanta’s Joe Johnson, perhaps. In such instances, Stuckey could move over and Gordon could check the opposition point guard.