Ron Holland’s path in Detroit looks a lot murkier now.
With Ausar Thompson locked in on a five-year, $155 million extension, the Pistons suddenly have a bigger roster puzzle to solve - and Holland may be the piece that doesn’t fit. Detroit still has to sort out a possible new deal for Jalen Duren, and if that gets done too, the payroll climbs fast in a second-apron world.
The money matters, but the bigger issue is fit. Holland’s shooting limitations make the whole thing tighter than it already was.
The problem is simple: Detroit can’t keep stacking non-shooters in the same lineup and expect the offense to breathe. If Thompson and Duren are both major pieces behind Cade Cunningham, both on contracts that pay $30-plus million per year, then Holland is staring at a smaller role by default. The Pistons already gave Thompson a deal that looked like a steal, but if three of their key players don’t stretch the floor, there just isn’t room for Holland to be more than a reserve.
That’s a tough spot for the fifth overall pick in 2024. Holland is already viewed as an elite defender, but the offensive version fans want to see hasn’t fully arrived yet.
He averaged 19.9 minutes per game last season, and there may not be much room for that number to grow. Detroit simply can’t put Ausar, Duren, and Holland out there together for long stretches.
And the contract clock is ticking, too. Holland is only a year away from being extension-eligible, and if he keeps trending up, he’ll be looking for a substantial raise.
He already made $37.4 million on his rookie deal, and the next one would need to reflect the value of a 21-year-old wing who can change games defensively. Last season, Detroit posted a 5.0 net rating with Holland on the floor.
They were better with him on the bench, but that’s often the reality for a reserve wing.
His per-36 numbers show why the appeal is still there: 14.9 points, 7.3 rebounds, 2.2 assists, 2.1 steals, and 0.6 blocks. The shot is still the sticking point.
If Holland is going to be a starter on a contender, the offensive growth has to come. Thompson got paid despite similar questions, and that only sharpens the conversation around Holland.
Detroit’s books only make the situation harder. The Pistons already have $94.0 million committed to Cunningham, Thompson, Ebuka Okorie, and Chaz Lanier for the 2028-29 season.
Add Duren at around $40 million, and the total jumps to $134 million of the $184.8 million cap already tied up in five players. There isn’t much room left, which is why giving Holland something around the mid-level would mean cutting elsewhere.
That’s why the most logical move may be a trade, and not a delayed one. If Holland takes another step, the 2027 offseason could be the time to move him, before his next contract complicates everything.
Trading him then would also shift the extension pressure to his new team and keep Detroit from walking into a situation where the market gets squeezed. If the Pistons wait and extend him first, some teams might not have the salary-matching flexibility, which could bring down the asking price.
Next offseason, Holland would be on an expiring rookie-scale salary of $11.4 million, which gives Detroit a clean opening. They could flip him for draft capital or use him to chase a role player who changes the team more directly. The logic is hard to ignore: the Pistons already committed to Ausar, plan to keep Duren, and can’t realistically play all three together.
Detroit did try to address its shooting this offseason by adding John Collins, Isaiah Joe, Taurean Prince, and Gary Harris. Joe, especially, could help the second unit if he keeps knocking down 40-plus percent from deep like he did in Oklahoma City.
Even so, the lineup math hasn’t changed much. Three non-shooters on the floor at once is still a dead end, and Holland is the odd man out.
For now, his future in Detroit feels uncertain. Ausar Thompson got paid like a cornerstone, and that decision pushes Holland closer to the edge of the rotation and maybe closer to the exit.
He wants to become the same kind of impact player. He may just have to do it somewhere else.
In Other News...
Ausar Thompson Now Faces A Pistons Question Fans Can't Ignore
Ausar Thompson is suddenly carrying a price tag that invites immediate comparison with some of the leagues more established wings. Detroit locked him in for the long term, and the size of the commitment says plenty about how the Pistons view his upside, his fit and the role they expect him to grow into as the roster keeps taking shape around him.
The problem, at least for anyone looking at the deal through a hard-nosed basketball lens, is that Thompson is being paid like a proven difference-maker before he has fully shown he can be one. The contract lands in the neighborhood of what Mikal Bridges is making with the Knicks, which is exactly the kind of comparison that puts Thompsons current offensive output and lack of playoff rsum under a brighter light as Detroit waits to see whether the ceiling eventually matches the investment. [Read more 🡒]
Pistons Still Have A Jalen Duren Problem As Camp Nears
As media day approaches, Jalen Durens contract situation is still hanging over the Pistons, turning what should be a straightforward preseason storyline into one of the teams more delicate business issues. The restricted free agent and Detroit remain in negotiations, but there is still no agreement in place, and the longer it drags on, the more it shapes the backdrop for camp.
Detroit has tried to close the gap, and the talks have also been colored by comparisons to deals other players have landed around the league. Even so, Durens side has not been ready to move, leaving the Pistons with a problem that has no easy outside solution and a stalemate that could linger right up until the team has to get back to basketball. [Read more 🡒]
Jalen Duren Standoff Just Became A Serious Pistons Problem
With training camp approaching, the Pistons have tried to get ahead of the Jalen Duren conversation by raising their contract offer to five years and $200 million. It is a clear show of commitment to one of the teams young frontcourt pieces, and it signals how determined Detroit is to keep building around talent it believes can be part of the long-term core.
Still, Duren has not signed, and the lack of resolution is starting to hang over the situation in a bigger way. For a team trying to stabilize its roster and establish continuity, the possibility that Duren may want a different arrangement, or even a path out of Detroit, makes this more than a routine negotiation. [Read more 🡒]