The Detroit Pistons are in a decent spot with the second apron for now, but that comfort could disappear fast.
Jalen Duren still hasn’t been extended, and when his payday arrives, it’s going to be expensive. The bigger squeeze comes next summer, when Ausar Thompson becomes eligible for a new deal. By then, Detroit could be staring at the same kind of financial headache the Oklahoma City Thunder and Boston Celtics have already had to work through.
Oklahoma City just moved Lu Dort to the Atlanta Hawks in a three-team deal that was really about shedding salary so it could get below the second apron. Boston has already made similar choices, dealing Jrue Holiday and Kristaps Porzingis last summer to avoid that threshold, then moving Jaylen Brown this summer to create more flexibility down the road.
For Detroit, the issue is simple: Duren is about to get paid, and if he stays, the Pistons will be committing major money to him, Thompson and Cade Cunningham starting next season.
Cunningham is already on a max deal, and that’s exactly the kind of contract a franchise player should have. But the problem is that stars don’t exist in a vacuum. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Jayson Tatum are on huge deals too, and their teams still had to make tough financial decisions.
If Duren lands somewhere around $30 million on his next contract, and Thompson gets in that same neighborhood, Detroit would be looking at roughly $80 million tied up between Duren and Cunningham alone. Add Thompson at about the same number, and the total jumps to $110 million for three players.
And that’s before you even get to John Collins at $17 million and Duncan Robinson at $15.1 million, assuming Detroit decides to guarantee Robinson’s contract for the 2027-28 season. Suddenly, five players are eating up a massive chunk of the payroll.
Right now, the second apron sits at $221 million. It will rise some by 2027-28, but even then the Pistons would still be looking at five players making about $142 million if Duren and Thompson both come in at $30 million apiece.
That doesn’t even account for the other names Detroit may need to keep around. Daniss Jenkins could be due for a raise, and Paul Reed, Javonte Green, Taurean Prince and Gary Harris are all part of the depth picture too. The Pistons need that kind of support, but they also probably don’t want to be boxed into second-apron territory this soon.
Thompson’s next contract could be the piece that pushes Detroit into the same trap Boston and Oklahoma City have been forced to navigate.
In Other News...
Cade Cunningham Is Facing A Bigger Pistons Offseason Question
Detroits offseason has been quiet enough that the spotlight has drifted toward what the Pistons have not done as much as what they have. John Collins is the lone free-agent addition so far, and while that gives the roster a new piece, it also leaves open the larger question of how aggressively the front office is still trying to add talent around Cade Cunningham.
Cunningham has not been publicly tied to any recruiting push, even though stars around the league often help sell teammates on a destination. There are still names out there who could matter for Detroit, including LeBron James, Jonathan Kuminga and DeMar DeRozan, with the Pistons also said to have at least kicked the tires on DeRozan. Whether Cunningham has been working behind the scenes is unclear, but for a team trying to climb faster, his voice could end up being part of the offseason equation. [Read more 🡒]
Pistons May Have Finally Fixed The Offense Without Losing The Edge
The Pistons spent the offseason trying to solve a familiar problem without undoing what made them hard to play against. Detroit moved veterans Tobias Harris, Isaiah Stewart and Caris LeVert, then leaned into a roster built to space the floor better while still keeping the defensive tone intact with Paul Reed, Javonte Green, Ron Holland II and Ausar Thompson in place as the teams chaos creators.
That balance matters because the offense has often bogged down in the half court, where one reliable shooter was not enough to keep defenses honest. Now the Pistons can point to multiple players who hit better than 40 percent from three last season, a notable shift for a team that has spent years trying to add shooting without turning soft on the other end. The question is whether the new mix can finally make the offense functional while preserving the edge that has defined this group. [Read more 🡒]
Pistons Fans Finally Have A Reason To Revisit The Huerter Signing
Kevin Huerters arrival in Detroit looked like a straightforward shooting add when the Pistons handed him a $9 million-per-year deal, but the fit is a little more layered than that. He gives the roster another perimeter option, and even with the wing and guard spots crowded, there is a path for him to matter if the season turns the way Detroit expects it might.
For now, Huerters role appears limited, which is why the signing can feel easy to overlook in the moment. Still, JB Bickerstaff has shown he is willing to use deep rotations, and Huerters ability to cover multiple spots gives the Pistons some needed insurance if the lineup gets hit by injuries or the back end of the roster starts to shift. [Read more 🡒]