The Detroit Pistons spent the offseason swinging for bigger names, but the next move that could matter most may be the simplest one: add shooting.
Detroit was the top team in the Eastern Conference during the regular season last year, yet the playoffs made one thing clear - this group is still learning what it takes when the stakes rise. The Pistons are back with something to prove, and they’ve already shown they’re willing to chase help.
League sources told ESPN’s Vincent Goodwill that Detroit checked in on Kawhi Leonard and Kevin Durant, and the team was also prepared to offer Austin Reaves a major free-agent deal if the Los Angeles Lakers had opened the door. “The Pistons inquired about trading for Kawhi Leonard and Kevin Durant this offseason, according to league sources, and were positioned to offer Austin Reaves a big free agent contract if the Los Angeles Lakers opened the door.
None of that materialized," ESPN's Vincent Goodwill wrote.
Even with that ambition, the roster still has a glaring issue that could follow them into the trade deadline: three-point shooting. SI’s Aidan Chacon pointed out that Detroit has managed to win even on nights when the shots from deep aren’t falling.
“Most notably, the Pistons are even snagging wins when they shoot poorly from beyond the arc. In an era of basketball where consistency from three-point range is preached as paramount, the Detroit Pistons are winning in their own way.
Their tough defense and efficiency inside the paint has defined their identity this season," Chacon wrote.
That’s why CBS Sports’ Sam Quinn sees Detroit as a team to watch in deadline talks, with NBA champion Michael Porter Jr. as a logical target. “Get ready to hear a lot about the Detroit Pistons today, folks. A team that needs offense and controls all of its own picks is always going to feature prominently in deadline speculation, and Porter is the first of many candidates who will come up for them here,” Quinn wrote.
Porter would fit the need cleanly. He brings the kind of shooting Detroit lacks, plus NBA Finals experience, and he could also give the locker room a veteran presence that matters once the games tighten up.
In Other News...
Pistons Suddenly Linked To A Scorer Who Could Change Their Ceiling
Tyler Herro is suddenly part of the conversation in Detroit after the Bucks blockbuster deal with Miami sent him into a new spotlight. For the Pistons, the appeal is obvious: he is the kind of scorer who can bend a defense, give a young roster another creator, and raise the offensive ceiling in a hurry if the right deal ever materializes.
Nothing is confirmed, of course, and that is where the intrigue lives for Detroit. Still, the fit is easy to see on paper, which is why the speculation has gained traction so quickly around a team that could use more shot-making as it tries to take the next step. [Read more 🡒]
Pistons Suddenly Have A Frontcourt Need Precious Achiuwa Could Solve
Jalen Durens hamstring injury has left Detroit with a frontcourt hole at exactly the wrong time, and the Pistons are suddenly looking at their center depth a little differently. With Duren expected to miss a couple of weeks, the team has a short-term need that could easily become a bigger roster question if it does not find a way to stabilize the middle.
One name that fits the bill is Precious Achiuwa, who is now with the Sacramento Kings and has shown enough recently to keep him on Detroits radar. His contract is manageable, and his ability to line up at both center and power forward gives the Pistons a little more flexibility than a pure backup big would, which is why he makes sense as the kind of trade target that could help patch the frontcourt without forcing a major overhaul. [Read more 🡒]
Ron Holland Showed The Offensive Spark Pistons Fans Have Waited For
The Pistons kept rolling at Barclays Center, beating the Nets 110-94 to move to 5-1 overall and open NBA Cup play at 1-0. Cade Cunningham led the way with 20 points, but the bigger development for Detroit was Ron Holland turning in a season-high 18 points, a sign of the kind of offensive burst the team has been waiting to see from the young wing.
Detroit seized control with a 31-7 third-quarter run and turned defense into easy offense by forcing 24 turnovers, the sort of formula that has fueled this strong start. Hollands scoring outburst fit neatly into that picture, giving the Pistons another dimension on a night when their depth and pressure overwhelmed Brooklyn, and it leaves plenty of curiosity about how much more of that aggression can carry over as the schedule tightens. [Read more 🡒]