The Pistons got a fresh reminder of what Anthony Davis can do, and they got it twice in four days.
That kind of close-up look can make a front office start dreaming. It can also make a team talk itself into a move it shouldn’t make. Detroit has to be careful not to let Davis’ recent dominance push it back toward an offseason trade rumor that briefly linked him to the Pistons in a deal for center Jalen Duren.
Sam Amick and Hunter Patterson of The Athletic reported and then retracted the idea that Washington would be open to moving Davis for Duren. Even with the retraction, the fit is easy to understand.
Washington is in a rebuild that Davis and Trae Young are trying to speed up, while Detroit is trying to win now. The age gap matters too: Davis is 33, Duren is 22.
And there’s no denying why Davis would tempt the Pistons. Detroit needs more offense around Cade Cunningham, and Davis has spent his career giving teams exactly that. His 24.0 points per game average says plenty, and so do the two games against Detroit, when he put up 44 points in the first meeting and 30 in the second.
But the risk is just as obvious as the upside.
Davis is still elite when he’s on the floor. The problem is that lately, that’s been the exception more than the rule.
He played 76 games in 2023-24, but otherwise missed at least 26 games in every season between 2020-21 and 2025-26. That history can’t be brushed aside.
For a Pistons team that already doesn’t have a ton of reliable self-creators on offense, moving Duren for Davis would be a massive swing. It’s not the kind of bet a team in Detroit’s position should rush into.
Duren’s own case shouldn’t be ignored either. Yes, he has been out for nine of Detroit’s first 11 games in 2026-27.
But he also played at least 67 games in three of his first four seasons, and in the one season he didn’t, he still appeared in 61. At 22, he still looks like a player on the rise.
He backed that up in 2025-26, when he earned his first career All-NBA and All-Star selections while averaging 19.5 points, 10.5 rebounds, 3.8 offensive boards, 2.0 assists, 0.8 blocks, and 0.8 steals per game.
There’s no question Davis has the better playoff résumé. Duren struggled badly in the 2026 NBA Playoffs, while Davis remains one of the best postseason performers of the 21st century.
But this can’t be judged on talent alone. Age, health, and long-term cost all sit in the middle of the discussion.
If Detroit could land Davis without giving up one of Cunningham, Duren, or Ausar Thompson, that would change the equation. Then the Pistons could at least weigh the final two years on Davis’ contract, including the 2027-28 salary that comes with a player option.
But if one of those core three has to go, Detroit should resist the urge. A pair of strong showings from Davis shouldn’t be enough to send the Pistons back into a trade gamble they can’t afford.
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Now the conversation has shifted toward a more realistic kind of fix, with analysts pointing to Michael Porter Jr. as a possible answer to the teams perimeter-scoring problem. For a roster that already proved it can win at a high level, the appeal is obvious, but the bigger question is whether Detroit can turn that kind of buzz into a deal that actually changes the shape of its offense. [Read more 🡒]
FAA Grounding Suddenly Puts One Michigan Team In A Tough Spot
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For the Pistons, the immediate concern appears to be more relief than alarm. Detroit has already completed its travel and is at its destination, so there are no immediate issues reported on that front, unlike some of the other teams caught in the same web of delays. Still, it is the kind of air-travel headache that can complicate an already tight schedule if the grounding lingers or starts to spread into the next round of team movement. [Read more 🡒]
Jalen Durens Return Puts Pistons Frontcourt Roles In Flux
Jalen Duren is back on the court in basketball activities, and the next checkpoint for the Pistons arrives Nov. 22, when he is scheduled for a re-evaluation. For Detroit, the timing matters because Durens return is expected to reshape a frontcourt that has been sorting through different looks while hes been out, with J.B. Bickerstaff preparing to rework the rotation once the young center is cleared to ramp up again.
Paul Reed is slated to slide back into a backup center role, while John Collins should settle back at power forward, restoring a more natural alignment for the group. Tolu Smiths minutes are also expected to shrink as Duren and Reed reclaim the primary center duties, leaving the Pistons with a frontcourt that suddenly has more bodies and a lot more decisions to make. [Read more 🡒]