The Detroit Pistons have spent much of this offseason in the middle of the rumor mill, and the noise only got louder once the internal drama with Jalen Duren went public. Trajan Langdon has had plenty on his plate, and so far the moves have been more about building out the roster than making the kind of headline-grabbing swing fans are waiting for.
What Detroit has done is add depth. Isaiah Stewart was sent out, the Pistons moved up in the draft to take Ebuka Okorie, traded for Isaiah Joe and brought back free agent Kevin Huerter.
The last two moves stand out because they directly target the shooting problems that dragged the team down last season. Joe is a real 3-point threat, and Huerter has shown that ability before, even if it hasn’t been there recently.
Huerter’s deal looks a little steep on the surface, though there’s a good chance the third year - and maybe even the second - ends up as an option or not fully guaranteed. Still, paired with Joe, it gives Detroit more than just another body. It gives the Pistons flexibility, and that may be the biggest development of all.
That flexibility matters because one of Detroit’s biggest obstacles in any major trade has been salary matching. The Pistons simply haven’t had enough sizable contracts to make the math work.
That’s part of why so many people expected Tobias Harris’ $25 million expiring deal to be moved last season. It didn’t happen, and Detroit entered the offseason with the same problem still hanging over it.
Before the recent additions, the Pistons were looking at Caris LeVert’s expiring deal and Duncan Robinson’s non-guaranteed contract as their only real tools for matching salary in a bigger deal. With Joe and Huerter now on the roster, that picture changes. Add those two to Robinson and LeVert, and Detroit is suddenly sitting on about $50 million in tradable contracts.
That doesn’t mean a blockbuster is coming. It just means the Pistons are in a far better position to chase one than they were at the start of the offseason.
For now, though, the team’s direction remains hard to pin down. The Pistons have been linked to names nobody would have predicted, including Jaylen Brown, and the possibility of losing Jalen Duren is now out there too, which clearly wasn’t part of the original plan.
So yes, Langdon could be lining up movable contracts for something bigger. But it would also make sense if this is simply what the roster looks like when the team can’t find the trade it wants.
Fans aren’t interested in hearing about patience, and the Pistons won’t get unlimited time to wait around from a superstar who wants to win. Impact moves are going to be required.
The only question is what form they’ll take.
In Other News...
Tobias Harris Just Put The Pistons In A Tough Spot
The Pistons are staring at an offseason decision that goes well beyond just filling a roster spot. Tobias Harris remains one of Detroits upcoming free agents, and the front office has not locked in its new contracts yet, leaving his place in the rotation tied to a broader search for help at power forward. Harris still matters to this team because of what he brings as a scorer and a veteran presence, even as the Pistons weigh whether the position can be upgraded through other avenues.
Detroits challenge is figuring out how to balance those traits against the kind of frontcourt fit it wants moving forward. Harris has value, but the Pistons are also evaluating whether to pursue a different look at power forward through free agency or a trade, especially if they want more reliable two-way play there. For now, his status leaves the team in a familiar holding pattern, with a useful contributor in the middle of a bigger roster puzzle and no clear resolution yet on how it ends. [Read more 🡒]
Pistons May Have A Cheap Path To The Scorer Cade Needs
The Pistons have spent much of the offseason looking for ways to raise the ceiling around Cade Cunningham, and the front office still has work to do after adding only Isaiah Joe so far. With Jalen Durens future drawing some attention because of possible sign-and-trade noise, Detroit is also keeping an eye on more immediate scoring help, especially a veteran who could take pressure off Cunningham and stabilize the half-court offense.
DeMar DeRozan has emerged as one of the names worth watching, with the idea being that his market could open up if Sacramento is forced into a more creative solution with his deal. A six-time All-Star who averaged 18.4 points last season, DeRozan would give the Pistons a proven perimeter creator and another player defenses have to account for, which is exactly the kind of option Detroit has lacked beside Cunningham. [Read more 🡒]
Marcus Sasser Rumors Could Signal A Much Bigger Pistons Move
Rumors around Marcus Sasser have put a quiet but notable trade possibility on the Pistons radar, with Dallas mentioned as a possible landing spot. For a Detroit team still sorting out its roster and payroll, even a move involving a young guard like Sasser could open the door to something more meaningful, whether that means adding a useful rotation piece or simply creating more flexibility for later decisions.
The names tied to the conversation give a sense of the range Detroit could be exploring, from role players like Naji Marshall or Max Christie to a bigger frontcourt fit such as P.J. Washington. Even if the likeliest path is a modest return, the fact that Sassers name is showing up in broader trade chatter suggests the Pistons may be using this moment to see just how far a smaller deal can take them. [Read more 🡒]