The Bucks may have handed the Pistons a fresh opening by committing four years and $64 million to Gary Trent Jr., a move that instantly changes the shape of Milwaukee’s roster and could push Tyler Herro back onto the trade market.
That deal doesn’t just look awkward on its own. It adds another body to an already crowded shooting guard situation, and in Milwaukee, Trent could now be viewed as roughly the fifth different shooting guard making decent money. For a team that appears to be heading into a rebuild, the fit is hard to explain and the long-term commitment is even harder to escape.
Herro is the name Detroit should be watching. The Pistons had interest in him before, but Milwaukee’s asking price was too steep. With the Bucks now dealing with the fallout from the Trent contract, they may be more willing to move Herro for less than they were before.
From Detroit’s side, that would be a real opportunity. The Pistons already have the bones of a strong defense, but they still need a dependable second scorer to pair with Cade Cunningham in the playoffs. Herro could help there in two ways: he can handle the ball enough to ease the load on Cade, and he can also work alongside him as a dangerous perimeter shooter.
Detroit has tried to address that weakness this offseason, but it couldn’t land an offensive piece at Herro’s level. Once the biggest trade targets and free agents were gone, it looked like the Pistons were out of luck. Now, thanks to Trent’s contract, Herro could be back in play.
He’s not a flawless fit. Herro has obvious defensive issues and his playoff production has slipped since his rookie season. But Detroit has the kind of defensive support that could hide some of those problems, and Cade would not need him to carry the same load the Heat asked of him.
In Other News...
Pistons Offseason Still Comes Down To One Question Fans Know Too Well
The Pistons have spent the offseason trying to look more like a team ready to matter in the Eastern Conference, adding John Collins on a new deal and bringing in Taurean Prince and Gary Harris as part of a six-team trade. They also landed guard Isaiah Joe before free agency, giving the front office a chance to point to tangible movement after a stretch in which Detroit had to keep selling the idea that the roster was getting closer.
Still, the bigger question around the franchise has not really changed. The moves help with depth and flexibility, but they also leave the same familiar debate hanging over Detroits future: whether the Pistons have done enough to put the right kind of partner next to Cade Cunningham and whether the next swing is coming soon enough to change the ceiling of this group. [Read more 🡒]
Pistons Cannot Afford Another Contract Mess With Ausar Thompson
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The concern is not just about timing, either. Thompsons defensive impact has already made him one of Detroits most important players, and his playoff work only reinforced how hard he can make life for opposing offenses. If the Pistons let this drift into restricted free agency, they could be inviting a far more complicated bidding environment than they faced with Duren, particularly if rival teams start projecting even more upside on both ends of the floor. [Read more 🡒]
Jalen Duren May Be Running Out Of Leverage With The Pistons
Jalen Durens restricted free agency has settled into a familiar kind of summer standoff, with Detroit trying to balance the value of a young center against the realities of the new cap environment. The Pistons want to keep him in the fold, but the front office is also operating with an eye on the broader roster picture, where every major commitment can ripple into future decisions.
Durens case is complicated by the way his season ended, because the strongest version of his argument came in the regular season, not in the playoffs. Detroit also has other priorities to preserve flexibility for, which makes this less about whether Duren matters and more about how much room the Pistons are willing to surrender to keep him long term. [Read more 🡒]