The Detroit Pistons have already spent much of the offseason working the trade phone, and Trajan Langdon has not been shy about reshaping the roster through deals. Isaiah Joe came over from Oklahoma City, while Taurean Prince and Gary Harris arrived from Milwaukee in separate trades. Detroit sent out a few second-round picks in those moves and also moved on from Caris LeVert after just one season.
That activity may not be finished. The Pistons still have time to tweak the roster before the 2026-27 NBA season is finalized, and there’s also the possibility of more movement at next season’s trade deadline.
With that in mind, a few contracts on the current roster stand out as especially useful if Detroit decides to make another deal. Players acquired this offseason were not included in that group.
Duncan Robinson sits near the top of that list. He’s the kind of shooter plenty of teams would want in their rotation because he stretches the floor and brings real value as a three-point threat.
Detroit would like to keep him, especially after its recent issues from deep, but Robinson could also become one of the main pieces in a bigger trade if the Pistons go after Cade Cunningham’s potential co-star. His three-year, $47.9 million contract would also give Detroit a clean way to match salary in a deal.
Paul Reed is another contract that could draw interest. He’s on a two-year, $10.9 million deal and gives the Pistons a tough, physical presence that showed up in important spots during the regular season and the playoffs. Reed’s style is the kind of thing other teams can use, and his numbers back up the production: 7.8 points, 4.5 rebounds, and 1.2 assists per game while shooting 61.7 percent from the field in his second season with Detroit after four years with the Philadelphia 76ers.
Kevin Huerter also fits into that tradeable category. Detroit brought him back on a three-year, $27 million deal after acquiring him in a move that sent former Pistons guard Jaden Ivey to the Bulls, and his contract could help the Pistons if they go looking for another trade match next season.
The shooting, though, has not been there. Huerter hit just 29.4 percent from three in 25 regular-season games with Detroit while averaging 8.6 points per game, and those struggles carried over into the postseason, where he rarely played in the Pistons’ two playoff series against the Orlando Magic and Cleveland Cavaliers.
In Other News...
Pistons May Lose A Real Cade Backcourt Target Over Outside Drama
Bennedict Mathurin has been one of the more interesting names on the Pistons radar as Detroit keeps looking for another perimeter scorer who can ease some of the burden on Cade Cunningham. The appeal is obvious enough: Mathurin brings shot creation and isolation scoring, the kind of offensive juice that can make a backcourt look a lot less predictable, and Detroit has at least explored the possibility of getting him through a sign-and-trade.
The problem is that the market around him is not moving cleanly. The Clippers have interest in keeping the restricted free agent, but their offseason plans are tied up by the unresolved investigation involving Kawhi Leonard and Aspiration, which has slowed down a broader chain of roster decisions. For Detroit, that means a target that fits a clear need could end up stuck in limbo, with the Pistons waiting to see whether the situation finally opens up or closes off entirely. [Read more 🡒]
Pistons Offseason Left Cade Facing The Same Frustrating Questions
The Pistons spent the offseason reshaping the edges of the roster, bringing in John Collins, Isaiah Joe, Taurean Prince, Gary Harris and Kevin Huerter in hopes of giving the lineup more spacing and a little more depth. Even with those additions, the bigger question around Cade Cunningham has not changed much, because Detroit still has not really given him the kind of second scorer or steady ball-handling partner that can lighten the load when defenses key on him.
Daniss Jenkins and Paul Reed both stand to benefit from the new look, with Jenkins suddenly in position to compete for backup point guard minutes and Reed climbing the depth chart after Isaiah Stewart was moved out. But the most important unresolved piece remains the one that could shape how the roster functions once the season starts, especially if Detroit is forced to lean on younger, less proven options around its franchise guard. [Read more 🡒]
Marcus Sasser Suddenly Has A Chance To Haunt The Pistons
Marcus Sassers move from Detroit to Dallas this summer looked like a simple roster shuffle at first, but it may end up being one of those deals the Pistons have to watch from afar. He never got much runway in Detroit, where his role stayed limited, even though he showed enough shot-making to hint at a bigger job. Now he lands with a Mavericks team that just moved Ryan Nembhard, and that could open a clear path for Sasser to compete for the backup point guard spot.
For Dallas, the timing matters because this is the final year of Sassers rookie contract, so every opportunity carries a little more weight. For the Pistons, the sting is obvious: they may have sent out one of their better creators without ever really finding out how much he could handle. If Sasser turns those minutes into a real rotation role, Detroit will be left wondering whether it let a useful guard slip away too soon. [Read more 🡒]