The Pistons don’t need to chase a splashy fix to keep building around Cade Cunningham. What they may need is a cheap swing with real upside, and Jett Howard fits that lane as well as anyone on the open market.
Detroit’s offseason has gone in a different direction than many expected. Trajan Langdon has focused on strengthening Cunningham’s supporting cast instead of landing an immediate second option to take pressure off the guard.
The team’s one notable draft move came when it traded up in the first round to select Ebuka Okorie, a player who could provide an early scoring jolt in the mold of Payton Pritchard’s rookie season in Boston. Even so, expecting him to become an instant answer feels like a stretch.
That’s why Howard stands out.
The former lottery pick is still available in mid-July, and his career has not yet matched the expectations that followed him into the league. A big part of that has been opportunity. Orlando’s crowded backcourt made it tough for the Michigan product to carve out steady minutes, and without that runway, it’s been hard for him to show what he can really become.
Even so, Howard has flashed enough to keep teams interested. In three years with the Magic, there have been enough glimpses to suggest there’s something there to unlock. Detroit, meanwhile, doesn’t have a deep backcourt behind Cunningham, which could open the door for Howard to play extended minutes on a playoff team.
This past season, Howard appeared in 55 games for Orlando and averaged 5.5 points while shooting 41.8% from the field and 37.2% from three in 12.6 minutes per game. The sample is small because the role was small, but the profile still has appeal. His lone season at Michigan showed scoring ability, and at 6-foot-8, he brings the kind of size and versatility that makes him an oversized guard worth betting on.
The Pistons aren’t in the business of handing out development minutes to a completely raw prospect, but Howard isn’t that. He already has three years in the league, and with Juwan Howard as his father, there’s no question he understands the game and the business that comes with it.
For Detroit, that makes him a logical gamble. Howard may simply need a real chance, and the Pistons are one of the few teams that could offer it.
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Pistons Loss Leaves Brice Williams Up And Ebuka Okorie Under Pressure
After a rough start in Las Vegas, the Pistons found some life against Phoenix and nearly turned a lopsided summer league game into a comeback. Detroit erased a 17-point deficit before the Suns steadied things and pulled away for a 100-88 win, leaving the Pistons at 1-3 heading into their final game of the week.
Brice Williams gave Detroit a much-needed lift with 24 points, six rebounds and four assists, a sharp response after an uneven outing earlier in the week. Isaac Jones kept adding to his strong summer with 18 points and 10 rebounds, while the closing stretch against the Miami Heat now carries a little extra weight for a roster still trying to sort out who can finish the job. [Read more 🡒]
Pistons Just Got Another Shot At The Scorer Cade Needs
Milwaukees decision to give Gary Trent Jr. a four-year, $64 million deal has done more than add another shooter to the Bucks. It has crowded an already busy shooting guard rotation and, in the process, reopened a familiar lane for teams that have kept an eye on Tyler Herro. Detroit was among the clubs that previously had interest, and the fit still makes obvious sense from the Pistons side: Cade Cunningham has the lead role, but the roster could use another scorer who can create shots and stretch the floor.
Herro comes with the usual baggage attached to that kind of talent, especially on the defensive end and in the postseason, but that has not kept him from staying on the radar. For Detroit, the question is less about whether the idea makes basketball sense and more about whether the market finally lines up in a way that makes a deal realistic. The Bucks latest move may have nudged that conversation back onto the board. [Read more 🡒]
Pistons Face A Kevin Durant Decision Fans Will Be Split On
Quiet offseason chatter around Kevin Durant has kept a few teams in the conversation, and Detroit was one of the names that surfaced early as a possible landing spot. The appeal is easy to understand: Durant still carries the kind of star power that can change a franchises ceiling, and any team with room to dream has to at least consider what that kind of move would look like.
For the Pistons, though, the more immediate priority appears to be keeping Jalen Duren in place before anything else gets revisited. Durant remains under contract with the Houston Rockets for two more years with a player option, but the broader market around him has not exactly taken shape, which leaves Detroit in a familiar spot of weighing a splashy idea against the practical business of building the roster it already has. [Read more 🡒]