Detroit spent the summer chasing a star and came up empty, so the Pistons are heading back to the formula that got them here in the first place: growth from within.
According to ESPN reporting, Cade Cunningham was personally involved in trying to recruit the top free agents on the market. The list of targets was a big one - Austin Reaves, Kevin Durant, Kawhi Leonard, and Kyrie Irving - but none of those pursuits turned into a move. Reaves re-signed with the Lakers, and Detroit is now left leaning on the players already in the building.
That shift comes with some pressure. The East has gotten tougher, with the 76ers, Heat, and Raptors all taking big steps up, and the Pistons know the conference is shaping up to be the most competitive it has been in years. Detroit had hoped to answer that rise with a splash, but instead finds itself back where it started: trusting development, chemistry, and internal jumps.
Vince Goodwill laid out that reality on NBA Today, saying, “Banking on internal improvement has been the thought going into last summer when they didn’t make a big move,” said ESPN’s Vince Goodwill on NBA Today. “Going into this season, they wanted to see how Jalen Duren, Ausar Thompson, and Ron Holland would play together, and it led to 60 wins.
Now you’re thinking Detroit was going to make a big move this past offseason. Cade Cunningham was very involved in the potential recruitment of Austin Reaves, but he re-signed with the Lakers.
Kevin Durant, Kawhi Leonard, and Kyrie Irving were all names the Pistons were interested in, but no moves materialized, and now they are going to bank on the restricted free agency of Jalen Duren and Ausar Thompson’s extension.”
Last season showed why Detroit is willing to bet on that path. The Pistons finished first in the East at 60-22, and Cunningham was the engine, putting up 23.9 points, 5.5 rebounds, 9.9 assists, 1.4 steals, and 0.8 blocks per game while shooting 46.1% from the field and 34.2% from three.
He wasn’t carrying the load alone, either. Ausar Thompson, Tobias Harris, and Jalen Duren all filled their roles well as the team found its footing.
But this offseason brought a different look. Tobias Harris signed with the Spurs, and on paper the Pistons can make the case that they got worse while several rivals improved. Still, the roster isn’t without answers.
Ausar Thompson, now 23, has become a key piece, and Detroit believes he can take another step. Daniss Jenkins has also earned the team’s trust and is showing signs of another leap. The lone notable addition is John Collins, who gives the Pistons size and versatility at power forward and helps cover that frontcourt gap.
So for now, Detroit is choosing patience over panic. Cunningham remains the steadying force, and the team is banking on the idea that what worked before can work again.
The biggest variable left is Jalen Duren. His ongoing negotiations loom over everything, and if the sides can’t reach a deal soon, it could become a loss the Pistons can’t afford.
In Other News...
Pistons Just Made A Risky Bet On Cade Cunningham's Supporting Cast
Detroits front office is making a clear bet on growth over comfort. By letting Tobias Harris walk and bringing in John Collins, the Pistons have chosen a different kind of supporting cast around Cade Cunningham, one designed less to preserve a familiar pecking order and more to open up touches and creation for younger pieces. It is a long-view move for a team that has already seen enough regular-season progress to believe the offense can keep climbing without leaning so heavily on one engine.
Ausar Thompson and Jalen Duren are the names that matter most in that plan, because the Pistons want both to take on more responsibility and help lighten Cunninghams nightly load. The upside is obvious if those two keep developing, but the risk is just as real, since the team is counting on internal growth to solve a problem that has not been fully solved yet. [Read more 🡒]
Pistons May Have Finally Fixed What Left Cade On His Own
Last springs playoff run made the Pistons late-game problem easy to see: when possessions tightened, the offense leaned hard on Cade Cunningham and did not have enough shooting around him to make the floor feel open. Cunningham still gave Detroit a chance by drawing attention and making defenses react, but the spacing around him was often thin enough that the burden fell on one player to create nearly everything.
This offseason, the front office has tried to address that imbalance by adding more perimeter help, with Isaiah Joe, John Collins and Taurean Prince among the names brought in to give Cunningham better outlets in clutch situations. There is also the possibility of another shooter joining the mix, and the bigger question now is whether Detroit has finally built a late-game structure that lets Cunningham attack without having to carry the whole possession by himself. [Read more 🡒]