The Detroit Pistons have one obvious offseason priority: find Cade Cunningham more help. Internal growth can only carry so much of the load, and if Detroit wants to keep climbing, it needs to be aggressive about adding talent. One name that still fits the bill is Kyrie Irving, especially if the Dallas Mavericks decide their future is better served by moving on.
Dallas is in rebuild mode with Cooper Flagg as the centerpiece, and Irving’s place in that picture is far from settled. He remains a high-end player, but he’s also coming off a major injury, is 34 years old, and is in the later stretch of his career. That makes him a logical candidate to be flipped for future assets if the Mavericks decide to focus fully on what comes next.
For Detroit, the fit is easy to see. Irving alongside Cunningham would give the Pistons one of the league’s most dangerous backcourts and, just as important, a much stronger offensive base to build from. That kind of shot creation would address a glaring issue for a team whose offense wasn’t good enough last season and helped sink its playoff run.
According to Marc Stein of The Stein Line, the rest of the league is already watching Dallas closely:
“The Mavericks, as we've been writing since mid-June, have consistently swatted away trade interest this offseason in nine-times-an-All-Star guard Kyrie Irving. Rival teams, however, continue to wonder aloud about how firmly Dallas will stick to that stance once the season begins and the next in-season trade deadline on Feb. 11 gradually approaches.”
There’s still a chance Dallas wants Irving around to keep Flagg in a competitive environment early on. Or the Mavericks could simply be waiting for the right moment.
If Irving has a strong season, his trade value would only go up. Right now, teams may not be eager to pay a premium for him, but a healthy, effective stretch could change that quickly.
From Detroit’s perspective, that makes sense as a situation worth monitoring. Irving gave Dallas exactly the kind of offensive partner it needed next to Luka Doncic, and that pairing took the Mavericks to the NBA Finals. The Pistons would be hoping he could provide the same sort of lift for Cunningham.
In Other News...
Pistons Need More Cheap Veterans Like One Key Rotation Surprise
Javonte Green ended up being one of the most useful surprises in Detroit last season, the kind of low-drama rotation piece every contender needs and every cap-strapped team appreciates. He was available every night, brought energy off the bench and gave the Pistons a reliable wing option who could defend, create extra possessions and knock down enough shots to matter, all on a one-year minimum deal that fit neatly into a roster still being built around young talent.
The Pistons brought Green back on another minimum contract, a move that says plenty about how they want to survive the next stage of roster building. As payroll pressure grows, Detroit is going to need more veterans like him, players who can fill real minutes without tying up money or future flexibility, and Green gives them exactly that sort of inexpensive stability while the bigger pieces around him continue to develop. [Read more 🡒]
Cade Cunningham Gets An Early Statement Chance Against The New Look Celtics
Opening night is giving Detroit a real early test, and it comes with the kind of spotlight Cade Cunningham usually wants. The Pistons draw Boston right away, which means the first look at the new roster will not be a quiet one. John Collins, Isaiah Joe, Gary Harris, Taurean Prince and first-round pick Ebuka Okoire all figure into the conversation as Detroit tries to show how its upgraded pieces fit around Cunningham against one of the Easts most familiar measuring sticks.
Boston does not look the same either, with Jaylen Brown out and Paul George and Mitchell Robinson joining the mix around Jayson Tatum. That changes the tone of the matchup and makes the early minutes especially interesting, because Cunningham will be asked to set the standard against a Celtics group still figuring itself out. For Detroit, it is more than just a season opener. It is a chance to see whether the Pistons can make an immediate statement against a contender that has reshaped its own identity. [Read more 🡒]
Pistons Look Ready To Contend If They Can Resolve One Big Issue
The Pistons spent the offseason acting like a team that believes its window is open, not one still waiting for the right moment. After a 4-2 playoff loss to the Knicks, Detroit reworked its roster to give Cade Cunningham more help, adding John Collins and Isaiah Joe to improve the offense and deepen the rotation around Cunningham, Jalen Duren and Ausar Thompson. It was the kind of targeted reshaping that follows a 60-win season, with the front office clearly trying to turn regular-season momentum into something sturdier in the East.
Jalen Duren remains one of the central reasons that plan still feels unfinished. Detroit has the top-end talent to matter in the conference, but it also has a negotiation that has lingered into late August, leaving one of the rosters biggest questions unresolved as other contenders around the league continue to load up. The Pistons have built enough around Cunningham to look the part, but the final step toward true contention may depend on how they handle the issue still hanging over their young core. [Read more 🡒]