The Detroit Pistons’ offseason has settled into a holding pattern after an early burst of activity that brought modest changes to a roster coming off a 60-win season. The summer isn’t finished yet, and the Jalen Duren situation still hangs out there, but enough has happened already to sort out who has come out ahead and who has been left waiting.
Cade Cunningham is one of the clear beneficiaries of what Detroit has done so far, even if there’s still a case that the front office hasn’t fully solved the problems around him. The Pistons still haven’t landed the second scorer Cunningham needed, and he’s heading into year six with the same issue that has followed him since year one. They also haven’t done much to lighten his load as a ball-handler.
Still, the additions of John Collins, Isaiah Joe, Taurean Prince and Gary Harris should help in a major way. Detroit has improved its 3-point shooting, and that ought to open things up across the floor, with better spacing, less pressure on Cunningham to create everything, and hopefully fewer turnovers.
For the first time in his career, Cunningham will have a legitimate stretch-four next to him, plus multiple teammates who can hit from deep after last season featured just one real threat from 3-point range. That kind of room matters.
Duren, meanwhile, has had the roughest summer of anyone tied to the Pistons. Restricted free agency has not been kind to him, and no matter how this ends, he’s already been dragged through a public contract standoff that has not reflected well on either side.
He is not going to get the max deal he is eligible for, and Detroit has made it clear with its lowball approach that it does not value him at that level. Duren is unhappy, the dispute is going to stretch into August, and there is still no clean resolution in sight.
Eventually, Duren will have to choose between taking less than he hoped for or playing next season on the qualifying offer, which would be a risky path. There is still a chance this ends well, but the summer has not gone his way. And beyond Detroit, restricted free agency itself has taken a hit as teams continue trying to manage max contracts and the tax aprons, which could lead to more situations like this one.
Daniss Jenkins and Paul Reed also found themselves in better spots than they may have expected. Jenkins entered the summer with the possibility that Detroit would add a more established secondary creator, which would have squeezed him further down the depth chart.
Instead, the Pistons brought in a 19-year-old rookie for him to battle, and that leaves Jenkins with a real opening at backup point guard. If things break right, he even has an outside shot at starting.
That should give him plenty of reason to put in the work this summer and push for a bigger role.
Reed’s path improved as well when the Pistons moved on from Isaiah Stewart. That bumped Reed up the depth chart, and he should have real minutes waiting for him next season. After waiting for a larger opportunity, he finally looks set to get the role he has earned.
Kevin Huerter is also walking away from the summer in a pretty comfortable spot, at least financially. Detroit gave him a deal that looks like an overpay for a player who may not even begin the season in the rotation.
There is logic behind it, though: Huerter gives the Pistons insurance if they trade Duncan Robinson, and his contract could also be used later in a bigger deal. The signing was built more for future flexibility than immediate impact, but Huerter will still collect the money.
The other side of all this belongs to the fans who were hoping for a headline-grabbing move. Pistons supporters have spent enough offseasons and trade deadlines waiting for the big swing that never quite comes, and this summer followed a familiar script.
The chatter got loud, the speculation ran from Kawhi Leonard to Kyrie Irving to Kevin Durant, and at times it felt like real momentum was building. In the end, nothing materialized, and the anticipation turned into disappointment.
For now, the wait continues until the next trade deadline.
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 🡒]
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 🡒]