The Detroit Pistons entered the offseason with plenty of buzz around what a bold move might look like. Instead, they mostly stood still, and that has opened the door for a very different kind of conversation: whether they can actually match last season’s success.
That skepticism starts with the East itself. Detroit won 60 regular-season games and earned the No. 1 seed last season, but the conference around them looks far more crowded now. The Philadelphia 76ers, fresh off a first-round upset of the Boston Celtics as the No. 7 seed, made the loudest statement of all by trading for Jaylen Brown and signing LeBron James after his eight-year run out West with the Los Angeles Lakers.
Those moves pushed Philadelphia ahead of Detroit in the championship race. Per FanDuel Sportsbook, the Pistons are tied with the Toronto Raptors for the fourth-best odds in the Eastern Conference to win the NBA title at +2500. Only the 76ers (+1100), New York Knicks (+950) and Boston Celtics (+1400) sit above them.
And it’s not just Philadelphia creating problems for Detroit. The Cleveland Cavaliers and Orlando Magic, both familiar from last season’s playoff path, are in the mix again, while the Miami Heat and Indiana Pacers also loom as threats. The Heat swung big by landing Milwaukee Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo to pair with Bam Adebayo, and the Pacers are trying to build a comeback story with Tyrese Haliburton back in the fold.
That kind of star-heavy landscape puts the Pistons under a bright spotlight, especially because they did not add the high-end co-star many believed Cade Cunningham needed. Last season’s seven-game loss to Cleveland in the Eastern Conference Semifinals made that need feel even sharper. If Detroit is going to bring the city its first NBA title since 2004, Cunningham is going to need more help.
There is still a path for that to happen later. Detroit could wait until next season’s trade deadline to chase that missing piece, and the way the Eastern Conference shakes out by then will matter. For now, though, the Pistons are staring at a tougher road than the one they just traveled.
Detroit did make a couple of useful additions, even if they weren’t the splashy ones fans wanted. The Pistons boosted their perimeter shooting by bringing in former Oklahoma City guard Isaiah Joe and Milwaukee Bucks forward Taurean Prince in separate trades. Both players shot better than 40 percent from three in the 2025-26 regular season, which should help a team that was among the league’s worst in three-point shooting percentage.
They also added former Los Angeles Clippers forward John Collins on a three-year, $51 million deal. Collins brings depth at forward while the contract standstill with Jalen Duren continues, and he arrives after averaging 13.6 points, 5.3 rebounds and 1.0 assists per game in his lone season with the Clippers.
Across nine NBA seasons and stops with the Atlanta Hawks, Utah Jazz and Clippers, Collins has built a reputation as a versatile forward. For Detroit, the hope is that he can give the offense a cleaner floor and steady production.
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Isaiah Stewarts Exit Comments Put Pistons Fans In An Awkward Spot
Isaiah Stewarts exit from Detroit had already been one of the more notable personnel moves of the Pistons offseason, with the big man sent to Memphis in late June for three future second-round picks. So when Stewart looked back on his final year with the franchise, he did not exactly deliver the kind of tidy goodbye that usually follows a trade, describing the season as bittersweet and opening a window into how he viewed his place in Detroit.
The awkward part for Pistons fans is that Stewart did not stop at his own experience. He also weighed in on Jalen Durens uncertain contract situation, calling it tricky while making clear he believes his former teammate has earned what he is seeking. For a team still building around young talent, it is the kind of post-trade commentary that adds a little extra noise to a summer already full of roster questions. [Read more 🡒]