The Detroit Pistons didn’t land a star this summer, but they did spend the offseason building the kind of trade ammo that can matter when the market opens up.
That was the problem last trade deadline and again this offseason: Detroit didn’t have enough contracts it could stack together to make the money work in a major deal. Trajan Langdon could have solved that if the right opportunity had shown up, but it never did. So the front office pivoted toward the future, adding short-term deals that should be easy to move and giving itself insurance if a bigger swing comes later.
At the center of that setup are Duncan Robinson and John Collins. Both are on team-friendly contracts that are not guaranteed past next year, which means they’re going to show up in plenty of fake trades before long. They’re also still useful players, not just throw-in salary, which makes them more attractive to other teams and broadens the list of possible partners.
Together, Robinson and Collins account for $32 million, enough to get Detroit most of the way toward a star-level salary like Kyrie Irving, just as an example. The Pistons could also use the somewhat confusing Kevin Huerter deal as extra salary in a bigger construction, or as a replacement for Robinson if they need to move him during the season.
Isaiah Joe being in the mix gives Detroit even more flexibility. It makes Robinson easier to deal than he would have been last season, and if the Pistons make a deadline move, Robinson is the name to watch.
There are other expiring pieces the Pistons can stack, too: Taurean Prince, Gary Harris, Daniss Jenkins, Tolu Smith and Chaz Lanier, with Lanier listed as non-guaranteed. Put those together and Detroit can bridge salary gaps in a way it simply couldn’t before. The roster is deep enough now to pull off a lopsided trade, sending out multiple players for one difference-maker - something that would have been much tougher last season after the Pistons decided Tobias Harris was too important to move.
The bigger question is who they’d actually chase.
That’s hard to pin down in late July, when every team still believes it can make a run. Detroit reportedly went after Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving this summer, even using Cade Cunningham to help recruit, but neither team was willing to deal. That could change by the trade deadline, and the Pistons may circle back.
Other names could surface, too. Utah might eventually soften on Lauri Markkanen if things go sideways there.
Michael Porter Jr. figures to come up again. And the Pelicans could rethink their asking price for Trey Murphy III once they realize they still stink after adding nothing to a bad team.
For now, the point is simple: Detroit has the contracts to make a real offer and the depth to absorb the loss of several players. Some fans may be frustrated by how the offseason played out, but the Pistons are still positioned the way they wanted to be, even after striking out this summer.
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