The Detroit Pistons had a chance to swing big this summer, but passing on Kawhi Leonard looks like the right call.
Detroit had the kind of setup that can tempt a front office into chasing a headline: plenty of movable contracts, a franchise star already in place, and a team that had just done enough to earn the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference. Adding another high-end piece would have made plenty of sense on paper, and Leonard was a name worth considering. Still, the Pistons were better off steering clear.
Leonard ultimately landed with the Toronto Raptors through a trade, but only after a drawn-out mess that ended with him being fined, the LA Clippers being fined, multiple team personnel members suspended, and five future first-round picks taken away. By the time it was over, the whole situation had turned into a headache for everyone involved.
That kind of chaos is exactly what Detroit did not need layered onto its own offseason. Jalen Duren is enough.
There’s no question Leonard is still one of the best players on the planet, and his postseason gear is different from almost anyone else’s. If he had wound up in Detroit, he could have given the Pistons a real shot at a deep playoff run. His scoring would have eased the burden on Cunningham in big moments, and that sort of help is exactly what Detroit needs to add.
But the fit never really made sense when you zoom out. Leonard is 35 years old, and the Pistons should be building something that lasts around Cunningham, Ausar Thompson, and, ideally, Duren. That’s a different timeline than the one Leonard brings with him.
And if the Pistons had gotten pulled into the Leonard drama while still trying to sort out a new contract with Duren, it would have put even more pressure on a front office that already has plenty on its plate. The Duren situation is still unresolved, and that alone is enough stress for Detroit.
So while the Pistons didn’t have a great summer and didn’t land a major signing, Leonard wasn’t the answer. Even after everything that happened with the Clippers, that part remains pretty clear.
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Leonard is headed back to Toronto, where he already delivered an NBA championship and remains a familiar fit. For Detroit, the miss is the sort that lingers, not only because the Pistons were willing to invest heavily, but because they were offering the kind of long-term security that usually makes a big-name pursuit harder to turn down. Instead, Leonard is choosing a return to a place where the reward has already been proven. [Read more 🡒]
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For Duren, the gamble is familiar: take what is on the table now, or keep betting that his value will rise enough to change the conversation. Easons path shows how quickly a decision that looks conservative in the moment can become expensive in hindsight, and how betting on yourself can cut both ways. The Pistons are watching a player they want to keep in the long term, but the shape of that deal could come down to how much risk both sides are willing to absorb. [Read more 🡒]