Cade Cunningham has been carrying a load that starts to look awfully familiar if you watched Jimmy Butler’s run in Miami.
The Pistons have an All-NBA level centerpiece in Cunningham, but the search for a true offensive running mate still hasn’t produced the kind of answer Detroit needs. That’s where the Butler comparison kicks in.
In Miami, the Heat kept coming up short in the hunt for star help and leaned on Butler to drag a roster built around support pieces into deep playoff territory. If Detroit handles this the wrong way, Cunningham could wind up staring at the same empty payoff.
Butler spent 2019 through 2025 as the face of the Heat and pushed them to two Finals trips, in 2020 and 2023. Even so, Miami never landed the offensive co-star he needed to finish the job. The Heat were tied to big-name pursuits for Damian Lillard, Kevin Durant and Giannis Antetokounmpo, and only after Butler left did they finally get Antetokounmpo.
Cunningham is still early in his own story, but the warning signs are there. A lot depends on whether Jalen Duren grows into more than just a promising second option. And for now, Duren hasn’t even re-signed with the team yet.
Miami did have Bam Adebayo alongside Butler, but Adebayo’s value came mostly on the defensive end. Even at his best next to Butler, he topped out at 20 points a game, which wasn’t enough offensive punch for a championship push. Butler could produce the kind of playoff bursts that get a team through the East, but that alone never solved the title problem.
Cunningham had to live a version of that same reality last postseason. He was forced to ramp up his scoring just to help Detroit survive a first-round series, while the rest of the roster struggled to supply steady support. That kind of burden makes the lesson pretty clear: one star can take you far, but not all the way.
There is still time for the Pistons to change the script. Butler got to Miami at 30; Cunningham still has five years before he reaches that age.
Detroit can still find him more help on offense, and it may need more than just a solid second option. The source of the issue goes deeper than that.
The Pistons do have some of the same backbone Miami once had. Strong coaching and defense are already part of the formula.
Adebayo anchored that kind of flexible defensive group for the Heat, and Ausar Thompson now fills a similar role for Detroit. But Thompson, like the others around Cunningham, has to do more on offense too.
If Detroit’s young core can’t provide the scoring help Cunningham needs, then the answer has to come from outside. Miami never solved that problem for Butler. The Pistons still have a chance to avoid repeating it.
In Other News...
Pistons Suddenly Have A Jalen Duren Trade Decision They Can't Ignore
Jalen Durens contract situation has already become one of the more interesting subplots around Detroit this offseason, and Bleacher Report has added another layer by floating a framework that would send the young center to Milwaukee. For the Pistons, the appeal is obvious in theory: a potential reset on a negotiation that has not moved smoothly, plus a chance to think bigger about how the roster fits together moving forward.
The proposal also underscores how quickly leverage can shift when a players future gets murky. Detroit would have to weigh the value of keeping Duren against the risk of letting the situation drag into a more complicated decision point, and the suggested swap is the kind of move that forces a front office to confront where it stands. No deal is in place, but the possibility alone makes this a situation the Pistons cannot afford to ignore. [Read more 🡒]
Pistons Are Suddenly Back In The Trey Murphy Trade Conversation
The Trey Murphy III chatter has picked up again, and this time it comes from a place that could force New Orleans to listen. With the Pelicans adding Bennedict Mathurin, the roster math is getting tighter and the luxury tax picture more uncomfortable, which puts a player like Murphy back into the kind of conversations that usually swirl only when a team needs to clear money.
Detroit has surfaced as a possible partner if the Pelicans decide to explore that path, and the fit makes enough sense to keep the idea alive. The Pistons have movable salary on the books in Duncan Robinson and Kevin Huerter, which gives them a way to match a deal if New Orleans starts looking for relief, but for now this remains more about strategic positioning than any actual trade on the verge of happening. [Read more 🡒]
Jalen Duren Just Got A Reality Check In Pistons Contract Standoff
The market for young talent just gave Jalen Duren a sharp reminder of how fast leverage can shift. The Pistons are reportedly on the table with a four-year, $160 million offer, but the sides have reached a stalemate as Duren pushes for a maximum deal, putting his next contract squarely at the center of Detroits offseason planning.
Jonathan Kumingas recent move only sharpened the lesson. After turning down larger offers from the Warriors, he landed on a two-year, $12.4 million deal with the Timberwolves, and it stands as a cautionary example for any player tempted to bet on a better outcome by waiting. For Duren, the risk is obvious if the talks keep going nowhere, because the gap between holding firm and taking the Pistons current offer could end up costing him more than he expects. [Read more 🡒]