The Pistons’ latest move was big enough to grab headlines and messy enough to require a second look. Detroit was part of a six-team trade that sent out Isaiah Stewart, Caris LeVert and Marcus Sasser while bringing back John Collins, Taurean Prince, Gary Harris and, by one count, an extra second-round pick.
On paper, the player-for-player side of it can look like a step backward. Stewart was likely the best of the three outgoing players, while LeVert and Sasser both gave Detroit rotation minutes at different points last season. That makes the arrivals of Prince and especially Harris harder to sell as clear upgrades in that narrow sense.
Still, the Pistons did come out of the deal with more shooting, and that matters. Collins, Prince and Harris all can knock down 3s, and with Isaiah Joe also added, Detroit has improved its perimeter shooting in a way the team hopes will open up other parts of the offense.
That’s the good news. The tougher part is that the trade, even in a sprawling six-team format, doesn’t really answer the biggest questions hanging over the roster.
There’s no question the Pistons have more shooting and more versatility than they did before, but that still doesn’t make this look like a championship team. The front office has clearly tried to improve the roster, and there’s no reason to treat criticism of the offseason as some kind of attack on Trajan Langdon. This is a results business, and effort alone doesn’t change what shows up on the floor.
Detroit’s problems in the playoffs still loom. The team lacks dependable ball handlers, and rookie Ebuka Okorie may wind up carrying some of that load. More spacing should help, but that issue hasn’t really been solved.
The bigger concern is shot creation. Outside of Cade Cunningham, the Pistons still don’t have another player who can consistently create his own offense.
That was the biggest problem in the playoffs, and John Collins doesn’t change that. Tobias Harris was Detroit’s second-best shot creator last season, and the Pistons replaced him with a player who rarely dribbles.
So when the game tightens and possessions get sticky, who is creating the answer besides Cade? What has Detroit done to keep him from getting trapped and doubled every time he catches the ball? From where this stands, not much.
Langdon has probably won most of the smaller moves he’s made this offseason, but the same core issues keep hanging around even after the shooting upgrade. The offseason isn’t finished, so there’s no reason to panic yet. But Cade Cunningham is heading into year six, and the Pistons are still staring at the same familiar problems.
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Kevin Durant To Detroit Would Change Everything For The Pistons
Kevin Durant keeps surfacing in the kind of trade chatter that can reshape a franchise before a move is ever made, and Detroit has been mentioned as a team worth watching if Houston decides to listen. For the Pistons, the appeal is obvious: Durant still brings elite scoring, shot creation and the sort of gravity that changes how defenses have to play every possession.
Houstons side of the equation is what makes the rumor matter, because any serious move would come with a steep asking price and a clear sense that the Rockets are ready for a different direction. Detroit would have to decide whether it is willing to pay for a player of Durants stature, but the bigger question is whether a roster already on the rise would be ready to make that kind of all-in swing. [Read more 🡒]
This Pistons Trade Dream Could Reopen Detroits Biggest Roster Problem
The idea of chasing Michael Porter Jr. has obvious appeal for a Pistons team still looking for more shot-making around its young core. Porter would bring proven scoring punch and a different kind of offensive gravity, but any deal of that size also forces Detroit to stare straight at the roster construction problem it has been trying to solve for months: how to add talent without stripping away the pieces that already give the team a shape.
Jalen Duren sits right at the center of that dilemma. Detroit has spent time building around his size, mobility and room to grow, and moving him would not just be a basketball decision, it would reopen the same frontcourt questions the Pistons have been working to close. Porter may be the more established scorer right now, but Durens age and development curve make him the kind of player Detroit cannot afford to treat lightly while trying to upgrade the roster. [Read more 🡒]
Wembanyama Just Changed The Pressure On Pistons And Jalen Duren
Jalen Durens contract talks with the Pistons have settled into an awkward holding pattern, and the latest star-center extension around the league only sharpens the backdrop. Detroit has had the leverage in these negotiations for a while, with no rival offer sheet waiting to force the issue and no sign-and-trade market materializing to change the math. For a team trying to map out its next few seasons, the difference between paying a young big at the top of the market and finding a workable middle ground matters a lot.
Victor Wembanyama just gave that conversation a new reference point in San Antonio, agreeing to a five-year, $252 million extension and reportedly leaving some money on the table to give the Spurs more flexibility. The comparison is obvious enough for Detroit, even if the situations are not identical, because it puts a premium on how much Duren values security, role and long-term team building against the pull of a max-level payday. The Pistons still hold the cards, but Wembanyamas deal adds a fresh layer to the pressure on both sides. [Read more 🡒]