The Pistons have been quiet this offseason, and that silence has only sharpened the frustration around the fanbase. Trajan Langdon’s slow start is tough to sell, but the summer still has room to change shape.
A few of the biggest names are already off the board. Giannis Antetokounmpo, Jaylen Brown, and Kawhi Leonard have all found new homes, which shuts the door on Detroit landing any of them. But there is still one path that could bring a major boost to Cade Cunningham.
Detroit’s interest in Kawhi Leonard was real, but Leonard made it clear behind the scenes that if the LA Clippers moved him, he would only sign an extension with one of two former teams: the San Antonio Spurs or Toronto Raptors. That pushed the Pistons out of the picture, and Toronto ended up landing the reunion in a deal that sent Brandon Ingram to the Clippers along with Gradey Dick and draft compensation.
That move, though, still hasn’t been finalized.
And that matters.
LA has been linked to the idea of rerouting Ingram, and their reported interest in restricted free agent Peyton Watson makes it easy to see why. The Clippers could be holding the former No. 2 overall pick as a movable piece in hopes of sending him to the Denver Nuggets and creating a path to Watson.
They could also send Ingram somewhere else entirely, opening more financial flexibility while still keeping their options alive for Watson and other moves.
If that happens, Detroit could slide into the conversation and try to get involved in a bigger deal. That would give the Pistons a chance to bring Ingram back to the Motor City and give Cunningham a legitimate second scoring option.
The salary mechanics would be complicated, no question. But until Ingram’s situation is settled, another team like Detroit can’t be ruled out.
The catch is that Langdon still has another major issue sitting in front of him: Jalen Duren’s restricted free agency. That likely has to be the first order of business before anything else gets serious.
Even so, helping Cunningham was supposed to be the offseason priority from the start. Detroit has changed the look of its depth chart, but the moves so far haven’t exactly moved the needle.
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Pistons May Have Found An Answer To A Growing Problem Inside
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Detroits move also comes with a practical wrinkle, since Onyenso is on a two-way contract and is expected to bounce between the Pistons and the Motor City Cruise as he adjusts to the pro game. His path through Virginia, Kansas State and Kentucky already shows how much experience he has picked up, but the bigger question for the Pistons is how fast that defensive identity can translate into a role they can actually use. [Read more 🡒]
Donovan Mitchells New Deal Could Open A Door For Detroit
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The Cavaliers now have to navigate a payroll that is already heavy in the wrong places, with Mitchell and Evan Mobley taking up a massive share of next seasons money and Mitchell set to climb even higher on a future player option. Once a team gets boxed in like that, the choices get harder fast, and names such as Dennis Schroder, Max Strus and Jarrett Allen can move from useful pieces to potential pressure points. For the Pistons, the broader takeaway is simple: Clevelands new deal may create the kind of cap tension that eventually sends a useful player onto the market. [Read more 🡒]
Pistons Are Running Out Of Time To Help Cade Cunningham
Detroit still has not solved one of its clearest offseason questions: who can take some of the burden off Cade Cunningham as a creator and shot-maker? The front office has been linked to ways of adding another offensive engine, but the market has thinned quickly, and the list of realistic options looks a lot shorter than it did even a few weeks ago.
Trey Murphy III of the New Orleans Pelicans has emerged as one of the few names left who could fit that need, giving the Pistons a possible path to more secondary scoring without forcing Cunningham to do so much heavy lifting. Other paths have already disappeared as the offseason has moved on, which leaves Detroit staring at a familiar roster gap and a shrinking window to address it. [Read more 🡒]