The Detroit Pistons have spent this offseason creating room, and that alone has turned them into a team worth watching. After a string of moves that included sending Isaiah Stewart to the Memphis Grizzlies, moving Marcus Sasser to the Mavericks, and then trading Caris LeVert to the Milwaukee Bucks, Detroit has carved out nearly $35 million in cap space. With a payroll of $140 million, the Pistons sit well below the tax line and suddenly have the kind of flexibility that can change the shape of their summer.
That matters most because of Jalen Duren.
Duren’s extension has been one of the biggest unresolved issues in Detroit’s free agency period. The Pistons did put an offer on the table, but his response made it clear the initial number was not close to what he wanted. Duren is seeking a deal worth $40 million annually, and at the time Detroit didn’t have much choice but to start low if it wanted to preserve room for other additions.
Now the picture looks different. Sources project the Pistons could have about $48 million in cap space under the luxury tax line, which gives them a real path to meet Duren’s price point.
A five-year, $200 million deal would keep the center in Detroit and still leave the team below the luxury tax. That would be a major swing for a front office that has already shown it wants to keep him around.
There was also chatter after the first offer that Duren was talking with the Lakers and the Celtics about a sign-and-trade. Detroit shut that down quickly, a strong sign it still views him as part of the plan.
The catch is that the Pistons already have 15 players on the roster, so even the roughly $8 million in projected cap space may not be a huge tool unless it becomes useful before the February trade deadline. Still, the room gives Detroit options, and one of them could be a bigger swing on the wing.
Trey Murphy III has emerged as a possible target. Detroit’s need for a secondary scorer next to Cade Cunningham has been noted, and Murphy would fit that bill. The 26-year-old wing averaged 21.5 points, 5.7 rebounds, 3.8 assists, and 1.5 steals per game last season, production that would give Cunningham real help on the perimeter.
The Pelicans have reportedly lowered their asking price for Murphy from four first-round picks to three, and Detroit is one of the few teams positioned to meet that demand. The harder part is the money.
Murphy is expected to carry a $27.0 million cap hit in the 2026-27 season, and one possible way for the Pistons to make the numbers work would be to send out Ron Holland ($9.0 million) and Duncan Robinson ($15.9 million). That would leave Detroit slightly over on incoming salary by $2.1 million, but the team’s flexibility could allow it to absorb the contract.
There’s another layer to watch, too. Some reports say Detroit may be prepared to offer Ausar Thompson a five-year, $162 million extension this summer.
Since Thompson still has two years left on his deal, that would be a move that changes the team’s offseason math in a hurry. If the Pistons go that route, their freedom to keep making roster upgrades would shrink fast.
In Other News...
Bucks Just Made A Trade Fans Will Instantly Debate
A late-summer deal between Milwaukee and Detroit has already given fans plenty to argue about, and not just because it swaps familiar names on expiring contracts. The Bucks are bringing in Caris LeVert, a scorer whose production dipped last season, while the Pistons add Taurean Prince and Gary Harris as both sides continue to shuffle the edges of their rosters. For Milwaukee, it is the sort of move that can look tidy on paper and messy in practice, especially when the incoming player is coming off a season that raised more questions than answers.
Detroit, meanwhile, is clearly treating the transaction as more than a simple player-for-player exchange. The move gives the Pistons about $7.2 million in additional cap flexibility and creates a traded player exception, with the extra room potentially useful as they sort through the rest of their offseason business. For the Bucks, the debate is whether this is the kind of low-risk swing that helps now or just another roster tweak that leaves the bigger questions hanging a little longer. [Read more 🡒]
Tyler Herro Just Became Milwaukees Most Unsettling New Reality
Tyler Herro has spent years being viewed as a scorer with a clear ceiling, but the Bucks are suddenly asking him to operate in a very different lane. Since the 2021-22 season, he has been a steady 20-point-per-game presence, and his recent production alongside Bam Adebayo showed he can handle a heavier offensive load without disappearing. Now the expectation is that Milwaukee leans on him as its primary shot-creator, which is a much bigger responsibility than simply filling a scoring role.
Herros opportunity comes with the same old question attached, though, and it matters even more in Milwaukee. The defensive concerns that have followed him for years are not going away, and the Bucks are already trying to manage that side of the floor. What Herro does with this chance could shape not just how this season looks, but how the team values him going forward. [Read more 🡒]
Bucks Just Added Two New Pieces Fans Have Been Waiting To See
The Bucks are headed to Las Vegas for the next stop of Summer League, and the matchup with Miami carries a little more weight than a typical July game. Milwaukees recent blockbuster trade with the Heat reshaped both teams, and it also delivered two new young pieces the Bucks have been waiting to see in uniform: Nate Ament and Kasparas Jakuionis.
Both rookies were held out of the California Classic because the trade had not been finalized in time, so this will be their first Summer League action for Milwaukee. Ament arrived with the No. 13 pick after the Bucks landed Miamis selection in the deal, while Jakuionis is part of the same new wave of talent as Milwaukee keeps building around the aftermath of the Giannis Antetokounmpo trade. [Read more 🡒]