The Detroit Pistons have several roster decisions to make now that they’re in the early stages of the 2026 offseason
Over the last two seasons, the Detroit Pistons completed a monumental, franchise-wide turnaround that took the squad from the lottery realm to the Eastern Conference Semifinals. That timeline overlaps identically with Tobias Harris’ return to the Motor City after playing for the Pistons from 2015-18, and the veteran power forward was a key factor in helping the team transition towards being a contender.
During the regular season, Harris registered double-figure scoring as the king of the mid-range with 13.3 points per game, but that’s not all that the veteran offered. Harris contributed 5.1 rebounds and 2.5 assists each night as well, but Pistons President of Basketball Operations Trajan Langdon spoke about how Harris brought a wealth of value to the table for Detroit as a consistent lead-by-example type of player within the locker room.
“Tobias has been great,” Langdon said. “He played some of his best basketball with us in these postseason games. But his approach, his professionalism has been huge in terms of us establishing the environment that we have in the past two years. There’s not a day he doesn’t come to work. There’s not a day he doesn’t do extra work, pre-practice, post-practice. He’s obviously in the community, one of the finalists for the community award for the league. We’re very, very proud of what he does for us, for this organization, for this city, and he’s very proud of it as well.”
During the playoffs, Harris was able to elevate his game to another level against the Orlando Magic in the first round. After failing to record consecutive 20-point games at any juncture during the regular season, Harris did so in eight straight postseason contests, which includes a dominant 30-point outburst for Detroit in game seven. But according to Langdon, Harris meant even more to a young Detroit squad that seized the top seed in the East all the way back in November, well ahead of schedule by many prognostications.
“It’s hard to put into words what he has done for this organization and for our young players,” Langdon said. “They call him Unc for a reason. He comes in and leads in a variety of ways that nobody will ever see or ever feel, but our guys do and we do in our organization everyday.”
Given the reputation that Harris has earned in the Motor City as an important, experienced player who sets the right example, the Pistons have a decision to make as he enters unrestricted free agency this offseason. Langdon did not go into great detail regarding his offseason plans, but he did indicate that the Pistons are interested in retaining Harris moving forward.
“We appreciate everything he’s brought, and yeah, we hope that we can bring someone back,” Langdon said. “He’s somebody that we want to keep in a Pistons uniform.”
At the moment, it is unclear how much Harris would command on the free agent market, but he does have an opportunity to continue contributing for a Pistons squad that should be in line to challenge for the Eastern Conference crown next season as well. Since Harris will be another year older next season, Detroit may look to ink the 35-year old for a lower price tag during contract negotiations this summer, but Langdon seemed comfortable with the idea of keeping Tobias in Detroit for another season at the very least.
Now, the Pistons will also have to make a decision on whether or not they want to bring Kevin Huerter back into the fold as well. Jalen Duren, on the other hand, is more of a sure-fire bet to return to Detroit after what Langdon revealed yesterday, and the Pistons will also work towards a long-term extension with Ausar Thompson sooner rather than later. So, Langdon is set to have a busy offseason, but he intends to make time for Harris amid all those deals.
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