Right now, the Detroit roster is being constructed by a savvy operator in Trajan Langdon, the Pistons President of Basketball Operations. During his time in Motown, Langdon has shown a penchant for making shrewd moves that allow the Pistons to easily pivot in other directions, and he reinforced that track record last week.

On Oct. 20, the Pistons chose not to extend the rookie contracts of Jalen Duren and Jaden Ivey before the 6 pm deadline. As a result, both Duren and Ivey will enter next offseason as restricted free agents if the Pistons choose to extend qualifying offers. From that point, Detroit can choose to match any contract that Ivey or Duren agree to with another team if the Pistons see fit. From a wide perspective, that decision allows the Pistons to stick with Duren and Ivey long-term only if the deal is consistent with market value, thereby maintaining roster flexibility. 

On top of that evidence, the Pistons are entering the 2025-26 regular season with an open spot on the team’s roster, which has become a popular trend in recent years. This decision also allows for the Pistons to have a bit of breathing room to pivot when a need arises during the season. For instance, Ivey is sidelined right now for around a month, and the Pistons would have the space on the roster to add another player to fill that void if they decided to pursue that route.

Now, the Pistons hold an extra roster spot open at the moment, and the team has a considerable amount of money at its disposal when it comes time to fill the position. According to Spotrac’s Keith Smith, the Pistons have more than $20 million to spend before running into a brick wall at the luxury tax limit.

Detroit Pistons: $21.1 million under the luxury tax

“As per usual, the NBA’s largest group of teams is living over the cap, but under the tax,” Smith wrote. “This group is a mix of playoff contenders and rebuilding squads, outside of the Thunder, who are absolutely a title contender.

“This is where the moves will happen. When there are trades in-season, expect these teams to be involved, either as direct parties or as helpful facilitators. Keep an eye on the Jazz and Wizards, as they’ve got the room under the tax to take on contracts for future draft assets to help push trades over the line, or to help teams duck the luxury tax.”

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From that point, Detroit is in a comfortable position where it is not hard-capped by the second apron and can move its assets around easily enough should Langdon decide to tinker with the roster. To be more specific, the Pistons are $28.1 million under the league’s first apron, and Smith described Detroit’s position as one with some variability.

“On the flipside, playoff contenders like the Hawks, Pistons, Pacers and Grizzlies all have enough wiggle room to take on some salary in trades as in-season needs arise,” Smith wrote. 

From a financial standpoint, the Pistons are aligned in a spot that is conducive to making moves when need be. Detroit has the space to bring in another player while also possessing the money required to do so, and those could be attractive assets when the trade deadline rolls around on Feb. 5.

So far, Langdon has operated in a pragmatic fashion and has only carried out moves if there is a long-term benefit to the Pistons franchise. With that pretense, it would likely take a dominant first half from the Pistons for Langdon to accelerate the timeline and turn the team into a win-now squad. 

The Pistons return to action tomorrow at home against the Orlando Magic on Wednesday, Oct. 29, and the game is scheduled for a 7 pm tip-off.

For more information on the latest Detroit Pistons team or player news, follow @EricJRutter on X for continued basketball coverage.