The Detroit Pistons could be active on the trade market this offseason. If they make a deal, which players absolutely need to stay in the Motor City?
Just three weeks ago, the Detroit Pistons were bounced from the Eastern Conference Semifinals after a hard-fought seven-game series with the Cleveland Cavaliers. Though the Pistons hoped for a longer postseason run, Detroit reached the 60-win threshold in the regular season for only the third time in franchise history, so it’s safe to say the team has arrived ahead of schedule.
From November onward, the Pistons held the top position in the Eastern Conference, and Detroit sent multiple players to the All-Star Game (along with their head coach) for the first time in nearly two decades. But despite those accomplishments, the Pistons were incomplete from a basketball sense.
During the playoffs, both the Orlando Magic and the Cavs plugged the paint and sagged inward to make life difficult for Cade Cunningham and Jalen Duren. With that defensive adjustment hampering their gameplan, the Pistons didn’t have the necessary firepower from three-point range to punish their postseason opponents, and that roster imbalance was exposed on the national stage. Duncan Robinson did connect on long-range shots at a 41% rate during the regular season, but his perimeter gravity was not enough to keep defenses spread out, and it stood out as an area where Detroit could serve to improve during the summer.
With that as an objective, Pistons President of Basketball Operations Trajan Langdon has to evaluate the entire roster to determine which moves to make in both the 2026 NBA Draft and free agency, which opens up one week later on June 30. From last year’s team, both Tobias Harris and Kevin Huerter are unrestricted free agents (with Duren becoming a restricted free agent once he signs a qualifying offer), but the team will likely experience a lot of continuity heading into next season.
Even with that as a feasible reality, it is important to consider which players should be on the table should the right offer arise where the Pistons could add three-point shooting, a consistent secondary scorer or even a long-term option at power forward. Cunningham and Duren are most likely off the table after their respective All-NBA seasons, and the organization views defensive menace Ausar Thompson as a similar caliber of player who can positively influence every single game for the Pistons with his pressure and aggression.
Outside of that, though, Langdon should remain open to any possibility to improve Detroit that comes across his desk. Big man Isaiah Stewart has been a frequent inclusion to Pistons offseason trade rumors, which makes sense given his shot-swatting penchant and ability to battle for rebounds in the low post, but Beef Stew is also the longest-tenured player in a Detroit locker room that is exceedingly tight-knit.
So, the question ultimately becomes what the return package would be to necessitate including a player like Stewart or Ron Holland II, who also has a lot of value in his own right. Caris LeVert is another veteran who could help sweeten the deal for whichever NBA org negotiated with the Pistons, but the three-man core of Cunningham, Duren and Thompson needs to stay intact by any means necessary.
Outside of that, Detroit is in the market to identify their power forward of the future, so perhaps a deal materializes for Trey Murphy III as has been so heavily rumored. Murphy has played mostly small forward throughout his career, but his size at 6-8 could translate to the four while also giving the Pistons another dangerous three-point shooter, effectively solving two problems at once.
The Pistons also have a bevy of future second round draft picks to work with along with all of their own first-rounders for the next five seasons, so Detroit has roster flexibility, draft capital and cap mobility on their side this offseason. If Cunningham, Duren and Thompson all stay put while Langdon adds more shooters to the team, the Pistons could wind up in a much different postseason position next year.
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