Now that the Detroit Pistons are on the verge of starting the pre-season with a Monday night tilt against the Phoenix Suns on the docket, this is a pertinent time to review the team’s offseason business. Overall, the Eastern Conference underwent a talent surge with several teams taking perceived leaps forward ahead of the 2026-27 campaign, so the Pistons should have a lot of healthy competition in their quest for a repeat acquisition of the conference’s top seed. 

Before breaking down the new members of the Pistons, it’s important to understand what the squad needs to replace after losing a contingent of veterans during the summer. As of this year, the four-man group of Tobias Harris, Isaiah Stewart, Marcus Sasser and Caris LeVert all play for new teams, so that’s two members from the backcourt and two from the frontcourt. 

Harris was an every-game starter for Detroit, and Stewart notably took responsibility in anchoring the Pistons’ defense in the low post, so they will both be missed in the Motor City. Sasser and LeVert, on the other hand, had turbulent tenures with the team and ultimately did not live up to the expectations that were placed upon them, so moving forward with new guard options was probably the right move for the Pistons. 

To open the offseason, the Pistons made a deal to move up in the 2026 NBA Draft to ensure that former Stanford point guard Ebuka Okorie would wind up as a member of the Detroit organization. Okorie led the ACC in scoring as a true freshman last season as a self-creating walking bucket, so the dynamic playmaker will work on translating those traits to the NBA level. Detroit also snagged former Virginia center Ugonna Onyenso in the second-round as a seven-foot shot-blocking demon down low, so both players should provide quality young depth for the Pistons right away.

On the trade market, Detroit made an array of trades to land quality three-point shooters who can push the Pistons offense in a different direction. John Collins is the odds-on favorite to replace Harris at the four, and he’s a high-flying stretch four that will give Cade Cunningham a lot of options both in transition and during halfcourt sets. 

After that, Isaiah Joe and Taurean Prince are the other two Detroit trade targets that now reside in Motown, where their perimeter scoring ability will be much appreciated. Joe is a sniper from the outside, and Prince mentioned that his go-to move on the court is to unleash a triple as well, which should benefit the Pistons since they both converted at a 40% clip from beyond the arc last season. Although it’s unlikely either vault into the starting lineup right away, they should be efficient weapons on the team’s second unit. 

Though picking up Elijah Harkless was a transaction that likely went under the radar for the Pistons, it shouldn’t have. After splitting time between the Jazz’ G-League team and their NBA outfit last season, Harkless showcased his relentless on-ball pressure as a defender who has the technique and strength to even switch onto bigs when the task calls for such an adjustment. In the G, Harkless had a number of 40-point explosions from an offensive perspective, so he’s a two-way talent that is wired in a very Detroit-centric way considering his tenacity and defensive instincts. 

In terms of players that the Pistons wanted to keep, both Jalen Duren and Ausar Thompson received new contracts during the offseason. Thompson signed his rookie scale extension first for a five-year renewal worth $155 million, then Duren inked a five-year, $200 million contract not long thereafter. 

Even though the deals dragged out longer than expected, the Pistons now have all three members of their core locked up long-term. Since they’re each at different pay rates, Detroit should be able to juggle their financial commitments while still leaving room to add supporting talent around the Cunningham-Thompson-Duren trio, so the team exercised some important foresight when doling out new contracts this summer. 

The Pistons also re-signed Kevin Huerter and Javonte Green to three-year and one-year deals respectively, so they should provide some balance, veteran leadership and support for the upcoming season as well.