With the Detroit Pistons will working out a deal for Jalen Duren, several players will enter the 2026-27 campaign on an expiring deal
From an overall volume standpoint, the Detroit Pistons did not have many players hit free agency this offseason. Last year’s top seed in the Eastern Conference re-signed both Kevin Huerter (three-year) and Javonte Green (one-year) during the summer, but the Pistons made the decision to let Tobias Harris walk after Detroit was unwilling to agree to terms on a fully guaranteed two-year deal.
Outside of those deals, the Pistons’ No. 1 priority has been working on a contract extension for 22-year old All-Star center Jalen Duren, but the two sides are expected to reach an agreement before the season starts. From there, the Pistons should transition to a long-term contract for Ausar Thompson as a rookie scale extension before Oct. 20, but the completion of those two deals will pave the way for a busy 2027 offseason nine months from now.
Presuming that Duren and Thompson sign their extensions before the regular season starts, that means the Pistons will have six players on their roster who will be in the final year of their contract according to Spotrac: Paul Reed, Daniss Jenkins, Javonte Green, Gary Harris, Taurean Prince and Tolu Smith.
Out of that group, Harris and Prince are new additions to the team as of this year, so it still remains to be seen how they will fit in the Motor City. However, Prince has already been spotted working out with Cade Cunningham and Thompson during the offseason, so the longtime vet is already working to create some chemistry with his new teammates. Harris, on the other hand, played his college ball at Michigan State, so he’s rather excited to return to the state as a whole.
Once the 2027 Trade Deadline rolls around, do not be surprised if several teams come sniffing around this group of players to see if the Pistons will make anyone available in a trade. Since Reed, Jenkins, Green, Prince, Harris and Smith are all on expiring deals, they would make attractive trade candidates for any team looking to add some role players just in time for a postseason push. All of those players are on team-friendly deals with Reed leading the way at a $5.6 million salary this season, which is now fully guaranteed, so the Pistons have a contingent of attractive trade pieces for a prospective team willing to do some mid-season business.
If Jenkins secures Detroit’s back-up point guard spot, the Pistons will be in an interesting position because another team could value DJ as a steal given he’s set to make just $4 million this season, but he’d likely be in store for a healthy raise during the next offseason. Plus, if Jenkins is playing at a high level through 50 games, then the Pistons might prefer to keep him on the squad for some added depth with the playoffs just around the corner.
One alternative to that scenario would be if Okorie or Elijah Harkless challenge Jenkins for the No. 2 point guard role behind Cunningham. If the Pistons can feel comfortable about their future with a Cunningham-Okorie-Harkless rotation at the one, then Jenkins could become one of the more coveted assets on the market ahead of the trade deadline.
