The Detroit Pistons could look at Norman Powell as a high-impact three-point shooter during free agency this offseason
When looking back on the 2025-26 campaign, the Detroit Pistons faced a clear point of inflection at the NBA Trade Deadline back in February. At the time, the Pistons were in first place of the Eastern Conference for the fourth consecutive month, but the team still looked like they could use some three-point shooting reinforcements before entering the playoffs.
As it turned out, those concerns proved to be substantive when Detroit was unable to regularly hit three-point shots from players not named Duncan Robinson or Cade Cunningham, and the Pistons still looked like a squad that could use another perimeter sharp-shooter to take them to the next level.
At the Trade Deadline, Pistons President of Basketball Operations Trajan Langdon worked out a three-team trade that sent Jaden Ivey to the Chicago Bulls in exchange for Kevin Huerter, Dario Saric (who was later waived) and a first round pick swap with the Minnesota Timberwolves, but that deal couldn’t help Detroit in the playoffs after Huerter went down with a left adductor strain.
As a result, the Pistons are still searching for players who can step up during the postseason and connect on big three-pointers during crunch time, which will also serve to open up the paint for Cunningham and Jalen Duren at the same time. Langdon has the opportunity to address that need first at the 2026 NBA Draft on June 23, but free agency will begin just one week later, and the Pistons will have a bevy of options to pursue at that time.
Among those who check the perimeter-shooting box that the Pistons are looking for, Norman Powell is a strong option to consider coming off his first All-Star season for the Miami Heat. Last year, Powell averaged 21.7 points per game while knocking down three-point shots at a 38% rate, which is well above the Pistons’ team-wide mark of 35.6% from the regular season.
In fact, Powell was an option that Pistons Roundtable presented around the Trade Deadline as a player with the long-range credentials that could benefit Detroit during their first playoff conquest as a one seed in nearly two decades. Powell was signed to an average annual value of just $18 million a season ago, so the Pistons could work that kind of cap hit into their books without much struggle considering they’re set to come in above the cap but well below the first apron as it currently stands according to Spotrac.
Now, the Pistons will have to work in a Jalen Duren extension along the way in addition to the likelihood that Tobias Harris returns to Detroit as well, but Langdon has some space to operate. A player with the three-point speciality that Powell does would ostensibly be more valuable to the Pistons than his $18 million salary range suggests considering the secondary impact it will have on Cunningham and Duren’s shot selection, so it would behoove Detroit to at least kick the tires and see if they can work out a deal with the sniper during the offseason.
For more information on the latest Detroit Pistons team or player news, follow @EricJRutter on X for continued basketball coverage. Also be sure to look up Roundtable - Michigan Men Media on Facebook for continued social media coverage of all the sporting teams in the Mitten.
