When the Detroit Pistons shake up their roster this offseason, is Devin Booker a player that you’d like to see the team target?
At the moment, the NBA offseason is nearly in full swing, but there are two teams left duking it out: the New York Knicks and San Antonio Spurs. Roughly one and a half months ago, the Detroit Pistons likely believed that they could represent the Eastern Conference in the NBA Finals, but the top seed ran into a buzzsaw of paint-packing defense that highlighted the Motown squad’s lack of three-point shooting.
Once the Orlando Magic and the Cleveland Cavaliers sent extra bodies down low to help out on defense, the Pistons struggled to find consistent scoring threats outside of Cade Cunningham since Jalen Duren was particularly hindered by that defensive approach. Tobias Harris did rip off eight consecutive 20-point games to start the playoffs, so perhaps he should be excluded from the secondary scorer criticism, but the veteran power forward is entering unrestricted free agency in his own right this summer.
Fortunately, the Pistons have a bevy of options when it comes to reshaping their roster. The 2026 NBA Draft is approaching, but there is a sense in Motown that the team needs an established scoring threat, and particularly one who can knock down long-range shots during crunch time. Along those lines, there have been rumors linking Devin Booker to the Detroit Pistons for multiple years now, but how likely would that homecoming be?
Now, Booker is proud to be from Grand Rapids, Michigan, and he’s continued to show support for Detroit sports teams ever since he was drafted by the Phoenix Suns ahead of the 2015-16 campaign. Booker frequently sports a Detroit Tigers hat when he’s in the Motor City, so it appears that the former All-Star would at least be open to the idea.
From a roster standpoint, the Pistons would have a bit of work to do to pull the trade off. Booker, who averaged 26.1 points per game last season, clearly has the shooting touch and on-ball creation ability to obtain buckets at all three levels. That scoring ability comes at a hefty price, though, with Booker set to make between $69 and $70 million this season according to Spotrac, which would require Detroit to send a couple high-earners back to the Suns in return.
Now, there is a possibility that the Pistons could re-sign Duren this offseason as a restricted free agent then flip the first-time All-Star center to Phoenix as part of a deal for Booker, but it is believed that JD is viewed as a cornerstone piece to the franchise. Cade Cunningham is obviously the most well-compensated Piston at the moment, but he’s not going anywhere this offseason.
Apart from those stars, the Pistons have Isaiah Stewart, Caris LeVert and Ron Holland on the books for a combined $40 million next season, so that would get Detroit closer to the ballpark where the trade could be executed. Now, the Pistons do own all of their first-round draft picks for the next five seasons in addition to a bevy of second-rounders (three in 2027, four in 2028), so that could become a factor in the eventual trade package as well.
When analyzing the on-court product, Booker would help the Pistons bolster their attack options in the postseason with an established scoring guard who can take the pressure off Cunningham and Duren. If Detroit opts to roll with a shooting-heavy lineup in the playoffs, Booker could operate from the two with Duncan Robinson easily sliding over to small forward to give the Pistons a more threatening three-point lineup.
There is no world where Booker would not be an expensive acquisition for the Pistons to make, but he’s also the caliber of player that could’ve won a series (or two) for Detroit during their most recent playoff run.
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.
