The Detroit Pistons were not part of last night’s Giannis Antetokounmpo trade, but that doesn’t mean they won’t work their way into the deal before it’s finalized on June 6th
Late last night, the basketball world received a dose of breaking news when the Milwaukee Bucks agreed to trade superstar forward Giannis Antetokounmpo and Bobby Portis to the Miami Heat in exchange for Tyler Herro, Kel’el Ware, Jaime Jacquez Jr., Kasparov Jakucionis and a collection of draft picks to make the deal amenable on both sides.
Now, this would seem like a batch of bad news on the surface for a Detroit Pistons team that was (and still is) in the market to add three-point shooting this offseason with Herro as one of their main targets. However, the deal will not be finalized until July 6th, which means that there is still time for another squad to enter the trade with the initial framework already complete.
Since Herro only has one season left on his deal, the Bucks could be persuaded to reroute the guard to another team, such as the Pistons, in order to acquire players who have more tenure left on their contracts. Additionally, the fact that the trade will not be finalized until the new year begins also means that Duncan Robinson could be part of the trade from the Pistons’ perspective since he’s technically barred from changing teams until that time.
Although it may have appeared like Detroit missed the boat on this deal at first, right now is actually the time when the Pistons will have to win their bidding war for Herro. The Bucks know that other organizations across the NBA are also looking for perimeter shooting and ball handling, which are two qualities that Herro possesses in spades, so they should be in the market to field offers for a player who would otherwise be making their homecoming as a Milwaukee native.
With that said, the Pistons can rule out the possibility of trading away the No. 21 overall pick as part of a deal for Herro since the 2026 NBA Draft is set to kick off later tonight. While it was possible that Detroit could part ways with this year’s first-rounder in order to land Herro in a potential three-team trade, the Pistons will be able to hold onto their selection in what is widely believed to be a deep draft.
For the most part, Isaiah Stewart, Caris LeVert and Ron Holland have been the Pistons players most frequently included in potential trade discussions. Stewart obviously checks in as one of the most impactful defenders off the bench in the NBA, while Holland offers a similar dose of high-octane point-of-attack defense on the perimeter, so Detroit would have to be careful not to lose too much of their defensive edge in pursuit of three-point marksmanship.
After the draft, there will be about a week before free agency opens up on June 30, and that’s when the offseason will really swing into high gear for the Pistons and others across the league.
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