The Detroit Pistons are coming off of their most successful season in nearly two decades – 60 wins, the best record in the Eastern Conference and their deepest playoff run since 2008.
Now, they’re at the beginning of their most consequential offseason in some time.
The first round of the 2026 NBA Draft is less than a week away on Tuesday, June 23. Free agency begins a week after on June 30.
The needle must move forward next season, and the Pistons are exploring all their avenues, including the trade market, as they identify how to get better.
Here’s how Pistons president of basketball operations Trajan Langdon can earn an “A” offseason grade and crush the summer:
Find an impact player at No. 21
February’s multi-team trade of Jaden Ivey to the Chicago Bulls landed the Pistons a pick swap with the Minnesota Timberwolves, enabling them to move up from No. 28 to No. 21 in this year’s draft. It could be the highest first-round pick the Pistons will have for some time assuming their upward trajectory continues.
This will only be Langdon’s second selection in the first round since he took over in 2024. It’s imperative they get it right.
With paydays for Jalen Duren and Ausar Thompson looming (which we’ll get to next) and their cap sheet set to become more expensive, the Pistons must capitalize on opportunities to add impact players on team-friendly contracts. Their selection at No. 21 will sign a rookie-scale contract in the neighborhood of $19 million over four years, and will become extension-eligible in 2029 and enter restricted free agency in 2030.
It’s a deep class – particularly at point guard – and the Pistons will have options if they wish to address their need for ball-handling. Available guards at Pick 21 could include Texas Tech’s Christian Anderson, Iowa’s Bennett Stirtz and Stanford’s Ebuka Okorie.
Anderson is among the best shooters in the draft, Stirtz is an all-around floor general and Okorie is electric with the ball and a walking paint touch.
The Pistons could also look to add shooting or find a long-term option at power forward, with Tobias Harris set to enter unrestricted free agency with his age-34 season approaching. Langdon will have to find the balance between the usual “best player available” mindset versus prioritizing a player who can immediately contribute next season.
Pay up for Duren and Thompson (but not too much)
It remains to be seen if the Pistons will extend Thompson, who is eligible for an extension July 6, after completing the third season of his rookie contract. But there are advantages to doing so now, rather than waiting a year to allow the market to set the price on a 23-year-old who just earned All-Defense first team honors, and finished top three in Defensive Player of the Year voting.
After Cade Cunningham, no player in the postseason was more impactful for the Pistons than Thompson. He was so destructive to the Cleveland Cavaliers’ offense that their head coach, Kenny Atkinson, acknowledged the Cavs eventually stopped challenging him altogether.
As Thompson continues to find himself offensively – and there’s plenty of room for growth for him on that end, particularly as a shooter – his value will only increase.
Two players with similar archetypes as Thompson, Atlanta Hawks guard Dyson Daniels and Orlando Magic guard Jalen Suggs, are making $25 and $30 million annually, respectfully. It’s a reasonable ballpark for Thompson’s next deal.
As for Duren, the Pistons will have to navigate the delta between his All-NBA third team regular season breakout, and his disappointing performance in the playoffs. He’s eligible for up to $287 million over five years with the Pistons, or around $177 million over four years if he signs an offer sheet with an outside team. The latter – about $44.25 million per season – is a more realistic ceiling than the maximum he qualifies for.
Regardless, Duren is due for a big raise in the neighborhood of $35-$44 million annually.
There has been a lot of debate as to what would qualify as an “overpay.” That’s a delicate line Langdon eventually will have to find and draw, as the Pistons navigate simultaneously retaining their young, core players and the ability to add a big external upgrade.
Go big(ger) in free agency, trade market
Last summer, Langdon said he expected continuity to be the team’s primary path toward improvement. A year later, he’s more open to substantial change.
He said during his end-of-season press conference May 19 that the team needs to upgrade its ball-handling and shooting, and that those improvements typically aren’t made cheaply. They fell to a Cavaliers team with two highly paid superstar guards in James Harden and Donovan Mitchell.
The newly crowned champions, the New York Knicks, boast Jalen Brunson and Karl-Anthony Towns, and the latter’s emergence as an offensive hub (4.9 assists per game in the playoffs) propelled their historic run.
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The rumor mill for the Pistons has ignited the past week, connecting them to stars and high-scorers such as Dallas Mavericks guard Kyrie Irving, Miami Heat guard Tyler Herro and New Orleans Pelicans forward Trey Murphy. It affirms what Langdon has said publicly and what team and league sources have said privately – the Pistons are hunting. If and when they make a big move remains to be seen, but they’re doing their diligence on the market as they angle for their first East finals appearance since 2008.
“The more ball-handling you can have on the floor, the better,” Langdon said. “You see these teams that are successful have a lot of people that can whether it’s initiate, whether bringing the ball up or executing in the halfcourt in terms of getting paint touches or making decisions. I think the more guys like that you have, the more difficult it is to guard.”
[ MUST LISTEN: Make “The Pistons Pulse” your go-to Pistons podcast, listen available anywhere you listen to podcasts (Apple, Spotify) or watch live on YouTube. ]
Contact Omari Sankofa II at osankofa@freepress.com. Follow him on X and/or Bluesky.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: How Trajan Langdon can earn ‘A’ grade, crush Detroit Pistons offseason
Reporting by Omari Sankofa II, Detroit Free Press / Detroit Free Press
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Omari Sankofa II, Detroit Free Press | USA TODAY Network
