The Detroit Pistons are hunting for ways to improve after a breakout 60-win season and second round exit in the playoffs. Team president Trajan Langdon said they want to address their needs for more shooting and ball-handling. The rumor mill suggests the same, as the Pistons have been linked to a number of difference-makers across the league.
Here are three potential blockbuster deals (assembled with help from spotrac.com’s NBA trade machine) for players who fit what Langdon is looking for.
Tyler Herro, Miami Heat
The Heat reportedly are among the leaders in the Antetokounmpo sweepstakes, and they would have to unload Herro, their high-scoring guard, to do so. The Pistons are a team NBA insider Marc Stein wrote is interested in acquiring Herro for reasons that are clear. Herro is one of the best scorers in the Eastern Conference and averaged 20.5 points and 4.1 assists while shooting 48% overall and 37.8% from 3 last season.
This deal doesn’t come without risk, however. Herro, 26, has battled injuries and appeared in just 33 games last season. He’s also on an expiring contract, meaning the Pistons would either have to extend him or risk losing him in unrestricted free agency next summer. Salary-wise, they can’t trade for Herro without parting ways with two of Duncan Robinson, Isaiah Stewart and Caris LeVert. Robinson is their best shooter and Stewart is their top rim protector. Either way, they’d be parting with a core part of their rotation.
Herro directly addresses their need for shooting and ball-handling. The question for the Pistons is how much they’re willing to give up for a player with availability issues and a pay raise potentially looming.
Trey Murphy III, New Orleans Pelicans
The Pistons and Pelicans essentially swapped executives in the last few years. Langdon was New Orleans’ assistant general manager before the Pistons hired him as president in 2024. Troy Weaver, who ran the Pistons from 2020-24, was hired as the Pelicans’ general manager in 2025. They are deeply familiar with each other’s rosters, given that Weaver drafted the Pistons’ current young core and Langdon was with the Pelicans when they drafted Murphy in 2021.
Murphy, a 6-foot-8 forward who long has been coveted by Pistons fans, averaged 21.5 points, 5.7 rebounds and 3.8 assists on 47% overall shooting and 37.9% shooting from 3 last season. The 25-year-old is on a very team-friendly contract relative to his production, which means New Orleans has no pressing reason to move him. It likely would take multiple first-round picks to acquire him, and the addition of Stewart – who Weaver selected in 2020 and viewed as a culture-setter for the Pistons – would sweeten the pot. Sasser, also a former Weaver first-round pick, is included for salary matching.
Kyrie Irving, Dallas Mavericks
Irving’s age and injury history are red flags, but he unquestionably is among the game’s all-time great shotmakers and ball-handlers when healthy. The 34-year-old has thrived alongside other primary options, such as LeBron James and Luka Dončić, throughout his career, and would fill a similar role with Cade Cunningham. Irving hasn’t played a basketball game since tearing the ACL in his left knee on March 5, 2025, and missed the entire 2025-26 season.
The logic of a trade hinges on Irving’s recovery and the Pistons’ confidence that he can regain his pre-injury form. Irving signed a three-year extension last summer after the injury, and has a player option worth $42.4 million in 2027-28. It’s tough to see the incentive for the Mavericks to agree to a deal unless they’re getting a skilled player and draft capital in return. There’s risk here for the Pistons, but also potential for a big payoff.
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Contact Omari Sankofa II at osankofa@freepress.com. Follow him on X and/or Bluesky.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Kyrie Irving trade by Pistons would be gamble with big potential payoff
Reporting by Omari Sankofa II, Detroit Free Press / Detroit Free Press
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By Omari Sankofa II, Detroit Free Press | USA TODAY Network
