The Detroit Pistons are playing with house money after defying expectations this season and making the playoffs after a six-year drought.
But that won’t be the case next year, as they will no longer be viewed as the feisty underdog but a team that is expected to win, and Trajan Langdon will enter the offseason with that agenda in mind.
The good news is that the Pistons’ best players are all young and under contract and they will have the flexibility to bring back their own key free agents and possibly add one or two more impact role players, which may be all they need to keep the momentum towards being a title contender rolling.
Insider Marc Stein (Subscription) predicted a wild NBA offseason that could include several high-profile coaches being fired and several stars changing teams. They are big names that would get fans talking but also guys the Pistons should avoid at all costs.
Bradley Beal
The Suns are going to try everything to ditch Beal this summer, but he has the worst contract in the NBA and no longer produces at a level anywhere near his salary. He is also one of the only players with a no-trade clause, so if he doesn’t want to be traded, he won’t be.
That’s why some have speculated the Suns might just buy Beal out, which would be challenging and potentially catastrophic to their team building.
Whether he is traded or ends up a free agent, Beal is not a guy the Pistons should (or will) pursue, as they have Jaden Ivey coming back, a much younger player on a much cheaper contract who can provide the same level of points per game.
But it will be interesting to see if Beal does get bought out and then picked up by a contender on a minimum deal.
Zion Williamson
I’ve talked about this one enough, so I’ll just leave this here: Williamson has played 30+ games just twice in his six years in the league.
He can’t be the best player on a good team because he never plays, a fact Trajan Langdon knows very well, which is why Zion ain’t coming to Detroit.
Kevin Durant
Would I like to pencil Kevin Durant into the Pistons’ starting lineup at power forward next season? Yes! Would I like to gut the team to get him? I would not.
Durant is still very good, but he’s 36-years-old, so giving up the type of package it will take to get him would not be in the Pistons’ best interest for long-term success. He’s making $54 million next season, so it would take at least three contracts to make the money work.
We are talking Tobias Harris, Simone Fontecchio plus one of Jaden Ivey or Isaiah Stewart, plus picks, which is a lot for a guy pushing 40 who is on an expiring contract and may have no interest in playing in Detroit.
I love KD in a vacuum, but the reality is much more challenging.
The Pistons don’t need to go star shopping and certainly don’t want to do it for high-risk guys who are on huge salaries, so don’t expect Detroit to be in on the big action that could unfold this summer.