The Detroit Pistons aren't hiding the fact that they plan to be aggressive this offseason in efforts to find Cade Cunningham some help, but to do so, it won't be easy.
Detroit did their part to land one of the biggest offensive boosts they could in round 1 in the NBA Draft, trading up to select Stanford's Ebuka Okorie, but relying on a rookie to take the offensive burden of Cunningham isn't feasible at all.
Less than 24 hours after selecting Okorie, the Pistons were forced to watch their dream free agent target, Austin Reaves, sign a long-term extension to return to the Los Angeles Lakers.
Obviously, finding a pathway for Reaves to land in the Motor City was always going to be difficult.
Still, considering how difficult it is to land a big fish in free agency in the modern-day NBA, the Pistons never really had a fair shot at landing the talented playmaker.
Pistons are forced to realize how difficult it is to sign a big name free agent
In recent years, it's been quite some time since we've seen a big-name free agent change teams by way of free agency.
The latest example of that happening would be Paul George signing with the Philadelphia 76ers, but even then, a 35-year-old free agent is much different than landing a 28-year-old like Reaves, who's who is in his prime.
Jalen Brunson joining the New York Knicks in 2022 may be the last time a talent departed in free agency, and even then, he wasn't the bona fide superstar he is now.
Teams no longer let their top players reach free agency, and part of that is due to the new proactive approach to extend contracts before teams risk losing talented players for nothing.
All that to say, the Pistons no longer have the luxury of making a splash in free agency like teams used to do, and their most likely pathway to bolstering their roster is through the trade market.
If Pistons hope to make a splash, it's going to come via trade
We know the Pistons are active on the trade market, and they've already been linked to several marquee names like Trey Murphy III and Kyrie Irving.
They got this started last night by dealing Isaiah Stewart for three second-round picks in a clear salary dump.
With free agency less than a week away, movement around the league is going to pick up steam in the coming days, and if the Pistons hope to not miss out on the opportunity to upgrade their roster, Trajan Langdon is going to have to become aggressive sooner rather than later before watching prime targets land elsewhere.
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