It’s no secret that the Detroit Pistons are trying to add ball handling and shooting this offseason, and they will definitely have some company in that pursuit.
Trajan Langdon will be looking for any way to improve his team’s biggest weaknesses without blowing up the foundation that made them a 60-win team last season. Unfortunately, he’ll have competition for any such players who become available.
According to insider Marc Stein (subscription), “The Pistons, Timberwolves and Nets are all teams that rival front office executives and agents have described as highly interested in adding some of that off-the-dribble playmaking this offseason.”
While this isn’t a shocking revelation, it’s not great news for Detroit, as the Nets are a team with a ton of cap space, young players and draft assets, so could easily get involved in any trade or free agency deal, and the Timberwolves are likely viewed as closer to a title than the Pistons right now, so may have more appeal to veterans looking to win a chip.
If Detroit doesn’t go the cap space route, which reports suggest, then they are left with trades, and one of the most interesting targets will also have other suitors that could thwart the Pistons’ efforts.
The Mavericks will play hardball with Kyrie Irving
Stein also mentioned that both the Pistons and Timberwolves were interested in veteran Kyrie Irving, who would be a good second fiddle to either Cade Cunningham or Anthony Edwards.
The Mavericks don’t really have a reason to keep him at this point, as his timeline is way off that of Cooper Flagg, but they aren’t just going to give him away either, so are taking the stance that Irving is not available.
That may be true, or it may be posturing, either way, it’s a sign that whoever trades for Irving is going to have to give up more than just some expiring contracts and second-round picks.
Trajan Langdon isn’t likely to get into a bidding war for a guy like Kyrie, so the fact that there are other teams involved is not great for the chances that he ends up in Detroit.
There will always be competition for the top guys on the trade market and in free agency, but the Pistons don’t want to get into a situation where they are outbidding other teams and potentially overpaying for a guy, which is why Trajan Langdon will be exploring all options and not be overly focused on one guy.
We’ve heard the Pistons attached to just about everyone at this point, which is good, as it means they are exploring all options, as some of their top targets may have a queue that becomes too expensive to get into.
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