The Detroit Pistons had clear needs at the trade deadline, but their decision to only add Kevin Huerter backfired in a Game 7 blowout loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers. The top-seed in the East was eliminated in the second round of the playoffs and was left with more questions than answers. They clearly need a second star to pair with Cade Cunningham and more offensive firepower. Fans knew that at the deadline, and the Pistons did nothing.
Trajan Langdon wanted to assess their postseason play. News flash, it went exactly how every fan thought it would. The offense was stuck in the mud, and Cade Cunningham was the only one capable of bailing it out. The Pistons went to seven games with the Magic before falling to the Cavaliers in the second round. This team wasn’t skilled enough to win the East and needs more talent.
The Pistons knew Duren wasn’t Cade’s co-star. If Detroit believed in him, they would have paid him when he was extension eligible before this season. Now, they have to decide if he gets the massive contract or not. The Pistons clearly have moves to make.
Pistons' trade deadline failure haunted them in Game 7 loss to Cavaliers
The only player the Pistons acquired at the trade deadline never left the bench on Sunday night. Bickerstaff used ten players in his rotation before waiving the white flag, and Huerter wasn’t one of them. Detroit’s one move was an absolute bust.
Bickerstaff was forced to start Daniss Jenkins to get some offense. He even turned to Caris LeVert and Marcus Sasser in Game 7 for some scoring punch. If Langdon had acquired a second star capable of getting buckets, the Pistons win this series and might have taken the East.
Detroit was relying on Tobias Harris to be their second scorer. Everyone knew how that would end. Harris shot 14 of 49 over the final four games against the Cavs. He had 40 points during that stretch and just 11 over the final two contests. The 33-year-old is in his 15th NBA season. Nobody is shocked that this happened.
Credit to Bickerstaff. He tried everything, including benching Isaiah Stewart and going deep into his reserves. It didn’t work because Detroit didn’t have the top-end talent.
Everyone knew their flaws, but the front office failed to remedy them. The result was a second-round playoff exit and a summer of regret. Fans are even more bummed because the Pistons had a shot to be better and wasted it.
This might be the franchise’s best chance to win the East. The Celtics are primed to get back into contention next season. New York isn’t going anywhere. The Heat want to trade for a star, and the Pacers will be back in the mix. This was the Pistons' season to take advantage, and the decision-makers ruined it by not fixing known weaknesses.
Detroit Pistons fans should be upset. They had the draft capital and salary-matching to make moves, but chose not to. San Antonio traded for De’Aaron Fox early and are in the conference finals. Instead, the Pistons made a move that didn’t matter and are now sitting at home. Fortune favors the bold. Hopefully, this is a lesson learned.
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