The Detroit Pistons want to add impact talent this summer, but don’t want to break up their team to do it, a point team president Trajan Langdon made clear in his press conference yesterday.
But he also made it clear that the Pistons need offense, specifically more players who can handle the ball and space the floor, and when you see the names the Pistons are attached to, that's exactly what Detroit is doing.
At the high end, the Pistons have been attached to Trey Murphy III, Tyler Herro, and Kyrie Irving, all players with skills
Insider Marc Stein also revealed some new names for the Pistons in a recent report, including Coby White, Isaiah Joe and Zach LaVine.
You have some potential “second star” types at the top of the list followed by players who are more high-end role players, but they have some things in common.
The Pistons are targeting offensive players
One thing all of these players have in common is that they are mostly known for their offense, whether it’s as a 3-point shooter or creator. All of them are also players who can handle the ball to varying degrees.
None of them are great defenders (Joe and TMIII are fine), but the Pistons have the defensive infrastructure to absorb even a bad defender if that person gives them an offensive boost. Is anyone talking about Jalen Brunson's defense now?
Detroit has acknowledged their biggest roster needs are exploring ways to address them.
The Pistons are looking for value impact
Outside of Trey Murphy III, who would likely cost the most to attain in terms of players and draft assets, most of these players represent potential high-end value and might not take as much to acquire.
Langdon’s comments yesterday were an indication that he’s not willing to dip too deeply into his core this offseason and expects a lot of the team’s improvement to come from within.
Players like Herro and Kyrie won’t be as costly as TMIII because of various red flags with contracts and injury status, but they are still impactful players that wouldn’t require the Pistons to break up their young core or completely empty their draft coffers.
Even Zach LaVine could be a decent value play, though his massive final year is a player option for $49 million which would complicate things. I’m not sure how the Pistons could match contracts without sending back a player they don’t want to lose, but he’d be cheap in terms of draft assets and doesn’t require any long-term risk.
We could also see some combination of this group, as guys like Isaiah Joe could potentially be had for little if the Thunder are looking for ways to cut payroll.
The Pistons can find impact additions without completely gutting their team, and it’s clear Trajan Langdon is exploring those types of options as well as some bigger swings.
Add us as a preferred source on Google