The Pistons have had a conservative offseason and mostly signed players to fill out the rotation while relying on the development of their young stars. They have signed sufficient veteran help for their young players but have been reluctant to take on long-term contracts. This will position them well to make big moves down the road when they have more information about their young core.
When you look at the contracts for all of the Pistons’ veterans, you’ll notice that almost none of them are guaranteed beyond the next two seasons. Tobias Harris is one of the priciest players on the roster right now but he only has one more season left on his contract. Even new additions Caris LeVert and Duncan Robinson don’t have guaranteed salaries after two seasons.
The Pistons will certainly have more money on the books by 2027 than they are currently showing on their cap sheet due to contract extensions. Both Jaden Ivey and Jalen Duren are up for extensions in the next year, and Ausar Thompson will likely also have inked one by the time the 2027 offseason rolls around. Keeping a clean cap sheet aside from these players and small contracts with team options, such as Isaiah Stewart, gives the Pistons flexibility to build a roster around their budding stars.
What can the Pistons use this flexibility for?
With cap space becoming a rarity under the current CBA, the Pistons could become a front-runner for any marquee free agents or disgruntled stars if they have flexibility to absorb contracts.
As of right now, many star players are eligible to be free agents in 2027 (unless they sign an extension first). Chief among them is Giannis Antetokounmpo, who may be fully disgruntled with the Bucks’ supporting cast by then. He will still only be 32 years old and the Pistons can make a move for him at that time if their team is close enough to championship contention. Either obtaining him in free agency or through a sign-and-trade could put the Pistons in a similar position to where the Rockets are currently with their young players and Kevin Durant.
For younger options who fit more in line with the rest of the Pistons, two names to keep an eye on might be Tyrese Maxey and Scottie Barnes. Both have already made All-Star games but are stuck in frustrating situations with injury-prone and overpaid rosters. Either could fit well with the Pistons, and Detroit should have the assets and flexibility to pursue them in a couple years.
The Pistons have also been smarter about trading draft picks since Trajan Langdon took over as general manager. They now have control of all their first round picks going forward, which can help sweeten the deal in any trade to add another star or role player upgrade.