The most important duty for Trajan Langdon over the course of next season is not necessarily to win as many games as possible.
It’s to figure out a plan, something that the previous regime never had, as it always seemed as though they were just making it up as they went along.
The first step is to evaluate the young players and decide which ones to keep and which ones are trade assets. That process has already started, but Trajan Langdon won’t have long before he has to make some tough decisions.
The deadline for team options on Marcus Sasser, Ausar Thompson, Wendell Moore Jr., Jalen Duren and Jaden Ivey is on October 31st, aka, the end of this month. Here’s a prediction about what will happen with each player.
Detroit Pistons payroll: Team options
Ausar Thompson
Even though Thompson is currently being held out for medical reasons, the Pistons are 100 percent guaranteed to exercise his third-year option for $8.77 million. Even if they thought he wasn’t going to play this season, picking up that option is a no-brainer, as he has already shown enough to think he could be an All-Star. Let’s hope he gets back to full-contact drills soon and is ready for the start of the regular season, but even if he isn’t, this option is getting exercised.
Marcus Sasser
Sasser is a little less certain, as he has an unclear role on this roster and may struggle to make the rotation right away. He’s already 24-years-old, but did show he can shoot last season and perhaps be a scoring option off the bench. His inability to play point guard won’t help his case, but he is only due $2.8 million in 2025-26, a number the Pistons can easily absorb and/or trade away, so I expect they will pick up his team option.
Wendell Moore Jr.
Barring something miraculous happening in training camp, Wendell Moore Jr’s option for $4.5 million will not be picked up by the Pistons. Moore has some talent but there are guys on minimum deals who can sit on the back end of the bench and Langdon will likely want to give those spots to guys he drafted or picked up in free agency rather than a player he was stuck with in a trade.
Jalen Duren
The Pistons will pick up Duren’s option for $6.4 million, as he is already outplaying that number, but the real intrigue comes next offseason when he is eligible for an extension. I do believe he’ll get one regardless of how this season goes, but he will have to show marked improvement for it to be anywhere near a max deal. I expect Duren to get something closer to the extension Isaiah Stewart signed, somewhere in between that and where Nic Claxton is. Duren might get $100 million on his next deal, but I’d be shocked if it is anything beyond that unless he has a huge leap year.
Jaden Ivey
Ivey is in the same boat as Duren, as the Pistons will exercise his team option for 2025-26, but unlike Duren, I am not so sure an extension is coming. The Pistons might be smarter to take a wait-and-see approach with Ivey, who has not yet proven he can be a long-term piece with Cade Cunningham. I wouldn’t be surprised to see the Pistons not offer Ivey an extension and for him to play out his final year and become a restricted free agent. They’d still be able to keep him if they wanted him, but given the restrictions of the new CBA, signing players prematurely could lead to disaster. Unless Ivey has a breakout season, I wouldn’t be shocked to see him go into next year without an extension.