It will be fascinating to see how new team president of basketball operations Trajan Langdon handles his first offseason with the Detroit Pistons.
He’s had precious little time to prepare, still has front office positions to fill and the 2024 NBA Draft is now less than two weeks away. Given that context, it wouldn’t be shocking if Langdon played it safe this summer, grabbed a high-end prospect with the #5 pick and added a few moderate free agents to help this team take the next step.
But he is following a man in Troy Weaver who did nothing but play it safe, never taking a risk on a franchise-altering trade or even attempting to sign a free agent. The Pistons didn’t hire Langdon for another four years of sitting on his hands, so he will have the green light to make the necessary changes.
That could include doing things the fans are not going to like.
Falling in love with the Detroit Pistons’ prospects
Fans get attached to the players their teams draft, that’s just how it goes. We are protective of their potential, give them the benefit of the doubt and blame the coach and front office when they don’t play well.
We get caught up in potential and upside instead of results, overvalue our own guys and balk at the prospect of trading them just in case they go off to another team and become a star.
All of these things make sense.
But the point of tanking is to attain elite talent and not all of that has to come in the draft. Some of those high draft picks eventually have to be moved so that not every player on the roster is on the same timeline, so there is a good mix of young and veteran talent. You collect assets to turn into players and that can happen in a lot of ways.
If Langdon does shake things up this summer, I expect him to complete one task that some fans are going to hate.
The Detroit Pistons need to trade Isaiah Stewart
Isaiah “Beef Stew” Stewart is an anomaly, as he is a fan favorite, yet also a guy fans argue about endlessly.
Most want to see him moved from his role from last season into a backup big situation where he provides defense and stretch five potential off the bench.
This isn’t necessarily because of anything Stewart did. He has improved each year he’s been in the league, has shown he can be a serviceable shooter from long range and is arguably the Pistons’ best defender.
But given his current limitations on offense, he can’t and shouldn’t play alongside Jalen Duren.
Stewart is also a guy that a lot of other teams have expressed interest in, as he is the type of role player all good teams need.
Attaching him to a trade could yield the Pistons a solid return and player(s) who are better fits.
But is Stewart really the problem? The Pistons have committed to Stewart contractually, so are we sure he’s the one they would trade?
The Detroit Pistons have to trade Jalen Duren
It’s easy to argue that Stewart is the one the Pistons should keep if one of their big men has to go, as he is more versatile and already on a reasonable contract that will look even better as the salary cap continues to rise.
Modern bigs need to be able to shoot/pass/dribble or defend the rim and Duren does neither, though he is just 20 years old and has plenty of room to grow as a player.
If the Pistons believe he can get there defensively, then they don’t have to trade either of these guys, as Stewart can come off the bench as a do-it-all big man with Duren as the starter.
But if Langdon doesn’t see it, Duren is a guy who would be a nice trade chip for any team looking for a young big man (New Orleans).
There is also a chance that Trajan Langdon likes his bigs and will look to make changes in other areas.
The Detroit Pistons need to trade Jaden Ivey
This is a move that would divide the fanbase, as you have one camp that believes Jaden Ivey is going to be a star and another that thinks he’s just an inefficient guard who can’t defend.
If Langdon sees more of the latter, it could be Ivey that is shipped out and he would likely have the most trade value of any of their young players not named Cade Cunningham.
If the Pistons are committed to building around Cunningham (which they will make official when he signs a max extension), then Ivey may have to go, as he has not proven to be a great fit.
The Pistons need more defense and shooting on the perimeter and Ivey is a guy who does his best work with the ball in his hands, getting to the rim and drawing fouls.
Detroit certainly doesn’t have to trade all three of these players, but if Langdon is going to make a big splash this offseason and put his stamp on the team, then one of them should probably go, as the Pistons can’t double down on a roster that led to the worst record in team history.
There is a chance Langdon will play it safe in his first offseason, but if not, expect one of these three players to be on a different team next season and for a big chunk of fans to be unhappy about it.