Trajan Langdon took over as president of basketball operations of the Detroit Pistons, a team that has been bad forever and has an impatient fanbase that wants to see some wins.
That might have put pressure on him to make rash moves, but Langdon stood his ground and took a measured approach to the offseason, adding shooting and veterans without committing to anything long term or trading a young talent too soon.
If you look at the moves Langdon made, it appears he hopes to be good within two years, as he didn’t sign any contracts beyond that. By that time, the young players will have developed (or not), he’ll know exactly what he has and he’ll have a ton of cap space to work with in trades or free agency.
This could be a very good roster by 2026 if everything falls into place.
Things that should happen for the Pistons in the next two years
There is no guarantee that any of this happens, but here are some predictions about what could happen in Detroit over the next two seasons:
-Jaden Ivey will be traded.
Ivey could have a breakout season and end up as part of this core, but as of right now, if I had to guess which young player won’t be with the Pistons on his next contract, it’s Ivey. He arguably has the most trade value of anyone not named Cade and drafting Ron Holland II might have put the gears in motion.
-Several Pistons’ players will leave in free agency or trades
The Pistons currently only have five players under contract for the 2026-27 season, and three of those are non-guaranteed player options. Tobias Harris, Malik Beasley, Tim Hardaway Jr., Paul Reed and Simone Fontecchio will all be gone in free agency or traded by the beginning of the 2026-27 season, so the Pistons will have either replaced them in trades or they will have left in free agency.
-The Pistons will make a move for a star
Langdon has set up this team for a big trade at some point over the next two seasons, as he has tradable expiring contracts, young players and cap space to work with.
-Detroit will have added at least one more top draft pick
The Pistons should improve next season, but it’s hard to see them making the playoffs, especially if there were to flip the expiring contracts of Beasley and THJ at the deadline and go into “player development” mode in the second half of the season. Detroit’s 2025 pick is protected 1-13, so they will likely keep it and add one more high-profile draft pick to the roster. Who knows, maybe karma will finally bless them for playing hard and they’ll get lucky like Atlanta did this year by actually trying to compete but still getting a top pick.
Whether it’s through the addition of a star in a trade or just another young draft pick, the Pistons could have a loaded starting five. Let’s start with the possibilities in the draft.
Potential Detroit Pistons starting lineup in 2026
If Langdon continues to go the organic route and the Pistons luck out in the draft lottery, they could add an impact talent from a draft class that is loaded. Here are two starting lineups that represent the best-case scenarios:
-Cade Cunningham
-Ron Holland II
-Ausar Thompson
-Cooper Flagg
-Jalen Duren
Pretty much the dream, as this would mean that one or both of Holland and Thompson made a leap as shooters. This would give the Pistons a big, dynamic starting five that could defend, run the floor and would have two high-impact scorers/playmakers in Cunningham and Flagg.
The Pistons would likely have to land the #1 pick for this to happen, which are long odds in any situation.
But what if the Pistons were to end up in the 5-7 range again?
-Cade Cunningham
-VJ Edgecombe
-Ron Holland
-Ausar Thompson
-Jalen Duren
I don’t like this one as much, though I do love Edgecombe as a prospect. This team would still be very young but Langdon won’t shy away from building his own roster, even if that means getting rid of some of the young guys who are currently on it and replacing him with his own draft picks.
He’s trying to build sustainable winning, though this team would still likely be too young to compete for the playoffs right away.
What if the Pistons are able to trade for a star?
Possible Detroit Pistons starting lineup with a star trade
I’ve written about some of the stars who might be available for the Pistons in trades over the next two seasons either because of their contract situations and/or their team’s finances.
Here are two starting lineups if the Pistons were to make a huge move in the next two years:
-Cade Cunningham
-Ron Holland
-Ausar Thompson
-Jaren Jackson Jr.
-Jalen Duren
In this scenario, the Pistons have traded for Jaren Jackson Jr. or landed him as a max free agent. JJJ is a longshot as if Memphis rebuilds, he will likely be the one they build around, but I love his fit with Duren and this would give the Pistons an elite defense, an identity they could build around.
The Nuggets are another team that may have to make some tough financial decisions over the next two seasons if they don’t want to go into the second apron:
-Cade Cunningham
-Ron Holland
-Ausar Thompson
-Michael Porter Jr.
-Jalen Duren
MPJ seems like a more realistic target for the Pistons, especially with the Tobias Harris contract in place. Detroit could potentially send Denver Harris/Stewart and draft assets for MPJ to save Denver money but keep them competitive in the Jokic years.
Of course, a ton of things could happen in the next two seasons, which makes this exercise difficult, but if things go right for Detroit, they should be on their way to sustained success within the next two seasons.