Trajan Langdon has put the Detroit Pistons in a position to make a big trade over the next season or two.
He’s collected expiring contracts of veterans who can still play, has tradable deals, young players, two roster spots and around $11 million in cap space to use as ammunition.
For now, Langdon seems content to wait it out and see if the market presents opportunities, but we can expect some players to be on the move before the trade deadline or certainly before the 2025-26 season.
Here’s what he’ll have to work with, from the least valuable trade assets to the most on the current roster.
No one is calling, but could be sweeteners in a bigger trade
-Wendell Moore Jr.
-Marcus Sasser
Either of these players could be included as sweeteners in a deal, as they are young players who have flashed some potential and are on contracts that could easily be absorbed.
Moore Jr. Is not likely to ever crack the rotation and Sasser will be battling for minutes with other guards who have more experience. If JB Bickerstaff prioritizes his veterans around a staggered Cade Cunningham and Jaden Ivey, then Sasser could be the odd man out of the rotation.
Sasser has shown he can score and does have some value, but it’s hard to see Detroit getting more than a 2nd-round pick for him unless he’s part of a bigger deal.
Could flip for second-rounders at the trade deadline
-Tim Hardaway Jr.
-Malik Beasley
-Paul Reed
All three of these players are on some form of expiring contract, as Reed’s second year is not fully guaranteed.
All three can play and provide value to a contender, which is why I liked these acquisitions by Langdon.
They will help the young Pistons evolve, but can be flipped for assets at the deadline.
Of the three, Reed is the most likely to stay around long term given his contract and the Pistons’ lack of big-man depth.
I’d be surprised if Hardaway Jr. is in Detroit past the trade deadline and I’d say Beasley will be a wait-and-see guy, as he is only 27, is an elite 3-point shooter and could be part of the long-term plans if they can extend him on a team-friendly deal as they did with Simone Fontecchio.
The big contract who can still play
-Tobias Harris
I also argued in favor of the Tobias Harris signing, as he will bring some traits to the Pistons that they’ve been missing.
Aside from his value as a consistent scoring threat from the four, Harris has the perfect contract to be used in a big trade. It’s enough money to offset a big chunk of star’s deal, and given that he can still play, he’s not a sunk cost.
It will be even more valuable as an expiring, so I’d be surprised to see Harris traded this season unless a deal comes along that is too good to pass up.
Keep your eyes on the Denver Nuggets, who need to shed a big contract and take back players who can still help them compete for a title.
Tough players to trade and get equal value
-Isaiah Stewart
-Simone Fontecchio
Both of these guys are on reasonable contracts and have proven they can contribute.
Fontecchio’s deal is a team-friendly one for the Pistons, especially if he continues to shoot the ball like he did last season while providing good defense on the wing.
Plenty of teams have called about Stewart, and I could see him moved if the right deal comes along, but he too is the type of player who could outplay his deal, though he will have to prove he can stay healthy after playing just 96 games in the last two seasons combined.
Teams need impact players who are not on max contracts, so it would likely be better for the Pistons to hold onto these two unless they are needed in a bigger deal.
Could net the Pistons a first-rounder, but better to wait and see
-Jaden Ivey
-Ron Holland II
Ron Holland hasn’t even stepped on the floor yet, he’s still a teenager and everyone knows he’s a project.
I’m sure someone would offer a later first-round pick in next year’s draft for him, but I’m certain the Pistons want to see what they have before anything like that would be entertained.
For now, he’s a mysterious unknown with a high ceiling, which does have value, but it’s hard to imagine him being traded anytime soon given he was Langdon’s first draft pick.
Jaden Ivey is still clinging onto that mysterious unknown title himself, but that quickly turns to bust if he doesn’t make a noticeable leap this season.
Right now, he’s a guy who by himself could likely get you a protected first-round pick, but he’d be more valuable as part of a bigger trade.
There’s also the issue of his contract, as he is eligible for an extension and no one is going to want to take that on until he shows more consistency.
Langdon didn’t draft Ivey, so if one of the young Pistons gets moved this season, it could be him.
Only as part of a trade for a star
-Jalen Duren
Duren is still just 20-years-old, a fact we all seem to forget as we pick apart his game like he’s a 10-year veteran.
Duren has to get better defensively, that is true, but he’s also flashed dominance on the boards, nice passing touch and a developing offensive repertoire.
He’s already strong in the pick and roll with Cade Cunningham as a lob threat and will be even more so with increased shooting and spacing around them next season.
He’s the only real center on the team, so it’s hard to see how the Pistons could trade him anytime soon unless it was part of a series of moves.
Duren has more potential to tap into and I think we’ll see a big leap out of him next season. He’s not untouchable in a trade, but there would have to be a star coming back, as he’s still on a rookie deal and could be one of the top-5 big men in the Eastern Conference next season.
Borderline untouchable
-Ausar Thompson
Some people might flip Duren and Thompson here, but I’m higher on Ausar given his position and skillset.
If you watched the playoffs this season, you saw how important defensive wing players were to teams like Minnesota, Dallas and champion Boston.
Yes, Thompson needs to get his shooting to a respectable number, but he affects games even if he doesn’t shoot the lights out from long range.
The addition of Fred Vinson should help when you look at a guy like Herb Jones (All-Defensive 1st team) and how much he improved as a shooter under Vinson’s tutelage.
His rebounding and defense are already there and only going to get better, so Ausar is as close to untouchable as the Pistons have.
He could be the centerpiece of a trade for a star or a guy who would net you multiple first-round picks, but it would have to be a no-brainer win for the Pistons to entertain trading him.
Not untouchable, but close
Cade Cunningham could fetch a haul for the Detroit Pistons in a trade
It’s extremely unlikely that the Pistons trade Cade Cunningham, but there are scenarios in which it could happen.
If they absolutely stink again next season and Langdon thinks there’s nothing here to salvage, trading Cunningham would be one way to kickstart a rebuild, as the Pistons could net a tidy return for him and allow Langdon to start with a clean slate of his own guys.
Signing him to a max extension only helped the Pistons in this regard, as they can take back more salary and better players in a deal and teams know they’d have Cunningham locked into a contract.
This is a prove it year for Cunningham, as they have given him a better roster with more spacing and veteran help, but I also don’t think it’s fair to expect miracles nor blame any lack of team success only on Cade.
This roster still has big flaws and still needs more talent, but he does need to show he can put up numbers while also leading a competitive team, something he has yet to do.
If the Pistons were to trade Cunningham, they’d likely be looking for big expiring deals and a ton of draft picks, similar to the package New York just gave up for Mikal Bridges.
I don’t expect that will happen, but the Pistons contractual commitment to Cunningham doesn’t prevent them from trading him if the worst-case scenario were to emerge.