Next year will be a make-or-break season for several members of the Detroit Pistons, including Jaden Ivey, Marcus Sasser and Tobias Harris, but all for different reasons.
It’s strange to think that a playoff team is still in evaluation mode, but that’s still where the Pistons are with their young core, which they haven’t seen much of in its entirety.
With big contract decisions on the horizon, there are three guys who might be on different teams by this time next season.
Jaden Ivey
We’ve talked ad nauseam about what Jaden Ivey could mean to the Pistons, but given he’ll likely enter the season on an expiring contact (unless the Pistons get him on a team-friendly extension this summer) and has more to prove before the Pistons can give him a fat raise.
He has to show the shooting was legit and that he can be the secondary scoring option behind Cade Cunningham.
The Pistons already know they can make the playoffs without Ivey, so next year will be his time to show he’s an impact addition, otherwise, he’s the Pistons’ best trade asset.
Tobias Harris
Harris will also enter next season on an expiring deal, and it will be interesting to see how the Pistons handle it.
Harris has been everything he was advertised to be as a stable “security blanket” for a young team. He’s a consummate professional, great teammate and been a veteran who leads by example.
The Pistons don’t have a long-term replacement just yet (we’ll see about Ron Holland) so could bring Harris back on another short-term deal to act as a bridge to the next guy and eventually his backup.
But Harris’ expiring deal may be necessary if the Pistons want to make a big trade before the deadline, so even if they want to bring him back, his contract will be valuable in terms of salary matching.
Marcus Sasser
This is pretty much it for Sasser, as the Pistons are unlikely to exercise his team option for 2026-27, which would bump his pay over $5 million for that season, a steep cost for a guy who doesn’t play every night.
The Pistons may have cheaper options in their two-way players or one of their recent second-round picks, so Sasser has to show that he’s worth a long-term investment. And he needs to do it quickly, as the Pistons have to exercise his option by the end of October.