Any Tyler Herro trade must come with another move for the Pistons

The Detroit Pistons need upgrades at the two and four positions this offseason and may have found one if the widely speculated Tyler Herro trade comes to fruition. 

It’s far from a done deal, and even though Herro is a guy the Pistons could definitely use, they can’t pay too steep a price for a player with his injury history and expiring contract.

That could make him a bargain, but there is a line Detroit can’t cross when it comes to price, and that would involve sending both Ron Holland II and their 2026 pick in the deal. 

Even if the Pistons were to land Herro at a cost they liked, they’d still have a big hole at power forward, one that would have to be filled with a specific type of player. 

Tyler Herro needs more defense around him 

If the Pistons are going to take on Herro, they need to find another quality defender at the four to help make up for his lack of defense. 

Teams can hide one bad defender in a solid group, as we just saw the Knicks do with Jalen Brunson. The Heat went to the Finals with Herro, so he can be successfully hidden in the right system. The Pistons already have very good perimeter defenders to put around Herro.

But Detroit also has Jalen Duren (for now) at center, a guy who isn’t a great rim protector, so they can’t have another defensive liability at the four. 

That could mean moving up in the draft, making another trade or finding a balanced platoon. 

How does this affect Tobias Harris? 

If the Pistons get Herro, counting on Tobias Harris to be the starter at the four would be a mistake. That doesn’t mean Detroit shouldn’t bring him back, in fact, Harris is guy Trajan Langdon very much wants to retain. 

He’d be an excellent option off the bench as a guy who could eat up role players with his post and mid-range game, so ideally the Pistons would get someone who can start and push Harris to smaller role. 

That could mean moving up in the draft for a guy like Yaxel Lendeborg, a 24-year-old who should be NBA ready. He’s a good defender and would offer a balanced platoon with Harris. Lendeborg comes with some question marks, but has the right kind of skillset.

That could also mean making another trade or taking on a more defensive-minded four into the mid-level exception. 

The Pistons have other options, but finding a four will be much more difficult than finding a guard/wing who can shoot, so if the Pistons take on Herro, it should be the first in a series of moves that also lands them a power forward with some defensive ability. 

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