The Pistons extended their lead at the top of the Eastern Conference on Monday by pulling out a one-point victory over the No. 2 Celtics. At the midway point of the season, Detroit holds a 31-10 record and is ahead of Boston by five-and-a-half games in the standings.
Still, even with the conference title seemingly up for grabs, the common refrain out of Detroit in recent months has been that the Pistons aren’t operating with any urgency and are unlikely to make an all-in move prior to this season’s trade deadline. That’s still the case, according to ESPN’s Tim MacMahon, who likened this year’s Pistons to the 2023/24 Thunder on the most recent episode of the Hoop Collective podcast (YouTube link
).
Although that Oklahoma City team ended up winning 57 games, it wasn’t a big-time buyer at the trade deadline. The Thunder made a deadline deal for veteran forward Gordon Hayward , but also helped accommodate the Mavericks’ acquisition for Daniel Gafford by making a draft-pick trade with Dallas for a 2028 swap. It wasn’t until the subsequent offseason that the Thunder made moves for Isaiah Hartenstein and Alex Caruso that set up their ’24/25 championship run.
“(The Pistons) are very much in a patient, methodical mindset,” MacMahon said. “… Opportunistic, but they’re talking more, ‘Hey, we’ve got that (Dennis) Schröder (trade) exception (worth $14MM+ ). We could use that to facilitate a deal, get another asset, probably a first-round pick or something like that.’ They’re more in that mindset than they are, ‘Oh, gotta get the finishing piece now.’ Part of that is they want to give the guys that they have a chance to prove who they are – or who they’re not – come playoff time.”
MacMahon also observed that the Pistons will have to sign center Jalen Duren to a lucrative new contract during the 2026 offseason when he reaches restricted free agency, so any moves they make now will be made with a long-term view of their cap situation in mind.
While ESPN’s Tim Bontemps didn’t dispute his colleague’s reporting, he made it clear he’d like to see the Pistons be a little more aggressive, given the fact that they have a potential path to the NBA Finals. Pointing out that Detroit could use another ball-handler to help take the pressure off of Cade Cunningham , Bontemps identified a specific player he views as an ideal fit.
“The guy I really want the Pistons to get – who they probably can’t get and I don’t know what his health status would be – the guy they need is Kyrie Irving ,” Bontemps said. “If I was (Pistons president of basketball operations) Trajan Langdon, I would want to know where Kyrie’s health is at and what the chances of him playing are. That’s the call that I’d be making.
“… The realized version of Kyrie Irving, playing next to Cade like he played next to Luka (Doncic) , like he played next to LeBron (James) as a proven playoff scorer — that’s who they need.”
Irving is making his way back from a torn ACL. It’s unclear whether or not he’ll play this season, and there has been no indication that the Mavericks have any interest in moving him anyway, so the idea of the Pistons making a trade for the nine-time All-Star is probably a long shot.
Who else could fill that backcourt need for Detroit? Former No. 5 overall pick Jaden Ivey is the most obvious in-house candidate.
Ivey appeared well on his way to a breakout season a year ago before a broken leg prematurely ended his season in early January. The fourth-year guard is back in action this season, but has averaged a career-low 17.0 minutes per game and is contributing just 8.4 points per night. In other words, it’s hard to count on him in the short term to fill that role as a secondary ball-handler and scorer for a Pistons team with aspirations of making a deep playoff run.
Armed with some expiring salary, all their future first-round picks, a $14MM+ trade exception, and plenty of breathing room below the luxury tax line, the Pistons are in position to consider a wide range of trade candidates. Bontemps hopes they’ll do so, but acknowledges they’re far from desperate.
“If the Pistons don’t do anything, I’ll understand it,” Bontemps said. “And to be clear, I do not think they should make some rash trade and trade two or three first(-round picks) for some mediocre player to fit in. I brought up Kyrie for a reason. He’s on a short-term deal, he’s the exact skill set they need. If he was healthy and available and they could get him (and) you plug him into that team, I would tell you, I think Detroit could win the title. I wouldn’t bet on it, but right now their offense isn’t good enough to win the title, I don’t think, against the elite teams.”
We want to know what you think. How should the Pistons approach the trade deadline and how aggressive should they be? Are they the favorites to come out of the East even without making a deal? If not, what sort of move would get them there? And are there any other spots on their depth chart they should consider addressing outside of the backcourt?
Head to the comment section to weigh in with your thoughts!