Speaking on Tuesday to reporters, including Omari Sankofa II of The Detroit Free Press (Twitter links ), Pistons general manager Trajan Langdon said he doesn’t anticipate that the team will do anything too drastic in free agency or on the trade market this summer after improving its record by 30 wins in 2024/25.
The second-year GM suggested the Pistons are more likely to focus on retaining their own free agents and making some tweaks around the edges of the roster rather than taking a big swing.
“We’re not going to be super aggressive this summer, I don’t think,” Langdon said. “I don’t foresee any of that. It’s just developing from within and hopefully keep the guys we brought in last year.”
According to Langdon, the uncertainty in the Eastern Conference – where three of the top five finishers from this past season will have a star player miss most or all of 2025/26 due to a torn Achilles – has “provoked thought” about Detroit’s ability to take another step forward, but hasn’t altered the team’s plans.
“I don’t think we want to be locked in and push our chips in,” Langdon said, per Sankofa (Twitter link ). “… We want to keep that optionality … I think we will see growth from this year to next year and that’s what’s important for us.”
Here are a few more highlights from Langdon’s press conference:
- Specifically addressing their trio of veteran free agents – Malik Beasley , Dennis Schröder , and Tim Hardaway Jr. – Langdon said the Pistons want to re-sign all three players but won’t be able to fully control the situation, since they’ll be unrestricted FAs (Twitter link via Sankofa). “We have stated that we’re interested and they’re interested in us,” Langdon said, “but agents have to do their job and survey the market and see what’s there, and hopefully we can see those guys back.”
- Jaden Ivey (left leg) and Isaiah Stewart (right knee) wouldn’t necessarily be a “full go” if the Pistons were playing a game today, but both players will be ready for training camp, Langdon confirmed (Twitter link via Sankofa).
- Langdon declined to get into specifics when asked about Ivey and Jalen Duren being eligible for rookie scale extensions this offseason, but said the Pistons “value” both players (Twitter link via Sankofa): “Hopefully we can have conversations about (extensions) and if we don’t (extend them), they’ll play the year out and we’ll see from there.”
- Perhaps inspired by seeing his twin brother Amen Thompson earn first-place Defensive Player of the Year votes and claim a spot on the All-Defensive first team, Pistons wing Ausar Thompson has similar aspirations, according to Langdon (Twitter link via Sankofa). “He’s been working his butt off,” the GM said of Ausar, who missed the start of last season while recovering from a blood clot. “He’s been here, been back home, he’s been in the gym. The thing he wants to do at some point is be Defensive Player of the Year. He’s working on his strength, which he couldn’t do last year.”
- The Pistons intend to draft the best available with their No. 37 overall pick, according to Langdon (Twitter link via Sankofa), who is optimistic that the team will “find a player we like at that number” despite the fact that NIL opportunities have resulted in fewer early entrants and weakened that section of the draft to some extent.