Detroit Pistons 2025 Offseason

[Deleterious]

 

[Deleterious]

 

[Deleterious]

Good site for salary info.  Also a nice trade machine and lists of free agents.

Pistons cap - https://www.spotrac.com/nba/detroit-pistons/yearly

Free agents list - https://www.spotrac.com/nba/free-agents/_/year/2025

[Deleterious]

The salary cap next year is projected at $154.6 million.

One new thing.  Salary cap can only go up 10% per year.  They capped it because of the new media deal.

Draft is June 25th.

Teams can start negotiating with their own free agents the day after the finals ends.  Other teams free agents can be negotiated with starting June 30th.  Contracts can be signed starting July 6th.

 

[Deleterious]

Ivey and Duren are both eligible for extensions this summer.  If they don't sign one by the first game of the season they will become restricted free agents in the summer of 2026.

[RatkoVarda]

https://www.theringer.com/2025/05/02/nba/detroit-pistons-nba-trade-rumors-playoffs-2025

Can Gores Resist a Summer of Temptation?

[Deleterious]

They should absolutely be tempted.

Beck is correct by saying you don't want to be Atlanta or Sacramento.   But he lists the wrong reason.  It has nothing to do with being impatient and everything to do with just making a bad trade.

Indiana jumped for Siakam and that has worked well.  

Boston jumped for Horford, White, and Holiday and won a title.  You can even toss KP in even though he was hurt last year.

Cleveland went after Mitchell and we'll see how that goes.

OKC went after Hartenstein and Caruso.  Denver and Aaron Gordon.  Minnesota and Gobert.

They should be pushing the trade market hard.  Just be smart and make good trades. 

 

 

[Hongbit]

1 hour ago, Deleterious said:

They should absolutely be tempted.

Beck is correct by saying you don't want to be Atlanta or Sacramento.   But he lists the wrong reason.  It has nothing to do with being impatient and everything to do with just making a bad trade.

Indiana jumped for Siakam and that has worked well.  

Boston jumped for Horford, White, and Holiday and won a title.  You can even toss KP in even though he was hurt last year.

Cleveland went after Mitchell and we'll see how that goes.

OKC went after Hartenstein and Caruso.  Denver and Aaron Gordon.  Minnesota and Gobert.

They should be pushing the trade market hard.  Just be smart and make good trades. 

 

 

I agree.  They just have to pick the right player.

 Btw, Is it wrong of me to discount the opinion of any national correspondent when they gloss Duren as a budding star and key part of the future core.   I get they look at stats and see highlights and it looks good from afar.  They don’t see the many flaws that are exposed often.  He’s young and he has talent but I don’t see how he ever does more on offense than catch lobs.  It’s a 50/50 chance that he’s able to control a bounce pass into the lane.   He’s improved but he’s still a serious liability man to man guarding.  

He’s got value but he’s not someone we should commit money and term to keep.  It shouldn’t be that hard to find a big that can dunk a lob from Cade, block the shot of a smaller player driving the lane, and grabbing an uncontested rebound.  

[Shinzaki]

Reger on 97.1 thinks they should try to trade Harris, Stew ans 2 1st round picks to the Suns for Durant 

No thank you

[1984Echoes]

What about Markannen & Kessler?

Instead of Stew... Harris & Ivey & Sasser plus two 1sts and two 2nds? Plus extra parts if needed to match up salaries?

[buddha]

1 hour ago, Hongbit said:

I agree.  They just have to pick the right player.

 Btw, Is it wrong of me to discount the opinion of any national correspondent when they gloss Duren as a budding star and key part of the future core.   I get they look at stats and see highlights and it looks good from afar.  They don’t see the many flaws that are exposed often.  He’s young and he has talent but I don’t see how he ever does more on offense than catch lobs.  It’s a 50/50 chance that he’s able to control a bounce pass into the lane.   He’s improved but he’s still a serious liability man to man guarding.  

He’s got value but he’s not someone we should commit money and term to keep.  It shouldn’t be that hard to find a big that can dunk a lob from Cade, block the shot of a smaller player driving the lane, and grabbing an uncontested rebound.  

its howard beck from nyc.  he just saw the pistons for the first time this year.  and i think he was the guy who didnt have cade as even a 3rd team all nba, right?

look, he has to write a piece on the pistons and came at it from a certain angle.  i dont like the logic because all those teams he talked about are different and, as del points out, there are plenty of teams that DID decide to add talent and it worked.

the worrying part for me is gores.  as always.  first of all, what kind of owner holds a press conference before his team gets ready to play game six?  oh yeah, the same kind who is issuing press releases about how tough the team is.

he's a egotistical maniac and the idea of him forcing a trade for kd (like his fellow sparty frat boy millionaire mat ishbia did) for the headlines and the attention (to him, of course), makes me very worried.

if you could get a genuine superstar in or near his prime to play with cade, you do it.  but i doubt that person actually comes available.  if they do, you have to do it.  this is basketball and one player can mean almost everything.

[buddha]

would the clippers part with kwahi?  

the bucks with giannis?

the problem for the pistons is they would be outbid by teams that ACCUMULATED ASSETS INSTEAD OF 7 FOOT LOSERS FOR THE PAST FIVE YEARS OF A REBUILD.

if okc or houston or brooklyn want someone, they have the assets to do it.  detroit really doesnt unless you want to put ausar AND ivey AND multiple 1s into the mix.

[Hongbit]

I would trade anything for Giannis.  He and Cade would be lethal.    

Intrigued by Durant as he still averaged 26 this season.  We are still playing had he been on the team this year.  
 

 

[Deleterious]

I don't want Durant within a hundred miles of this young team.  Why do that to Cade?

That is just an opinion.  But here is a more practical and fact based reason you do not want Durant on this team.  He isn't the missing piece.  He will be 37 years old when the season starts and the Pistons would still be building.  You would give up a bunch of player and draft capital to get him, and he doesn't turn them into a contender.  So what do you do in 2-3 years when he retires/declines?  He should go to a team that just needs a little kick to get over the hump.  Indiana, Minnesota, Denver.  Not a team that is quite a ways away from winning it.

[Deleterious]

As far as Duren goes.  I think he was lucky they played the Knicks and he could be hidden on Hart the entire series.  If he was forced to actually guard someone, I think the pitchforks might be out. 

[1984Echoes]

Which is why I asked about Markannen and Kessler.

Kessler could be backup C paired with Stew at PF.

Markannen at PF would be paired with Duren.

Starting Defensive weakness offset by lethal offense? 

Just asking opinions...

[Deleterious]

21 minutes ago, 1984Echoes said:

Which is why I asked about Markannen and Kessler.

Kessler could be backup C paired with Stew at PF.

Markannen at PF would be paired with Duren.

Starting Defensive weakness offset by lethal offense? 

Just asking opinions...

Huge no from me.

Kessler adds shot blocking, but not necessarily rim protection.  He allowed opponents to shoot 55% at the rim, which is not bad.  For reference, Stewart was second best in the league at 46% and Duren is one of the worst at 62.3%.  He has good PnR defensive numbers but never made the playoffs, so who knows if it translates.  

Good hands on offense.  Not the lob threat the Duren is, but just as useless as Duren outside 5 feet.  Kessler and Duren are both coming off of their rookie deals next summer, so they are about to get expensive.   Having Kessler, Stewart, and Duren on the same roster is terrible roster management.  Pick two and drop the third. 

Markannen has some talent.  But he is owed around $200 million for the next 4 years.  8 years in the league and he has played 60+ games only 3 times.  He is the type of player/contract that just kills organizations.  Run away.

I would roll the dice on Zion before Markannen.  Similar concerns but much higher ceiling. 

 

 

[buddha]

giannis or booker or bust.

giannis might be for sale.  booker wont be because the suns are stoopid.

[Deleterious]

Love Giannis, but he will cost you Cade.

Big pass on Booker. He is the one common denominator in all the Suns problems.

[Hongbit]

16 hours ago, Deleterious said:

I don't want Durant within a hundred miles of this young team.  Why do that to Cade?

That is just an opinion.  But here is a more practical and fact based reason you do not want Durant on this team.  He isn't the missing piece.  He will be 37 years old when the season starts and the Pistons would still be building.  You would give up a bunch of player and draft capital to get him, and he doesn't turn them into a contender.  So what do you do in 2-3 years when he retires/declines?  He should go to a team that just needs a little kick to get over the hump.  Indiana, Minnesota, Denver.  Not a team that is quite a ways away from winning it.

I’m not advocating for it but it is interesting to ponder.   KD is one of one.   Most players seriously decline way before 37 but KD is so different.  He averaged 26/6/4 at age 36.  Those are his declining numbers.  That’s crazy. I can see him staying super productive and being that real second scoring option that will put up 25 a night.  

Bringing him in for a few years as a bridge to becoming a real contender and maybe a becoming a legit landing spot for a big free agent to fill his spot when he’s out.  

FWIW, I don’t have any issue trading their draft picks.  It’s all a crapshoot and even more outside the lottery.   They are good to throw in for trades but as for an actual player, they are going to get a lucky hit on a later picked player becoming much better than expected.  That can happen with pick 15, pick 27, pick 43,  doesn’t really matter much to me 

[Shinzaki]

Markkanen would be an interesting guy..trading back into rd 1 to draft Danny Wolf from UM would be interesting. In a vaccum, Durant is an interesting guy...but the world does not exist in a vaccum.  The cost for him would be high as would the risk

[buddha]

i dont know who danny wolf could guard in the nba.

[Deleterious]

1 hour ago, Hongbit said:

I’m not advocating for it but it is interesting to ponder.   KD is one of one.   Most players seriously decline way before 37 but KD is so different.  He averaged 26/6/4 at age 36.  Those are his declining numbers.  That’s crazy. I can see him staying super productive and being that real second scoring option that will put up 25 a night.  

Bringing him in for a few years as a bridge to becoming a real contender and maybe a becoming a legit landing spot for a big free agent to fill his spot when he’s out.  

FWIW, I don’t have any issue trading their draft picks.  It’s all a crapshoot and even more outside the lottery.   They are good to throw in for trades but as for an actual player, they are going to get a lucky hit on a later picked player becoming much better than expected.  That can happen with pick 15, pick 27, pick 43,  doesn’t really matter much to me 

He did that in 62 games and was hurt heading into the playoffs if Phoenix had made it.  And that is a legit injury, not a tank since Phoenix is sending this year's first round pick to Houston.

But since his injury he had played 35, 55, 47, 75, and 62.  Again, I would rather gamble on Zion.

As far as draft picks go.  The new CBA really punishes apron teams so staying out of that area is going to be key.  You do that by adding cheap talent to your roster, and 1st round picks are the way to do that.  They are about to get a lot more valuable.  Not saying don't trade them.  Just saying, you better get something good when/if you do trade them.

[Deleterious]

 

[Shinzaki]

4 hours ago, buddha said:

i dont know who danny wolf could guard in the nba.

No one until he proves otherwise...but that's true of a number of young players.  I like what he brings offensively