By AJ Hammerle
June 10, 2026
The Detroit Pistons shocked the NBA by posting a 60-22 record and claiming the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference. Now, after a loss to the 4th-seeded Cleveland Cavaliers, the Pistons look to keep growing and add more pieces to help them make it out of the Eastern Conference and eventually win an NBA Championship.
KEEP/ RESIGN
The Pistons currently have seven players they can choose to re-sign; the biggest of them all is NBA All-Star Center, Jalen Duren. Duren is currently 22-years-old and averaging 19.5 points and 10.5 rebounds a night; it seems like a no-brainer, right? The issue is Duren did not perform near that in the postseason. Duren averaged 11ppg and 8 RPG, dipping way below his season averages. Reports out of the Duren camp is he is looking for a five-year contract valued at $200-220 million. While the Pistons view him as a cornerstone of the franchise, they are seeking to sign him for $180 million. Duren is a restricted free agent, which lets the Pistons match any offer Duren is sent to keep him on the team.
Prediction: Pistons sign Duren to five years, $200 million
Tobias Harris is another player who the Pistons have the option to re-sign. The 33-year-old wing averaged 13.5 PPG, adding 5 rebounds and 3 assists a night. Along with that, Harris was a big reason behind the Pistons' 3-1 comeback against the Orlando Magic in the first round. Harris averaged 21.6 points, 8.1 rebounds, and 1.6 steals a game and had a monster 30 points in Game 7 to help the Pistons advance. Harris has shown interest in re-signing. According to Coyt Davis of The Detroit News, Harris has a “strong desire” to return to Detroit.
Prediction: Pistons sign Harris to two years, $30 million
The bench is another big reason for the Pistons' success, being able to go to guys like NBA veteran Javonte Green. Green signed a 1-year $2.8 million contract last offseason, making him a free agent this year. Even though the stats were not flashy, He brought energy and defense to the floor in the short stints he was out there, and the Pistons would love to have that back.
Prediction: Pistons sign Green one year, $2.5 million
The Pistons have decisions to make when it comes to end-of-the-bench guys, like Tolu Smith, Wendell Moore Jr. and Kevin Huerter. Huerter, the most used of the bunch, struggled shooting after being traded to Detroit at the deadline. The Pistons gave up former 5th overall pick Jaden Ivey, and in return they received the 21st overall pick, swap and Kevin Huerter, in a three-team deal with the Minnesota Timberwolves and Chicago Bulls. Huerter never found his footing and struggled to crack the rotation later in the year.
Prediction: Pistons let Smith, Moore, and Huerter walk in Free Agency.
The final decision the Pistons need to make is on backup point guard Daniss Jenkins. Jenkins signed a 2-year $7.8 million contract, with an option for the Pistons to pick him up for the 2026-2027 season. Jenkins is a former undrafted free agent who burst onto the scene this year as a great option to take over the backup PG minutes. Jenkins averaged 17.3 ppg and 7.9 assists in the short stint when Cade Cunningham was out with a Collapsed Lung. This is a no-brainer.
Prediction: Pistons pick up Jenkins’ team option.
THE EXTENSIONS
Ausar Thompson has solidified himself as one of the premier wing defenders in the league today. Thompson led the league in steals and also added 1 block a game, good enough to land him on the All-Defensive First Team. Thompson wasn't as proficient on the offensive side of the ball, just shooting 25% from three and adding just under ten points a night. But a defender like Thompson doesn't come along too often.
Cleveland Cavaliers coach Kenny Atkinson even said, “The tactical adjustment we made was avoiding [Ausar] Thompson. We were just like, if he's near the ball, throw it to someone else.”
That's high praise for a player who is just 23, and with coaches around the league praising him like that, money will follow him.
Prediction: Pistons extend Thompson five years, $135 million
TRADES
It is no secret that the Pistons need a secondary ball handler next to Cade Cunningham. Cunningham had a 30.5% usage rate, which nets him at No. 9 in the NBA according to Stat Muse. But the Pistons need another shooter on the floor to help space out the offense, someone who can take the load off Cunningham; insert Kyrie Irving.
The red flags are there; Irving is 34-years-old, coming off an ACL tear that caused him to miss the entire 2025-26 season. But the future NBA Hall of Famer is a proven star who can make the Pistons even more dangerous in an Eastern Conference that is only adding more talent. Another upside is that Irving doesn't have crazy high value like other Pistons targets, the Pelicans' Trey Murphy III and the Jazz's Lauri Markkanen. Irving would add elite ball-handling with reliable playmaking and would take the load off Cunningham.
The Pistons would still have to make a deal with the Dallas Mavericks that they couldn't refuse. Players like defensive stoppers Ron Holland and Isaiah Stewart, and salary filler Caris Levert. Holland is only 20- years-old and is passed up in the rotation by guys that do his job, like Ausar Thompson. In Dallas, Holland would have a chance to grow and develop with the likes of 2026 Rookie of the Year Cooper Flagg. Stewart would also help add a defensive presence to a team that was ranked 23rd in points given up this year and is on a very affordable $15 million a year contract. Throw in a wild card off the bench like Caris Levert and some draft capital, and the Mavs would probably pull the trigger on this deal.
Prediction: Pistons receive: Kyrie Irving. Mavericks receive: Ron Holland, Isaiah Stewart, Caris Levert and a ‘27 First Round pick.
The Detroit Pistons are no longer a rebuilding project; they are a contender. A 60-win season and a No. 1 seed proved that this team has arrived, and the front office now faces a crucial offseason. Locking up Jalen Duren and extending Ausar Thompson secures the foundation of a team built on defense and toughness. Re-signing veterans like Tobias Harris and Javonte Green keeps the culture intact. And if the Pistons can pull off a blockbuster deal to bring Kyrie Irving to Detroit, this roster transforms from a great regular season team into a legitimate championship threat.
The Eastern Conference is not getting any easier, and the Cavaliers proved in the playoffs that Detroit still has work to do. But with a young core, smart roster management, and the right offseason moves, the Pistons have every reason to believe the best is yet to come.