Trajan Langdon's goal this offseason is clear: add shooting and ball-handing around what he considers the Pistons' "core three players:" All-NBA point guard, Cade Cunningham, All-Star center Jalen Duren and All-Defensive wing Ausar Thompson.
"We know that we need to be more equipped to compete in the postseason, and that’s what we’re looking into: adding pieces that help accentuate our three best players," Langdon said Thursday as the Pistons prepare for next week's NBA Draft.
Langdon doesn't expect to land an impact shooter with the 21st overall pick; "they don't get there," he said, because everyone wants them. And while the Pistons might find a playmaker they like at the point of the draft, Langdon isn't necessarily banking on said player being a year one contributor.
Trajan Langdon on #pistons looking for best player available with 21st pick in draft: "Maybe it’s not even next year (that he helps us) but in the future. We have players that are going to get expensive, and we’re going to have to have our picks hit and help our team." pic.twitter.com/XlbJ8FlAWI
— 97.1 The Ticket: (@971theticketxyt) June 18, 2026
To make real upgrades where they need to, the Pistons will likely have to swing a trade or two. That might mean moving the 21st overall pick, or future first-round picks, or an established player(s) -- or all three. As Langdon acknowledged, shooting and ball-handling might be the two most valued commodities in today's NBA. Either you have them, or you're trying to find them.
"We’re not the only team that has interest in those really good players," Langdon said. " Those players have to have interest in us, and those teams have to be interested in trading those players to us as well. And I think there are some teams that probably don’t want to help the Pistons right now, but we don’t want to help some other teams, too."
Even if they're not playing at the top of the trade market, the Pistons will have to give to get. And they appear ready to move a core piece of their team to get what they want: the Pistons are making big man Isaiah Stewart available in trade talks, per The Athletic, and "appear ready to rely on seventh-year big man Paul Reed in an increased role."
Detroit's longest-tenured player since arriving as the 16th overall pick in 2020, Stewart is an elite rim protector who garnered votes for Sixth Man of the Year this season. He's become a heart-and-soul player for the Pistons with his toughness and tenacity.
But if the Pistons are committed to paying Duren close to a max contract extension, it makes sense to consider moving Stewart, who has two years and $30 million left on his four-year, $60 million deal.
Trajan Langdon: "All of our guys will get better next year. Overall, that's the best way that we’ll grow, is internal growth, in terms of taking a step.
“But we will continue to look to see if we can add other pieces to help us come back a better iteration of the #pistons “ pic.twitter.com/uplLvxlIDR
— 97.1 The Ticket: (@971theticketxyt) June 18, 2026
One reported trade target for the Pistons is Oklahoma City shooting guard Isaiah Joe. The six-year vet averaged a career-high 11.1 points and shot 42.3 percent from three -- 10th in the NBA -- in 71 games this season playing mostly off the bench. He's shot 41.5 percent from three over the last four seasons.
Joe, who turns 27 in July, is under contract for the next two seasons with a very friendly cap hit of $11.3 million.
Another name to potentially watch in free agency is Lakers guard Austin Reaves; the Pistons are "believed to be among the suitors" for Reaves if he declines his $15 million option for next season as expected and hits the open market. Whether they would be able to fit him under the cap, along with extensions for Duren and Thompson, is a different question.
Reaves averaged a career-high 23.3 points in 51 games this season -- Cunningham, for reference, averaged 23.9 -- and has blossomed into one of the NBA's better scorers over the past two seasons. He's expected to seek a max contract should he reach free agency this summer, which would likely take the Pistons out of the bidding.
"This league is very competitive and everybody wants to get better," said Langdon. "So a lot of teams are looking at the same names, whether it’s free agency or the trade market."
