EmailPrintOpen Extended ReactionsHow will the Detroit Pistons follow a season that ended in a playoff thud?Detroit rolled to a 60-22 record and clinched the East's No. 1 seed, then stumbled out of their first-round series against the Orlando Magic and ultimately fell in the second round. Restricted free agent Jalen Duren has received scrutiny for his playoff performance, especially pertinent as his camp and the Pistons are still far apart in contract talks.The Pistons made some other moves, too, but none that brought them a second star to cast next to Cade Cunningham. Will it be enough to flip their postseason script? ESPN's staff of experts is looking back at the offseason and taking an early look at the 2026-27 season for all 30 teams, with 30 pieces -- one for every team -- rolling out each weekday through Sept. 18. We're answering the biggest looming questions, evaluating X factors and much more for all 30 teams.Let's dive into the Pistons, who remain in contract purgatory with Duren.Quick links:Roster | Depth chart | TransactionsMore Pistons coverage | More NBAOffseason at a glanceKey additions: John Collins, Isaiah Joe, Taurean Prince, Gary HarrisKey subtractions: Tobias Harris, Isaiah StewartKey retentions: NoneThe Pistons' offseason is still in limbo as negotiations with restricted free agent Jalen Duren have stalled. Detroit believes its sent Duren a fair offer considering the totality of his 2025-26 season -- including his underwhelming playoff showing -- while Duren feels like he's checked off all the boxes to get more. Losing Harris and Stewart will be a big test to their culture -- or a signal they have to win a different way than in the last two seasons. They added shooting on the margins with Joe, Prince and Harris. And assuming Duren's deal gets done before camp, Ausar Thompson's contract is next on the docket. -- Vincent Goodwill Zach Kram's offseason grade: C-All-NBA center Duren seems likely to return in restricted free agency, but Detroit traded away Stewart -- its longest-tenured player -- and effectively exchanged Tobias Harris and Caris LeVert for John Collins and Isaiah Joe, respectively. That seems like a moderate downgrade, all things considered, and the Pistons didn't acquire significant scoring and playmaking help for Cade Cunningham.Despite coming off a 60-win season, they'll need further internal improvements from Duren and Ausar Thompson to pose a greater playoff threat next spring. -- KramWhat we learned this offseasonFrom Ben Golliver's offseason lessons piece: Cunningham's life didn't get much easier.The Pistons can't claim much progress this summer: They're still at loggerheads with restricted free agent Duren, they replaced Harris with Collins, and they added Joe to address their wonky spacing.While guard Ebuka Okorie represented good value at the No. 17 pick, his up-and-down summer league play suggested he's unlikely to be a difference-maker as a rookie. After shocking the world by winning 60 games, the Pistons opted not to make a splash.Cunningham has endured much more challenging circumstances as Detroit's franchise player, but he is poised to enter next season without a quality secondary creator once again. That roster hole didn't stop the Pistons from claiming the East's top seed last season, but it certainly reared its ugly head in the playoffs. Opposing defenses found success by loading up on Cunningham to short-circuit Detroit's offense, especially late in games.The Pistons' top eight players all logged at least 1,700 minutes or appeared in at least 72 games last season, raising the possibility of regression if they can't maintain that standard of availability. Detroit should be able to count on another season of elite defense, but it must keep searching for a dynamic sidekick to improve its playoff outlook. -- GolliverThe big question: Is Detroit already at a disadvantage in the East by not pairing Cade Cunningham with a second star?Not exactly. It's fair to wonder if this offseason looks underwhelming considering a 60-win season and a second-round loss to No. 4 seed Cleveland Cavaliers in Game 7. The front office clearly wanted a co-star for Cunningham but nothing materialized. However, president of basketball operations Trajan Langdon has been prudent in his tenure, and the Pistons could be the team with the greatest incentive to make an in-season move, especially with the top of the East getting stronger. Their cap situation is still favorable, even with the uncertainty with Duren. -- GoodwillBasketball Power Index rank: No. 8Here are the predicted Net Points per 100 possessions for the Pistons' top seven players for the 2026-27 season:How did the Pistons go from worst to first in the East from 2024 to 2026? They improved by about 17 net points per game in that time, with about six of that being improvement by Cunningham, Duren and Thompson. Another six was moving out some of the bad players, like Jaden Ivey, James Wiseman and Killian Hayes. The rest was adding better players like Paul Reed, Duncan Robinson, and Harris (who left this offseason). -- Dean OliverRead about how Net Points works here.Biggest X factor this seasonF John CollinsDetroit made some meaningful changes to its rotation over the summer, none bigger than Collins' replacing Harris. Collins isn't on Harris' level as a one-on-one scorer or team defender, but he has advantages because of his youth, athleticism and sneakily excellent jump shot (40% on 3s over the last two seasons).Collins hasn't reached the playoffs in three seasons, so he'll need to transfer his skill improvements to a winning situation. But it's possible that he could add a newly dynamic element to a Pistons team in need of it. -- KramBetting insight from our experts Fantasy insight ahead of the season: The Pistons brought in 28-year-old Collins this offseason to replace 34-year-old Harris as the starting power forward.Collins is bigger, more explosive and more of a finisher than Harris at this point in their respective careers. Collins showed in his days with the Hawks that he operates well as a finisher next to a dominant offense-creating point guard, setting single-season-bests of 21.6 PPG and 10.1 RPG next to Trae Young. This season, Collins will be playing off MVP-candidate Cunningham, and could be a late-round fantasy sleeper with the potential to produce one of his best seasons. -- Andre SnellingsOdds by DraftKings at time of publication.
