Detroit, MI

Should the Detroit Pistons go star hunting this offseason?

Published

2 years ago

April 22, 2024

Should the Detroit Pistons go star hunting this offseason?

It is clear that Cade Cunningham need help and that it is unclear if there are more than two or three players on the Detroit Pistons’ current roster capable of giving it to him. Maybe two or three years down the line, Jaden Ivey, Jalen Duren, and Ausar Thompson put it all together and create a perenial playoff team. Do the Pistons have that kind of time to wait? Cunningham is eligible for a max extension soon, and after so much losing it is unclear how much more patience he has for development.

The next question then becomes, what kind of help does Cunningham need? There are two primary avenues here. Down one road, you self off the remaining upside of some your young players, you attach some draft picks, and you grab a star to play as a 1B beside Cade’s 1A.

The other path is to forgo big-game hunting and instead sign players who are much more likely to be named a “Luke Walton All-Star” than to make an actual NBA All-Star team.

This debate had been rattling around in my head for a while when news first started bubbling that Trae Young might be on the trade block in Atlanta. After another disappointing season, it’s clear the Hawks are ready to change the chemistry of the team in a significant way, and moving on from their All-Star point guard for a haul of assets is one path they could take. The Pistons, meanwhile, will always be lumped in as a possible destination because “they have to do something” and “are so desperate they would overpay.”

When this news hit Pistons fans on social, I was a bit taken aback by how people were firmly on the side of trading for Young if it was possible. If it costs you Ivey and Duren and other assets, be damned. Cade needs someone good to play off of because that will finally turn Detroit’s ship back toward relevance.

Maybe that’s all correct, but my gut instinct is to say no way. Regarding Young, both he and Cade feel like players whose games would be diminished by having to split possessions and both being weaker defenders. It feels like it amplifies weaknesses instead of maximizing strength.

Perhaps another star disappoints in the playoffs and hits the trade market. In fact, can Devin Booker please shoot 8-for-100 in a Suns sweep that also somehow culminates in him getting in a shouting match with both Kevin Durant and Mat Ishbia? Please?

If no stars emerge then what is the optimal pathway for the Pistons? For me, it’s to go the Luke Walton All-Stars route.

I have no illusions about Detroit’s young players being some crop of great young assets. But I do think they’ve all shown signs, and are all so young that you don’t know who or how each player will work alongside Cunningham.

The problem is not that you have a bunch of 22-year-olds who are not good enough alongside Cade. The problem is that your 22-year-olds are all somehow the best players on your team so when they are struggling you can’t swap them in for something better.

Duren just delivered an atrocious defensive performance for a center, but he spent the entire season with James Wiseman and Marvin Bagley as his backups. Jaden Ivey’s shot frequently abandoned him and his decision-making left a lot to be desired. His backup was Alec Burks, who hemorrhaged points on defense, and Evan Fournier who did the same.

Cunningham had some remarkable turnover issues early in the year and sometimes went very cold from deep. His backup was Killian Hayes (when he wasn’t starting next to him), and he ended up being one of the least efficient guards in NBA history.

I’m not sure the Pistons need a Trae Young. What they need is four more Simone Fontecchis. Players who are capable scorers who complement Cunningham’s (and other young players’) strengths and are natural to above average on defense. They need players better, or at least more reliable on both ends, than Duren, Ivey, Thompson and Sasser.

They need vets to set a standard that the young guys know they need to surpass to get or keep a starting role or to play crunch time in the fourth quarter.

They need a quality defensive center, an above-average backup point guard, a starting two-way forward, and one or two more depth pieces. The good news is that the team has $60 million to make all that happen. The bad news is that I’m not sure there are $60 million worth of capable free agents who would take their money.

But I don’t personally need a Trae Young trade. I don’t need a Zach LaVine trade. I don’t need Paul George.

Look to the Houston Rockets model. Yes, they spent $200 million in one free agent period and they missed the playoffs. But they didn’t sacrifice young assets, they improved to 41-41 and the vibes are good.

The Rockets didn’t sacrifice much young, but Amen Thompson, Tari Eason and Cam Whitmore started a total of 25 games. That’s fewer games started than Killian Hayes.

What about players like Isaiah Hartenstein and Malik Monk? Both are free agents around 26 years old you could reliably offer a big paycheck to and not expect an immediate fall off. Tyus Jones was a forgotten man in Washington, but he had another excellent season. Nic Claxton is a 25-year-old defensive force who might be done in Brooklyn.

When engaging in what I would call a healthy dialogue about Trae Young and whether he made sense for the Pistons, I floated the idea of a threshold of 2500 total minutes and averaged about .100 win shares per 100 possesions, which is about starter level while not making an All-Star team in the past three seasons.

Some names that stood out: Clint Capela, Nic Claxton, Tobias Harris, Isaiah Hartenstein, Harrison Barnes, Andre Drummond, Isaac Okoro, Cam Johnson, Mortiz Wagner, Payton Pritchard, Collin Sexton, Dean Wade.
Lots of centers (Detroit needs one) and solid veteran wings (same)
— Sean Corp (@sean_corp) April 16, 2024

Some players might be too old and clearly on the downswing, others might be great stopgap candidates. Maybe a buy-low opportunity or a guy like Okoro worth taking a real swing on in a trade.

Is this a reasonable path or is this just a road to nowhere? Generally curious where people fall. I’m all for making a huge swing if the person is right, but I don’t see Young being that guy. Conversely, it’s easy to say a new smart GM can target a bunch of worthwhile free agents, but those guys will have offers from other, much better teams.

What path do you hope the new president of basketball operations takes?

Source link

Detroit, MI

Cade Cunningham joins Pistons on bench for 1st time since injury

Published

11 hours ago

April 1, 2026

Press Room

Cade Cunningham joins Pistons on bench for 1st time since injury

Cade Cunningham made his first public appearance since suffering a collapsed lung, sitting on the bench in street clothes during the Detroit Pistons’ home game on Tuesday, March 31, for a 127-116 win over the Toronto Raptors.

The All-Star guard hadn’t been with the team during a game since he went down with a left lung pneumothorax on the road against the Washington Wizards on March 17.

He was spotted briefly at the team’s Midtown practice facility March 25 during their morning shootaround, working with trainers in the weight room.

The team announced March 19 that Cunningham will be reevaluted in two weeks, which falls on Thursday, presumably before they host the Minnesota Timberwolves. With six regular-season games remaining for the Pistons (55-21), he is five games short of achieving end-of-season award eligibility; this season he is averaging 24.5 points, 9.9 assists and 5.6 rebounds per game.

“He’s been around, he’s been vocal and his presence has always been there since he went down,” temmate Jalen Duren said Tuesday. “I know the fans probably haven’t seen him at a game, but he hasn’t went anywhere. He’s still been with us, he’s still been communicating every game, every practice. We’ve still been able to see him at the facility. It was just another day for us.”

Watch our podcast, “The Pistons Pulse,” discuss the Cade Cunningham injury fallout, the playoff chase and more:

Contact Omari Sankofa II at osankofa@freepress.com. Follow him on Bluesky and/or X @omarisankofa.

Source link

Detroit, MI

Sheffield sets focus on key issues in first State of City speech. How to watch

Published

24 hours ago

March 31, 2026

Press Room

Sheffield sets focus on key issues in first State of City speech. How to watch

Detroit ― Detroit Mayor Mary Sheffield is set to deliver her first State of the City speech Tuesday night as she is expected to focus on her plans to improve the city’s neighborhoods and crack down on smaller crimes such as property theft.

Sheffield is expected to unveil more details on how she aims to boost neighborhood spending and investment and her plan to crack down on “smaller crimes,” such as larcenies as well as breaking and entering into homes and cars, that many residents say is a major concern, Deputy Mayor Brian White told The Detroit News on Monday.

Sheffield is making her speech at Samuel C. Mumford High School on the city’s west side at 7 p.m. Tuesday. The address will be livestreamed on the City of Detroit’s official YouTube, Facebook and LinkedIn, with streaming beginning at 6:30 p.m. About 800 invited guests are expected to attend the event in person.

How to watch State of the City speech

Viewers can watch and listen to Sheffield’s speech across a variety of platforms that will start streaming at 6:30 p.m., about a half-hour before the speech is scheduled to begin:

Why Sheffield chose the high school as the site of her speech

The mayor chose Mumford High School for her first State of the City address to reinforce the theme that “she’s going to be a neighborhood-focused mayor,” White said.

“The high school is a prime example of what can happen when we put our lives together and rebuild,” White said. “Her leadership style has always been about inspiring people to dream big and go further into the neighborhoods with development.”

She will tout the executive orders and other changes in policies and initiatives she’s already enacted, the deputy mayor said.

Some of those policies include expanding a nonprofit program into Detroit that gives cash to every new and expectant mother; creating both the Office of Neighborhood and Community Safety and the Human, Homeless, and Family Services Department; implementing a new compliance program for senior citizen housing facilities; and amping up safeguards of home demolition sites, among other measures.

New mayor sets first in Detroit’s 324-year history

The former city councilwoman is the first female mayor, along with the first Black woman mayor, in Detroit’s 324-year history. She succeeded Mike Duggan, who in his three terms and 12 years in office is widely credited with stabilizing the city’s finances after the city entered Chapter 9 municipal bankruptcy in July 2013 and exited it at the end of 2014.

Sheffield was the council president before being elected in November. She won in a landslide, nabbing 77% of the vote over the Rev. Solomon Kinloch. She’s also a fourth-generation Detroiter.

laguilar@detroitnews.com

asnabes@detroitnews.com

Source link

Detroit, MI

Depleted Detroit Pistons drag West-best Thunder into OT before falling

Published

1 day ago

March 31, 2026

Press Room

Depleted Detroit Pistons drag West-best Thunder into OT before falling

OKLAHOMA CITY – The Detroit Pistons nearly took down the defending champs in their own arena without four starters. An MVP-caliber performance by reigning MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander allowed the Oklahoma City Thunder to escape.

Gilgeous-Alexander scored 47 points, and knocked down 21 of his 25 free throws, to put away the Pistons in overtime, 114-110, on Monday, March 30. Three free throws from Gilgeous-Alexander with 48.3 seconds left in overtime extended the Thunder’s lead to five, 111-106. He then split a trip with 13.3 seconds left, with Ron Holland fouling out, to extend the lead back to four to secure the win for Oklahoma City (after Paul Reed cut it to two with a pair of free throws).

After a hot second half, the Pistons went cold in OT, shooting 3-for-11 in the final five minutes. They were without Ausar Thompson (eight points, seven rebounds and five assists) in the extra period, after he fouled out late in the fourth quarter.

With less than 24 seconds left and a chance to win the game in the fourth quarter, Daniss Jenkins turned the ball over with a bad pass. Gilgeous-Alexander nearly made the Pistons pay, sinking a 3-pointer with four seconds left and the game tied at 101. However, the bucket didn’t count because he pushed off. Jenkins’ 3-pointer at the buzzer missed, leading to overtime.

With the loss, the Pistons (54-21) missed out on a chance to clinch the Central Division, with the Cleveland Cavaliers, eight games back with eight games to play entering Monday, also winning. Still, the Pistons are seven games up with seven to play, with a tiebreaker (division record) yet to be decided. Even with the loss, the Pistons – who’ve locked up a playoff spot and homecourt in the first round – edged closer to clinching the top spot in the East, as the Boston Celtics, who entered four games back of the Pistons, lost to the Atlanta Hawks on Monday. That dropped the Pistons’ “magic number” (any combo of Pistons wins and Celtics losses) to lock up the East down to three.

Next up for the Pistons

It’s a super-short turnaround for the Pistons, who jet back to Detroit to host the Toronto Raptors (42-32) on Tuesday (8 p.m., FanDuel Sports Network Detroit Extra/MMYD-TV 20). Toronto is tied with Atlanta in the fifth and sixth spots in the Eastern Conference.

Detroit Pistons walking wounded

The Pistons were severely shorthanded, with Jalen Duren (right ankle injury management), Tobias Harris (left hip) and Duncan Robinson (right hip) all missing the game, along with the previously ruled-out Cade Cunningham (left lung pneumothorax) and Isaiah Stewart (left calf strain). They leaned on their depth, with two-way big Tolu Smith and 2025 second-round pick Chaz Lanier rounding out coach J.B. Bickerstaff’s rotation.

Several players stepped up, with Reed (21 points, 10 rebounds and four blocks) leading the way. Javonte Green finished with 19 points and knocked down a season-high five 3-pointers. Kevin Huerter (17 points, six assists, six rebounds), Jenkins (15 points, six assists), Marcus Sasser (12 points, four assists) and Caris LeVert (10 points) also scored in double figures.

Gilgeous-Alexander led all players with 47 points.

Second-half rally for the Pistons

With four minutes remaining in the fourth quarter, two big offensive rebounds by Smith allowed the Pistons to take their biggest lead of the night.

The possession ended with a 3-pointer by Jenkins, giving the Pistons a 97-90 lead. But the defending champions battled back, with Gilgeous-Alexander leading the way. He went on a personal 6-0 run, and a corner 3-pointer by Thunder center Jaylin Williams later tied the game at 99 with 1:35 to play.

The Pistons trailed by as many as 15 in the first half but outscored the Thunder in the second half, 58-48. The Pistons made nine of their 17 3-point attempts through the final two quarters and shot 60% overall, while holding the Thunder to 44%. Through the first four periods, they scored 22 points off of 17 Thunder turnovers. The Pistons also owned the offensive glass, grabbing 15 to the Thunder’s six. It allowed them a 16-4 lead in second chance points.

Javonte Green delivers season-best performance

The veteran guard has been an unsung contributor all season. His perimeter defense and 3-point shooting, particularly from the corners, has made him a key glue guy with the second unit. As a starter on Monday, he stepped up and gave one of his best performances in a Pistons uniform.

His five 3-pointers marked a season-high, and all five were timely. His fifth came midway through the fourth period and gave the Pistons the lead during their fourth-quarter push, 90-89. He led an all-around hot night from beyond the arc, and did so while also picking up Gilgeous-Alexander defensively throughout the night.

Defense, outside shooting clicks after first quarter

Trailing by 15 points with under nine minutes left in the second quarter, the Pistons nearly let the game get away. But they responded by locking down defensively and heating up from the arc, which sparked a run and enabled them to take control of the game in the second half.

They held the Thunder to 36.4% shooting (8-for-22) in the second quarter after allowing them to shoot 61.1% (11-for-18) in the first. The Pistons caught fire from the arc in the second half after shooting 30% (6-for-20) in the first half, making four of six attempts in the third period and five of 10 in the fourth.

Watch our podcast, “The Pistons Pulse,” discuss the Cade Cunningham injury fallout, the playoff chase and more:

Source link