In many ways, the Detroit Pistons had a fantastic 2025-26 season. They finished 60-22 and claimed the top seed in the Eastern Conference, and although they lost in the second round of the NBA playoffs to the Cleveland Cavaliers, their future seemed very bright.
But in just the last handful of days, there has been an arms race taking place in the East. The Miami Heat are adding Giannis Antetokounmpo, the Toronto Raptors are gaining Kawhi Leonard, and Jaylen Brown is heading from the Boston Celtics to the Philadelphia 76ers.
Meanwhile, the Pistons have been left behind, at least for now.
Prominent NBA Analyst Doesn’t Understand Why Pistons Haven’t Upgraded
The first item of business for Detroit this summer has been to retain center Jalen Duren, who had a breakout season and made the All-Star team. He’s a restricted free agent, and the Sacramento Kings are thought to have serious interest in snagging him.
Detroit did add John Collins, a power forward who is a capable scorer and rebounder, and Isaiah Joe, a 3-and-D guard. But it also lost forward Tobias Harris, who was its third-leading scorer this past season, and backup center Isaiah Stewart, so one can argue the team has barely moved the proverbial needle forward.
On ESPN’s “NBA Today,” Brian Windhorst criticized the Pistons for not improving their roster and keeping up with the Eastern Conference arms race.
“During the regular season, they had an opportunity to upgrade. They had expiring money on their books. They didn’t do anything, they wanted to be patient. Now they have all this cap space. They have options to help them get playmaking, to help them get more shooting.”
“I don’t understand why they haven’t taken this opportunity to more upgrade their roster.”
“I don’t understand why they haven’t taken this opportunity to more upgrade their roster.”
—@WindhorstESPN on the Pistons’ offseason moves 🏀 pic.twitter.com/k33WyRInCy
— NBA on ESPN (@ESPNNBA) July 1, 2026
Snagging Collins essentially as a replacement for Harris, who is heading to the San Antonio Spurs, isn’t a bad move. He is likely a better rebounder than Harris, not to mention younger, a little bigger, and stronger.
But he isn’t a star, and the Pistons need more star power around Cade Cunningham, who has come into his own as, at worst, a borderline superstar. While they have a strong identity as a physical, defensive-minded fast-breaking team, they struggle offensively in half-court situations.
At present, even if Duren stays put, the Pistons are due for a bit of a regression this coming season. They don’t look as strong, at least on paper, as the Heat, Raptors, or 76ers, and they certainly aren’t as good as the reigning NBA champion New York Knicks.
The good thing for Detroit is that Cunningham is just 24 and under contract until 2030. But that doesn’t mean the franchise can just bide its time and not have a sense of urgency.
