These 3 Pistons won't be back after Detroit falls short of East Finals

The Detroit Pistons rolled through the Eastern Conference during the regular season, putting together just the third 60-win campaign in franchise history and nabbing the No. 1 seed. And then they hit an absolute brick wall in the playoffs.

They needed seven games to get past the No. 8 seed Magic in the first round and couldn't get past the Cavaliers in the next round, dropping this Game 7 by 31. All the weaknesses of this roster — the ones they adeptly covered up during the regular season — were exposed in a huge way. Cade Cunningham put up some huge games but finished the postseason shooting under 40 percent from the field. Two of their other double-digit scorers — Daniss Jenkins and Tobias Harris — also shot under 40 percent.

First-time All-Star Jalen Duren was schemed into irrelevance and the Cavaliers largely ignored the Pistons fifth starter, Ausar Thompson. Against playoff caliber defenses in a multi-game series Detroit had no one who could regularly create advantages and no one who could efficiently leverage the infrequent ones they were created. Their elite defense is the only thing that kept them alive but it's clear the offense is nowhere near ready to compete for a title.

It was a soul-crushing end to a magic season but there's no time for Detroit to wallow. They have the No. 21 pick in the 2026 NBA Draft and need to start planning immediately for the trades and signings that can help them upgrade. Those upgrades likely mean saying goodbye to these playoff disappointments.

Kevin Huerter

Kevin Huerter came over from the Bulls in the Jaden Ivey trade just before the deadline and, ostensibly, filled a need as a wing shooter and complementary creator. Instead he continued a puzzling multi-season regression and up as a complete non-factor. In the 2023-24 season, Huerter was a key piece for the resurgent Kings, averaging 15.2 points per game, shooting 40.2 percent from beyond the arc and torching teams with his smart shoot-pass decison-making coming off curls and dribble hand-offs with Domantas Sabonis.

Since that season, his 3-point percent has plummeted, all the way down to 29.4 percent in 25 games with the Pistons. If defenses don't respect his outside shot, his value as a complementary creator evaporates and he just doesn't create space the way the Pistons desperately need him to. Huerter fell out of the rotation, playing just 46 minutes across five games in the postseason. He's an unrestricted free agent this summer and the Pistons will almost certainly be looking elsewhere to rebuild the offensive supporting cast around Cade Cunningham.

Tobias Harris

Harris was the Pistons second-best player throughout this postseason, which has more to do with the shaky roster construction than his elite play. He averaged 18.2 points, 7.2 rebounds and 1.6 assists per game against Orlando and Cleveland and was one of the only players besides Cunningham capable of creating and making shots. But he shot just 29.2 percent from beyong the arc and was disastrously inefficient in post-ups and isolations. The Pistons needed him to get as far as they did in this postseason run. But they need a upgrade on him to get farther.

Harris is an unrestricted free agent and might be worth bringing back on an extreme discount. But he can't be the starting 4 for this team next year if they have any hope of breaking through. Everyone knows the Pistons are incredibly short on shooting and complementary creation. Duren and Ausar Thompson are mostly non-factors in both areas but are too young and too good on defense to move on from yet. That means the Pistons have to get shooting and creation from their 4 and their other guard.

They're not going to have much financial wiggle room and the bargain free agents (Thomas Bryant, Marvin Bagley, Blake Wesley) aren't answers. That makes it much more likely the Pistons don't mess around trying to squeeze in Harris on a discount deal and just look for more holistic answers.

Caris LeVert

The Pistons picked up Caris LeVert this offseason with a rather hefty two-year, $29 million deal, looking for shooting and complementary playmaking that could strengthen their bench or augment their starting core in certain matchups. It was a massive disappointment.

LeVert averaged a healthy 13.8 points and 5.0 assists per 36 minutes, but shot just 41.7 percent from the field and 33.0 percent on 3-pointers. He was slightly more efficient in the playoffs but just didn't have nearly enough juice to help open the floor for his teammates and help transform the Pistons into something other than the clunky, Cade-centric contraption it was revealed to be. In addition, LeVert's $14 million expiring is one of the few trade chips the Pistons have to try and go out and make a serious upgrade this offseason.

Ron Holland is the No. 5 pick in the 2024 pick, an extremely talented forward who has shown flashes but also can't shoot and thus can't play meaningful minutes with the rest of the roster. Put him and LeVert together and you have $23 million in tradeable short-term salary, with Holland maybe offering enough upside to get a real piece. Maybe it's enough to pry Cam Johnson away from a Nuggets team looking to get younger and more athletic? Or nab Keldon Johnson from a crowded and soon-to-be very expensive Spurs' backcourt? Or a Buddy Hield/Zaccharie Risacher combo pack?

The need someone who does what LeVert does. They just need someone who does it better.

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