Speaking on Tuesday to reporters, including Keith Langlois of Pistons.com, Pistons president of basketball operations Trajan Langdon spoke about the size and shooting that Duncan Robinson will bring to the team and lauded Caris LeVert for his defensive versatility, ball-handling, and “unselfish brand of basketball.” He also pointed out that both newcomers have plenty of postseason experience.
However, Langdon also made it clear that the additions of Robinson and LeVert aren’t the only reasons why he’s enthusiastic about his team’s potential in 2025/26.
“I think the one thing that does get lost in all of this, to be honest with you, is (Jaden Ivey‘s) return,” Langdon said. “A lot of people are saying, who are you filling with these guys that are exiting. I say, well, we have a pretty good free agent pickup in J.I., so I think he’s going to fill a lot of those point guard roles and play-making roles.”
In addition to getting Ivey back, the Pistons also expect young cornerstones like Cade Cunningham and Jalen Duren to continue improving.
“We have a chance to compete next year,” Langdon said. “The main thing for us is continuing to let these young guys develop and they’re in the gym working their butt off. Like I said from initially in the summer, if they get better, we’re going to be better. So it was finding pieces to complement our young players and their growth and ability to reach their potential. I think with our two additions, we got bigger and we want to continue to put them around guys who can play-make. That’s going to continue to help Cade grow and develop.”
Here’s more from around the Central:
- After the Pistons generated a $14.1MM traded player exception in their sign-and-trade deal sending Dennis Schröder to Sacramento, Hunter Patterson of The Athletic considers what sort of players it might make sense to target using that TPE. Herb Jones, Goga Bitadze, and Brandon Clarke are among the names he suggests.
- A member of the Cavaliers from 2018-21, Larry Nance Jr. has remained close with the organization since then and spent his summers in Cleveland in the years, writes Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com (subscription required). That’s one reason why it came as no surprise that the Ohio native signed a deal to return to the Cavs this offseason. “It just made too much sense, you know? I knew I would (be back one day). I didn’t know when,” Nance said. “… This is a team that’s really got a chance to win it all. And that’s the goal. That’s why I came back, and that’s what we’re going to do this year.”
- Aaron Nesmith and Bennedict Mathurin will be extension-eligible ahead of the start of the 2025/26 regular season and the Pacers plan to discuss new deals for them, but president of basketball operations Kevin Pritchard is preaching patience, per Dustin Dopirak of The Indianapolis Star. “Can I just have like 24 hours please?” Pritchard said when asked on Monday about potential Mathurin and Nesmith extensions. “Literally, guys, we went straight from the Finals to the draft to free agency to Summer League. … We’ll look at all those kinds of things. But I think that’s a little premature. We have all summer and up until next year to do those.” Dopirak views Nesmith (who will be extension-eligible starting in October) as a no-brainer candidate for a new contract but acknowledges that Mathurin’s situation is a little more complicated.
I’m very curious how they handle Mathurin’s extension. His side will push for a big contract, saying he did not get established as a starter, but had big games when played big minutes, had big games in the playoffs. And Indiana will try to squeeze, it looks like that’s how they operate.
Could be a Kuminga 2.0 situation. Mathurin is not a meek lamb.
Next season more teams will have cap space. It’s something Indiana will be looking at. Both teams and players will be looking how restricted free agency turned out for all parties this summer.
Houston did so well for themselves with Jabari’s extension. They even did it before July,1 to make sure he doesn’t start getting second thoughts, lol.
Pistons lost THJ, Beasley and Schroder and replaced them with Duncan and Caris, plus Ivey returning from injury. I also think Marcus Sasser is a little gem of a back up that no one is mentioning. I think they’ll be fine.
However they are missing a big name player to co star with Cade.
Thought they’d target a big name expring deal like Middleton to be that “co star” for a year and with Tobias’s expiring deal they’d then have big money to go after a real number 2.
Instead of Duncan and LeVert a Middleton deal I thought would’ve been better.
Cade Thompson Middleton Harris Duren
Sasser Ivery Holland … Stewart
Which of these forward duos would you rather have on your team if you could have them both their whole career,
Ausar Thompson/Tobias Harris
Larry Nance/Hot Rod Williams
Aaron Nesmith/Pascal Siakam
Gordon Hayward/Derrick Favors
Lu Dort/Jalen Williams
Chris Morris/Derrick Coleman
It’d have to be choice #2
Where did you come up with such a question ?
Dort / J Will a close second
Off the top of my head. I dig your top2.
Sankara,
Seen all these guys play. This is a good list. Personally I think top is Heyward/Favors. People forget how good Favors was and Heyward was one of the best perimeter players in his prime. After his injury, he was never the same player though. I would also give Derrick Coleman a better running partner that Chris Morris. DC was a good player, people forget how he was a 20-10 guy year in and year out practically.
At. What. Cost.
When it comes to extension talks,
the Celtics won’t MONKEE around with NESMITH !!
Nice. It wasn’t apparent to me at first. The Pacers won’t just be a Stepping Stone to Boston. You convinced me. I’m a Believer.
Nance and Hot Rod