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League sources say that the Pistons' Isaiah Stewart is not merely available but outright bracing for a trade that sends him elsewhere this summer as part of any move that the Pistons make to bolster their shooting and playmaking depth. I'm told veteran forward Tobias Harris, by contrast, is a player Detroit is determined to retain after his solid postseason run. Sources say that the Bucks, furthermore, are Stewart fans.
League sources say Detroit Pistons big man Isaiah Stewart is available. The Pistons, in search of additional shooting and playmakers, appear ready to rely on seventh-year big man Paul Reed in an increased role. Stewart has two years and a combined $30 million left on his deal (team option in the second season). Detroit, which is believed to be among the suitors for Los Angeles Lakers guard Austin Reaves if he makes it to unrestricted free agency, is also said to be interested in the Oklahoma City Thunder’s Isaiah Joe.
Among the team’s priorities is retaining center Jalen Duren, who is eligible for a contract extension. “I want him here,” Trajan Langdon said. “We really want JD to be here.” Langdon also praised owner Tom Gores' commitment to the organization, saying the franchise has consistently received the resources needed to support players and staff. “There’s never been a no,” Langdon said when discussing requests made to ownership. “The success that we’ve had wouldn’t have happened without his contributions and overall commitment.”
Asked about what type of players they’ll look to target to address the playmaking component he cited – along with 3-point shooting – as a priority need, he said, “Spacing the floor is huge and giving more optionality on the offensive end to have more creativity. When you have more ballhandlers and more shooting, that opens it up for our three best players. Those are the things we’re looking at. Can we fill that with two players, with one? Do we do it on the perimeter, with a big? We’ll look at all of those things.”
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"We all want to get better," he said. "I can’t stand here and say we don’t want to get better, so getting better means you’ve gotta win the second round to get better. It doesn’t necessarily mean we need to win 64 games, I don’t think we’re trying to do that though if we do that would be fantastic. But I think we know that we need to be more equipped to compete in the postseason and that’s what we’re looking at doing. Like I already said, it’s adding pieces that help accentuate our three best players, our core three players, and I think that will help us in the regular season and postseason as well. That all goes into the belief we feel like we can be better."
But their foremost priority is to take the highest player on their board. Regardless of who it is, they'll rely on their performance staff to help that player improve their outside shooting. "But I think for us it will be, who’s the best player there is what we’ll look at," he said. "It will be, does that player fit this environment, does he fit our identity, how can that player help us, maybe it’s not in the next year but in the future, right? We have players that are going to get expensive and we’re going to have to add our picks in to be able to help our team. So maybe it’s a player that helps us not next year, per se, but can help us throughout the course of this after that."
Langdon clarified he hasn't talked to Beasley, who he said doesn't have an agent. "I have not talked to him about coming back," Langdon said.
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Hunter Patterson: Trajan Langdon says the Pistons will be looking for the best player available at No. 21 with an emphasis on a ballhandler. Mentions how unlikely it is to find a high-quality shooter at that point in the draft.
