Pistons president Trajan Langdon vows to ‘stay patient' during offseason

New York Times

08-05-2025

DETROIT — Once the New York Knicks eliminated the Detroit Pistons in the first round of the playoffs on May 1, questions surrounding the Pistons' impending summer decisions began to arise.
Malik Beasley, Dennis Schröder, Tim Hardaway Jr., Paul Reed and Lindy Waters III are all unrestricted 2025 free agents. Jaden Ivey and Jalen Duren, both 2022 lottery picks, are eligible for rookie-scale contract extensions. Detroit would have benefited from a defined secondary scoring option alongside Cade Cunningham, especially in the playoffs.
Is it worth taking a big swing via a summer trade, or should the Pistons prioritize developing homegrown talent in players such as Ivey, Duren, Ausar Thompson and Ron Holland II?
Detroit's president of basketball operations, Trajan Langdon, addressed local reporters Wednesday to answer those questions and more. Langdon, fresh off his first season at the helm with the Pistons, spearheaded the team's revitalization that saw it triple its win total from 2023-24 and win its first postseason game since 2008.
Langdon began his end-of-the-season news conference by expressing his plans for the offseason.
'For us, it's stay patient. I'm not going to change in that regard,' Langdon said. 'We're going to listen to calls, we're going to see (about) opportunities. We're always going to look at avenues to get better that we think make sense for us to improve. Then at the end of the day, with everything that's presented to us, with the options we have, we have to make the right decision for sustainable success. That's one thing that we want to have here, and I think we have a group of guys we can do that with.
'At what level, right now, we don't know. But a big thing for this summer is going to be developing the guys that we have. The young guys we have that are 19 through 22, 23 years old and have them continue to grow. If those guys take steps, we get better. That's what we're focused on, putting people with those guys that can make them better. I thought it was a pretty good formula this year.'
Let's lay out some of the youth Langdon was alluding to. Holland is 19 and will enter the 2025-26 season at 20. Duren will be 21 at the start of next season, Thompson will be 22, Ivey 23, and both Cunningham and Isaiah Stewart will enter next season at 24.
Thompson will have an opportunity to expand his talent during his first NBA offseason, after blood clots at the end of the 2023-24 season robbed him of his first NBA offseason and training camp. Ivey was on pace for career highs in points, rebounds, steals, field-goal and 3-point percentage in 30 games before his left fibula fracture and is already months into his rehab process.
Holland averaged 15.6 minutes during the regular season, played a total of 33 during his first playoff experience and will likely use summer league to improve. Duren averaged a double-double with nearly two blocks during his first postseason run and blossomed on both ends as the regular season progressed.
The Pistons possess a potentially promising core, and it seemed clear it would take an offer close to undeniable, based on Langdon's responses, for Detroit to tinker with that group. Langdon later pointed to the group's cohesion heading into next season being another reason he's eager to see what this bunch can do.
'We have to learn more about our players,' Langdon said. 'That continuity, not only with the roster but with the coaching staff, (is something) this group has never had before. That will be a positive through the summer and into next season as well. The questions will be there about what we do. Do we add another person or do we build from within?
'Like I said before, we'll look at all avenues and decide what the best avenue is for us.'
More from Trajan Langdon on the Pistons' need to figure out what they currently have:
'We have to learn more about our players. … That continuity, not only with the roster but with the coaching staff, (is something) this group has never had before. That will be a positive.' pic.twitter.com/iEPTqv8xvI
— Hunter Patterson (@HuntPatterson_) May 7, 2025
On the contract extension front with Ivey and Duren, Langdon said it was 'to be determined,' but there will at least be conversations with each. Langdon mentioned the Pistons 'have a long time to make that decision.' Detroit must decide between July 1 and the start of next regular season in October on Duren and Ivey's contract extensions.
Apart from the extensions, Pistons fans shouldn't expect big splashes in free agency. No 2025 restricted or unrestricted free agents made the 2025 All-Star game, and there aren't too many big man players available in the first place.
Langdon was asked how Detroit is most likely to go about acquiring a potential star-level player to pair next to Cunningham in a hypothetical situation. He made sure to confirm, before answering, that the basis of his response was rooted in this being a hypothetical question.
'I assume it would have to happen in a trade,' Langdon said after asking the reporter to repeat the question. 'I don't know how many All-Stars are going to come (to Detroit) in free agency right now. And the amount of cap space we have doesn't allow that.'
This is also a delicate situation because, as much as Langdon doesn't want to stunt the growth of his young core, it's also imperative not to stunt Cunningham's individual growth. The first-time All-Star posted career bests in points, assists and blocks per game while shooting career highs from the field and 3-point line.
Langdon is aware that the Pistons go as Cunningham does, and he's marked the 23-year-old as the franchise's cornerstone. Cunningham averaged 25 points, 8.7 assists, 8.3 rebounds, 1.8 steals and 1.3 blocks during his first six postseason games, all while being the Knicks' defensive focal point. He joined elite company in the process.
Cade Cunningham in his first career playoff series so far:
🏎️ 25.4 PPG🏎️ 8.6 RPG
🏎️ 8.8 APG