Fatal flaw Pistons must fix at 2025 NBA trade deadline

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The Detroit Pistons have a case for being the biggest surprise in the association this season; coming off a 14-68 season, they are currently boasting a 25-25 record, and if the season ended today, they will be making the playoffs outright as the six-seed. Cade Cunningham has been at the heart of the Pistons’ efforts all season long, and he was rewarded with an All-Star Game roster inclusion as a result — a well-deserved honor.

But of course, there remains plenty of work for the Pistons to do before cracking the tier of legitimate contending teams in the association. According to most metrics, the Pistons are hovering near the middle of the league; they rank 15th in offensive rating and 12th in defensive rating, and their net rating of -0.9 ranks 18th in the association. In some ways, they are outperforming their underlying numbers, although considering where they were not even a year ago, hovering around the league’s middle ground is nothing short of an incredible feat.

There is no urgency whatsoever for the Pistons to do anything prior to the trade deadline. If anything, the point of improvement for the Pistons is to bolster the shooting guard or small forward positions, perhaps finding a high-level 3-and-D wing to do the job for the team for the long term.

But even with a certain player at a certain position playing well in recent weeks, the Pistons will have to ask whether or not he truly is the long-term solution at the position.

Pistons’ room for growth at the center position

Jalen Duren has been playing very good basketball as of late; he has even earned more trust from head coach JB Bickerstaff, is his increased minutes and production is any indication. A switch must have flipped for Duren since the 16th of January; from that point until now, Duren is averaging 15.3 points, 12.2 rebounds, and 1.3 blocks per game on 74.2 percent shooting from the field — solid numbers from the team’s starting center.

Duren, however, has had some troubles anchoring a defense throughout his career, although his play as of late on that end of the floor has been improving quite nicely. But still, throughout the course of the 2024-25 season, the Pistons have been putting up better metrics with him on the bench than with him on the court. According to PBP Stats, the Pistons are over five points better with Duren on the bench, even with his improved play in recent weeks.

Now, it’s important to note that Duren is only 21 years old, and it’s not exactly an easy task to anchor a defense in the NBA. But the Pistons will have to wonder if there is a move they can make to give the team a much-better defensive floor, which would then translate into more consistent winning basketball.

Even Isaiah Stewart is a net negative for the Pistons, which is not a good sign for a team looking to take the next step. Of course, there is no rush for them to make a trade in this regard, but for future reference, it is a fair question to ask whether or not those two will still be on the team when the Pistons become an established playoff-caliber team.

Finding a long-term answer at the wings?

Jaden Ivey’s injury was such a disheartening development for the Pistons. The only saving grace was that Detroit traded for two capable shooting guards in the offseason in Malik Beasley and Tim Hardaway Jr., therefore cushioning the blow of Ivey’s absence.

Alas, Ivey’s absence has put so much of the offensive burden on Cade Cunningham, who, more often than not, has been up to the task anyway. Regardless, the Pistons better start searching for someone who not only can help Cunningham create some offense for the team, but someone who can fill in for Tobias Harris as the team’s long-term solution at the three.

At this point, Ausar Thompson is profiling as a position-less wrecker much like his twin brother Amen is for the Houston Rockets, and he doesn’t have the perimeter scoring chops to be what the team must be looking for from the small forward position. So the answer may come from the outside.

One such suggestion would be for the Pistons to bring in Brandon Ingram from the New Orleans Pelicans. Ingram would be an incredible secondary shot-creator and ballhandler for the Pistons, complementing Cade Cunningham quite nicely. But it doesn’t seem as though Detroit will be a major player in this year’s trade deadline, preferring instead to play the long game.

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