Pistons President Addresses Playoff Timeline, Goals for Next Season
There’s a new leader in the Detroit Pistons’ front office.
Following another disappointing effort during the 2023-2024 NBA season, Pistons owner Tom Gores decided to fire up a search for a President of Basketball Operations.
When the Pistons landed on Trajan Langdon as the hire, the former New Orleans Pelicans executive would get the keys to front office, and the power to make the call on the future of the team’s General Manager, Troy Weaver.
At this point in the offseason, Weaver is out. And after several weeks of evaluating the coaching staff, Pistons’ ownership decided to cut ties with the head coach Monty Williams as well.
It’s a busy offseason for Detroit, and there’s a lot of pressure on the organization to make the necessary changes to help the team climb out of the bottom of the Eastern Conference barrel. Hiring Langdon could be a step in the right direction, but the Pistons aren’t being unrealistic in their efforts to turn the franchise around.
Playoffs?
This year? Never say never, but the Pistons are going to continue practicing patience.
When asked about a specific timeline for expectations for the Pistons to begin competing for a spot in the playoffs, Langdon told reporters that there isn’t one at the moment.
"I don't think there's a timeframe for us to get to the playoffs," he said, according to the Associated Press.
Turning a 14-win team into a playoff contender would be viewed as miracle work in Detroit. The Pistons are one of the NBA’s youngest rosters, and they haven’t won more than 20 games in four of the last five seasons. After going 17-65 in 2022-2023, they regressed.
What’s the Immediate Plan?
If clinching a spot in the playoffs is not the top priority for the 2024-2025 NBA season, then what’s the big plan for Langdon’s Pistons?
“We do have is bringing in contracts maybe from other teams and gathering assets as well,” Langdon explained during his introductory press conference on Friday. "Hopefully, with the players that come in, they can bolster the growth. If we can interweave those two things, that would make our summer successful."
This summer, the Pistons anticipate having more cap space than any other team. They could compete with any team’s offer to the top prospects on the board. However, the state of the franchise doesn’t exactly intrigue championship-hungry players.
The PG’s, LeBron’s, and even Klay Thompson’s of the free agency market aren’t expected to even consider Detroit this summer if they indeed become available for negotiations. That doesn’t mean the Pistons are totally out of luck, though.
Free agency is just one avenue to explore. The Pistons’ front office can work the phones for a trade, which is a way they could land a prominent player who won’t have total control of where they land next.
Plus, there’s the possibility of notable veterans striking out with the contenders of the market, too. If one of the NBA’s top free agents doesn’t find the ideal offer from the teams that have a specific advantage over the Pistons, Detroit could swoop in and make a convincing enough offer to lure them in.
No matter how it’s done, the Pistons must prove to their franchise star, Cade Cunningham, that they are committed to getting clear-cut upgrades to surround him. In recent years, the Pistons started the first phase of their rebuild by focusing on acquiring young players through the draft in hopes of developing them into everyday rotational players.
Now, Detroit has to bring in the veterans to help show the young guys the ropes. With plenty of cap space and a fresh set of minds around the organization, the 2024-2025 NBA season could be a leap in the right direction for the Pistons.
JUSTIN GRASSO