Trajan Langdon prioritizing continuity, 'optionality' for Detroit Pistons: What it means
Team president Trajan Langdon reiterated his thoughts from early May as he addressed the media for the second time this offseason on June 24 — continuity is the priority. The Pistons are banking on internal development from their young players, and are hopeful they can re-sign their veteran unrestricted free agents — Malik Beasley, Tim Hardaway Jr. and Dennis Schröder.
Trajan Langdon, Detroit Pistons president of basketball operations, speaks May 7, 2025 during an end-of-season news conference at the Pistons Performance Center.
Langdon also frequently referenced “optionality,” referring to the team’s ability to remain flexible to strike when the right opportunity presents itself. It may not be this summer, but they can set the table for bigger moves in the future, potentially as soon as the February trade deadline.
So even though the conference appears to be open due to Achilles injuries to Tyrese Haliburton, Damian Lillard and Jayson Tatum, the Pistons aren’t rushing their timeline.
“It hasn’t changed the roadmap for us,” Langdon said at the team’s practice facility in New Center. “I don’t think we’re in a place to push all of our chips in and be locked into a place. We still want to keep that optionality. I think our guys have been in the gym working a lot, they want to get better. I think we’ll see growth from our young players from this year to next year and I think that’s ultimately what’s really important for us because if those guys get better we’ll ultimately get better.
“There will be a time, but we’re continuing to keep our ears to the ground and see if there’s opportunities to get better without pushing all of our chips in.”
The Pistons have a straightforward path toward bringing back their veterans. They have Bird rights for Hardaway and Early Bird rights for Schröder, meaning that they can re-sign them without needing cap space. If they go that route, they can offer the non-taxpayer mid-level exception to Malik Beasley starting at $14.1 million per season.
The Brooklyn Nets, currently, are the only team with enough cap space to offer more than $14.1 million to Beasley. Most likely, the Pistons will be competing against other teams that can offer the non-taxpayer.
Since the NBA finals are over, the Pistons are now allowed to negotiate with their own free agents. That includes Paul Reed and Lindy Waters III. On June 30, they’ll be allowed to negotiate with free agents on other teams. Langdon acknowledged that while he desires a reunion with the veterans, they’re also prepared for the possibility that they depart.
"If we can keep some of the guys that we have as part of this run, some of the vets, that would be great,” he said. “We know they’re going to get interest from other teams as well. As we look to keep them, we’ll also have to have backup options as well if they choose to go somewhere else for a deal that we can’t match, or a deal that we can’t get to. We’d like to get those guys back but we’ll be prepared to have to go another direction.”
“Another direction” for the Pistons could go multiple ways. One is that they re-sign Schröder and Hardaway, but Beasley leaves for another team. They could then offer the mid-level exception to outside targets in free agency, such as Minnesota Timberwolves wing Nickeil Alexander-Walker.
They could also renounce rights to their free agents to open up nearly $17 million in cap space. That would allow them to pursue a player who might be too expensive for the mid-level exception, such as Timberwolves big man Naz Reid if he opts out of his player option.
Longterm, re-signing the veterans would give the Pistons more pathways toward trading for a big name. Currently, they only have four players on non-rookie contracts next season — Cade Cunningham, Tobias Harris, Isaiah Stewart and Simone Fontecchio. If the goal is to preserve their young core, they only have Harris ($26.6 million next season) and Fontecchio ($8.3 million) available to match a star’s salary in a trade.
By bringing back all three of Beasley, Schröder and Hardaway on reasonable contracts, they’d have several productive veterans who can be moved in the future. That matters in the grand scheme of team-building. When Langdon talks about “optionality,” this is what he’s referring to.
The Houston Rockets needed Jalen Green's $105 million contract to trade for Kevin Durant earlier this week. The Orlando Magic signed Kentavious Caldwell-Pope to a three-year, $66 million contract last summer and recently used him in a trade to get Desmond Bane. It takes money to make money, as they say, and it takes salary to match salary.
Otherwise, Langdon is encouraged by what he’s seen from the young players since their first-round playoff exit. Cade Cunningham was named third-team All-NBA in May. Jaden Ivey and Stewart are expected to be 100% healthy in time for training camp. Ausar Thompson, Ron Holland and Jalen Duren are continuing to improve.
If things go according to plan, they will be the ones leading the charge next season.
“(It gives) a ton of confidence going forward knowing you have a guy that can lead you, and look, he’s hungry this summer,” Langdon said of Cunningham. “I think that’s the biggest thing is he wants to take the next step and understand what that is in terms of adding things to his game, getting stronger, getting in better shape, those are the things that he wants to do coming into next season.
“The big thing for us is knowing that these guys got a taste of it, and that’s what happens to competitors. If you get a taste of high level competition and you fail and you want it again and you want to take the next step, I think that’s what we’re seeing not only from Cade but the rest of our team.”
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