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Trajan Langdon drops NBA draft trade clues, wants to build around 'Big 3'
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- Trajan Langdon drops NBA draft trade clues, wants to build around 'Big 3'
Detroit Pistons team president Trajan Langdon addressed his expectations for the offseason, less than a week before the 2026 NBA Draft.
The Pistons will have the No. 21 overall pick when the first round of the draft takes place Tuesday, June 23. Free agency will kick off on June 30, where the Pistons have plenty of business to figure out with the restricted free agency of Jalen Duren , the unrestricted free agency of Tobias Harris and much more.
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Langdon held a predraft press conference at the team's practice facility in midtown on Thursday. Here's what he had to say.
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Pistons trade up in NBA Draft more likely than trade out
Thanks to February's three-team trade that landed a pick swap with the Minnesota Timberwolves , the Pistons moved up from the No. 28 overall pick to No. 21 in the draft. Langdon said he anticipates the Pistons will either stay at 21 or move up to nab the player they want, and doesn't think they'll move down or out of the draft altogether. They don't have a second-rounder.
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"I think we were fortunate as far as where we landed in terms of that swap of picks," Langdon said. "There was a chance that if Minnesota hadn't played well, we would've stayed at where we were. Given the chances, we were able to secure that 21st pick that we have and feel we're going to get a good player there. Couldn't have anticipated the amount of players that went back to the NIL, to school, so that has kinda thinned up the depth of the draft.
"We still think it is a good draft and think we'll find a good player at 21. I don't think we'll look at flipping back and getting out, but we will look at situations to get up if need be. But I do think if we stay at 21 we'll find a player we like."
Pistons won't draft for Year 1 impact
Langdon has repeatedly acknowledged shooting and ball-handling are two of their biggest needs. Addressing the former in the draft may be difficult, he said, given that shooting is the most valued commodity in today's league. It's a guard-heavy draft , and he said adding a playmaker is a possibility.
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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."
He remained open to the idea of making a significant addition to the roster either through free agency or via trade, and said they have to have a roster with the tools to make a deep postseason run.
"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."
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Trajan Langdon building around Pistons 'Big 3'
Several times during his press conference, Langdon referenced the Pistons' three best players and their organizational goal of adding players who complement them. Though he never clarified who the trio is specifically, he clearly was referencing their All-NBA duo, Cade Cunningham and Jalen Duren, along with All-Defensive first team honoree Ausar Thompson .
They are the primary drivers of the Pistons' rapid two-year improvement, and Langdon is ready to commit to it long-term. He re-affirmed they "really want" Duren, a restricted free agent, to return next season on a new contract. And they will have extension talks with Thompson, who is eligible July 6 after completing the third season of his rookie contract.
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"It's finding the players that fit our top-three players and enhance what they can do," Langdon said. "They'll continue to get better and if they can enhance the players that play with them, whether internally or externally, that's how we continue to grow and take steps."
It's why shooting and ball-handling are top priorities; neither Thompson or Duren take 3-pointers, or even long 2-point jumpers, and neither are primary creators with the ball.
It will be a juggling act, this season and beyond, as Langdon commits to them financially while also leaving pathways open to improve the roster with external additions. Unless it develops internally, they will have to look to the trade market or free agency to add a high-level playmaker and shooter.
"Spacing the floor is huge and just giving more optionality on the offensive end to have more creativity," he said. "When you have multiple ball-handlers and more shooting on the floor that opens it up for our three best players. Those are things we're looking at. How do we fill that? Can we fill it with two players, do we fill it with one, or do we do it with a big, we'll look at all those different options."
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Malik Beasley 's future with Pistons
Detroit Pistons guard Malik Beasley (5) celebrates after scoring a three point basket against Boston Celtics during the first half at Little Caesars Arena in Detroit on Wednesday, Feb. 26, 2025.
A still-ongoing gambling investigation scuttled the Pistons' plans to re-sign Malik Beasley, who had a historic 2024-25 season with the franchise, last offseason. The Pistons still have his non-Bird rights and can sign him to contract starting at $7.2 million following the conclusion of the investigation.
In May, Langdon said the investigation was still ongoing and they hadn't been in touch with Beasley about a reunion.
A month later, nothing has changed. 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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Contact Omari Sankofa II at osankofa@freepress.com . Follow him on X and/or Bluesky .
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Detroit Pistons draft clues and building roster around 'Big 3'
