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Detroit Pistons
Aug 22, 2025 7:18 PM EDT
After being the surprise team in the NBA last season after their historic turnaround, the Detroit Pistons are set to enter the 2025-26 season with high expectations.
Last season, the Pistons made the playoffs as the sixth seed in the Eastern Conference after finishing with the NBA’s worst record the prior two seasons.
JB Bickerstaff
USA; Detroit Pistons head coach J.B. Bickerstaff — Source: © Rob Gray-Imagn Images
This was a historic turnaround by the storied franchise and one that had many factors that led to it including new head coach J.B. Bickerstaff and the continued development of their young players, specifically Cade Cunningham.
After their impressive turnaround last season, Detroit will now have higher expectations next season, especially with the East being weakened due to key injuries.
Detroit has had some notable departures this summer in Dennis Schroder and Tim Hardaway Jr. but they also added Caris LeVert and Duncan Robinson to their roster.
Detroit predicted to send Jaden Ivey to Mavericks for P.J. Washington
Despite this, the Pistons could also look to add more depth to their roster before the start of next season and The Athletic’s Sam Vecenie and his colleague Bryce Simon recently released a mock trade for Detroit to make on their “Game Theory Podcast.”
Detroit Pistons guard Jaden Ivey (23) Credit: Dale Young-Imagn Images — Source: Dale Young-Imagn Images
In the trade, the Pistons would send Jaden Ivey to the Dallas Mavericks in exchange for P.J. Washington.
This is an interesting trade for both teams and one that does not make too much sense for the Pistons.
Detroit already has an abundance of forwards led by Tobias Harris, Ron Holland II and LeVert, along with another key offseason addition of Javonte Green.
Despite this, Washington would be a solid addition to their roster but they would likely want more in return if they have to move on from Ivey who showed flashes of being a crucial player for them last season before he suffered a broken leg.
Dallas Mavericks forward P.J. Washington (25) — Source: © Jerome Miron-Imagn Images
Of course, the pairing of Cunningham and Ivey in Detroit’s backcourt has been questioned by some around the league but they proved last season that it can work and with Ivey continuing to develop, it would be hard to imagine the Pistons moving on from him.
That may change if the Pistons are trying to land another star player next to Cunningham but Washington is not quite on that level.
About the Author
Nathaniel Holloway