Pistons A Potential Third Team In Heat/Giannis Trade?

The idea of the Bucks flipping Herro to the Pistons in a potential Giannis trade has been the subject of some speculation as of late, but as far as I know, Stein’s report represents the first confirmation that Detroit is considering such a move. If the Bucks do trade Antetokounmpo, the expectation is that they’ll take a step back and enter a rebuilding phase, so Herro – a Wisconsin native who will soon be due for a lucrative new extension – may not be in their long-term plans.

The Pistons are coming off a 60-win season, but a lack of shooting and secondary shot creation to complement Cade Cunningham limited their ceiling and hurt them in the playoffs. Improving in both areas will be a priority this offseason.

As we noted in our preview of the team’s offseason earlier this week, Detroit attempted the second-fewest three-pointers of any NBA team during the regular season and ranked in the bottom half of the league in three-point percentage, even with sharpshooter Duncan Robinson knocking down 41.0% of his 7.0 tries per game.

Herro, who will be on a $33MM expiring contract in 2026/27, is a solid scorer, shooter, and play-maker. He has averaged at least 20 points and four assists per game in each of the past five years and hasn’t shot below 37.5% on three-pointers in any season during that stretch.

While Stein doesn’t go into any detail on what the Pistons would offer for Herro, Caris LeVert ($14.8MM), Ron Holland ($9.1MM), and Marcus Sasser ($5.2MM) are a few possible trade candidates on the roster who will be on expiring or pseudo-expiring contracts (Holland’s deal includes a rookie scale team option for 2027/28). Detroit also controls all of its own future first-round picks in addition to the No. 21 pick in this year’s draft.

According to Stein, Mavericks point guard Kyrie Irving and Pelicans wing Trey Murphy III are two potential trade targets being frequently linked to the Pistons, but the cost for those players figures to be higher than what it would take to land Herro. Hornets guard Coby White, Thunder swingman Isaiah Joe, and Kings guard Zach LaVine are among the other options said to interest Detroit, Stein reports.

Charlotte wants to re-sign White, but there’s a sense that he could be “gettable” in free agency, says Stein. The Pistons could offer the full non-taxpayer mid-level exception (roughly $15MM) or potentially more than that in a sign-and-trade deal. Joe, a career 40.6% three-point shooter, could emerge as a trade candidate for a Thunder team facing a salary cap crunch. He’ll earn $11.3MM next season, with a matching team option for 2027/28.

As for LaVine, while Stein doesn’t clarify one way or the other, he may only be a legitimate target for the Pistons in a buyout or opt-out scenario, since it would be difficult for the team to accommodate his $49MM player option for ’26/27 if he picks it up.

Finally, with the caveat that Stein doesn’t mention him at all in his report and this is just my speculation, I wonder if acquiring Bobby Portis from Milwaukee is an option that might appeal to the Pistons at all in the event they get involved in a three-team Antetokounmpo blockbuster. Portis is a career 39.3% three-point shooter whose $14.5MM salary would fit into the mid-level exception, and multiple reports have indicated the Bucks have interest in sending him out in any Giannis deal.