{"id":195901,"date":"2026-05-21T11:30:25","date_gmt":"2026-05-21T15:30:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/?p=195901"},"modified":"2026-05-21T09:17:39","modified_gmt":"2026-05-21T13:17:39","slug":"pistons-are-untouchable","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/2026\/05\/21\/pistons-are-untouchable\/","title":{"rendered":"After Shocking Cavaliers Blowout, Which Pistons Are Untouchable This Offseason?"},"content":{"rendered":"

DETROIT \u2014 The Detroit Pistons<\/strong> walked into Game 7 hoping to make a statement and instead got hit with a Cleveland Cavaliers<\/a> blowout that felt like a fire alarm nobody could turn off. Detroit lost by 31 points in front of a stunned Little Caesars Arena crowd,<\/a> trailing for almost the entire night and looking completely disconnected on both ends. It was ugly basketball. Not \u201cbad shooting night\u201d ugly either. This was the kind of performance where fans start staring at the roster page before the fourth quarter even ends. Naturally, conversations about the Pistons offseason immediately shifted toward who stays, who goes and which Pistons are untouchable moving forward.<\/p>\n

After Shocking Cavaliers Blowout, Which Pistons Are Untouchable This Offseason?<\/h2>\n
\"After
May 17, 2026; Detroit, Michigan, USA; Detroit Pistons guard Cade Cunningham (2) during the national anthem before game seven of the second round of the 2026 NBA Playoffs against the Cleveland Cavaliers at Little Caesars Arena. Mandatory Credit: Rick Osentoski-Imagn Images<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The good news for Detroit is this isn’t a franchise stuck in neutral. Far from it actually. The Pistons have 11<\/a> players under contract for next season at roughly $136 million in salary commitments, giving them flexibility beneath the projected $165 million salary cap for 2026-27. Between expiring deals, restricted free agency decisions and movable veteran contracts, the front office has enough flexibility to tweak the roster around Cade Cunningham<\/a> without detonating the foundation entirely. That’s the important distinction here. One terrible Game 7 shouldn’t erase an entire season of progress<\/a>, even if the Cavaliers blowout made everybody briefly consider launching their television into Lake Michigan.<\/p>\n

Tier 1: The Untouchables<\/h3>\n

If we’re talking about which Pistons are untouchable, the list starts with Cunningham and immediately ends with Ausar Thompson<\/a> right after. That’s the list. Cunningham just averaged 28.1 points and 7.5 assists in the postseason during only his second playoff appearance. Even with the turnovers and occasional rough possessions, he showed exactly why Detroit handed him the franchise keys. Players capable of averaging nearly 30 in playoff basketball don’t become available often. Detroit already crossed the hardest bridge by finding \u201cthe guy.\u201d Now comes the harder part: building a true contender around him.<\/p>\n

Then there’s Thompson, whose offensive limitations remain frustrating at times, but his defensive ceiling is outrageous.<\/a> Thompson already is one of the league’s elite perimeter defenders. There were possessions in this series where Cleveland’s offense visibly changed direction just to avoid him. That’s not normal for a player this young. Detroit simply cannot afford to lose a wing defender with that kind of versatility, especially considering the direction playoff basketball continues to trend. The jumper still needs work, yes. The spacing concerns are real, yes. But elite defense at that age is harder to find than Pistons fans finding peace after watching that third quarter collapse in game 4.<\/p>\n

Financially, both players also align perfectly with Detroit’s timeline. Cunningham’s max extension already sits atop the books at roughly $50 million annually, while Thompson remains on a controllable rookie-scale deal. That’s kind of cost-controlled star pairing won’t last forever though as Thompson is set to enter restricted free agency after next season.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Tier 2: Valuable Veterans And The Youth Worth Betting On<\/h3>\n
\"After

May 1, 2026; Orlando, Florida, USA; Detroit Pistons forward Duncan Robinson (55) shoots the ball against Orlando Magic center-forward Goga Bitadze (35) in the fourth quarter during game six of the first round of the 2026 NBA Playoffs at Kia Center. Mandatory Credit: Jeremy Reper-Imagn Images<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The middle tier of the Pistons offseason priority list is where things become genuinely interesting. Duncan Robinson<\/a> and Tobias Harris<\/a> remain useful veterans, even if neither should be viewed as long-term centerpieces. Robinson’s shooting still carries legitimate value in a playoff environment<\/a>, and his contract flexibility matters almost as much as the jumper itself considering only a portion of his deal is guaranteed moving forward. Harris, meanwhile, surprisingly gave Detroit stability for large stretches of the postseason before fading late in the series. The reality is probably somewhere in the middle with him. He can’t consistently be your second-best offensive player on a contender, but asking him to be your fourth-best player suddenly sounds a lot more reasonable.<\/p>\n

Then there are the younger pieces Detroit should absolutely continue investing in. Daniss Jenkins<\/a> looked fearless in stretches during the playoffs and consistently brought energy even when the rest of the roster looked emotionally unplugged in game 7. Ron Holland<\/a> also remains one of the more intriguing long-term bets on the roster because of his athletic tools and defensive upside. Neither player should be considered untouchable in the strict sense, but both feel like the type of developmental pieces smart organizations hold onto unless a significant upgrade becomes available.<\/p>\n

Financially, Detroit is positioned well enough to keep this layer of the roster intact if desired. Harris and Kevin Huerter<\/a> both carry expiring deals entering the offseason, while Detroit could still operate with roughly $30 million in cap flexibility depending on how aggressively they clear cap holds and structure future contracts. The Pistons also have access to the projected $15 million non-taxpayer mid-level exception and roughly $5.5 million biannual exception, giving them additional flexibility even without making a blockbuster move.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Tier 3: The Leverage Chips That Could Define The Pistons Offseason<\/h3>\n
\"After
May 17, 2026; Detroit, Michigan, USA; Detroit Pistons center Jalen Duren (0) in the second half against the Cleveland Cavaliers during game seven of the second round of the 2026 NBA Playoffs at Little Caesars Arena. Mandatory Credit: Rick Osentoski-Imagn Images<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

This is where the real tension of the Pistons offseason begins. Jalen Duren<\/a> is entering restricted free agency, and Detroit suddenly holds one of the more fascinating leverage situations in the league. Duren remains talented, productive and still absurdly young, but his playoff struggles<\/a> raise uncomfortable questions about how much Detroit should ultimately invest in him long term. Especially offensively. Cleveland starved him of easy looks at the rim, making his weaknesses impossible to ignore.<\/p>\n

The financial side only makes the discussion more complicated. Duren’s cap hold projects around $19.4 million, while Harris carries nearly a $40 million cap hold and Huerter sits close to $27 million. Those are enormous numbers sitting on Detroit’s books temporarily. The Pistons have major spending flexibility. That’s why this summer feels so important. Detroit isn’t trapped financially the way many young playoff teams become after paying everybody too early. They still control the board.<\/p>\n

That’s also why calling Duren \u201cuntouchable\u201d feels premature despite the talent. Detroit has leverage because restricted free agency gives them the ability to match offers while still exploring alternatives. The same applies to their overall cap structure. They can chase another high-level starter, absorb contracts via trade or simply maintain long-term flexibility around Cunningham and Thompson. That’s valuable territory in today’s NBA.<\/p>\n

So when fans ask which Pistons are untouchable after that humiliating Game 7 loss, the answer is actually pretty simple. Cunningham and Thompson are the foundation. Everybody else exists somewhere on the negotiation table depending on price, fit and opportunity.\u00a0 And after a Cavaliers blowout in game 7 that exposed almost every crack in the roster, this Pistons offseason is going to be the most important summer this franchise has had in decades.<\/p>\n

Credit:\u00a9 Rick Osentoski-Imagn Images<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

DETROIT \u2014 The Detroit Pistons walked into Game 7 hoping to make a statement and instead got hit with a Cleveland Cavaliers blowout that felt like a fire alarm nobody could turn off. Detroit lost by 31 points in front of a stunned Little Caesars Arena crowd, trailing for almost the entire night and looking […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5018,"featured_media":195905,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"no","_lmt_disable":"","sfio_featured_image":false,"sfio_embed_code":"","_ef_editorial_meta_date_first-draft-date":"","_ef_editorial_meta_paragraph_assignment":"","_ef_editorial_meta_checkbox_needs-photo":"","_ef_editorial_meta_number_word-count":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1608,10,62,3],"tags":[50432,49691,4704,3965,50107,2803,4432,4557,49172,343],"class_list":["post-195901","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-basketball","category-pistons","category-nba","category-news","tag-2026-nba-playoffs","tag-2026-27-season","tag-ausar-thompson","tag-cade-cunningham","tag-daniss-jenkins","tag-duncan-robinson","tag-jalen-duren","tag-nba-offseason","tag-ron-holland","tag-tobias-harris"],"modified_by":"Frederick Okocha","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/195901","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5018"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=195901"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/195901\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":195915,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/195901\/revisions\/195915"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/195905"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=195901"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=195901"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=195901"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}