The Detroit Pistons have taken anything but the expected approach to the NBA offseason now that we've entered the always-important month of July.
With Tim Hardaway Jr. gone to the Denver Nuggets, Malik Beasley dealing with gambling allegations, and Dennis Schroder agreeing to a three-year, $45 million deal with the Sacramento Kings, all of the veteran options who helped Detroit return to the playoffs this past season are either already gone or, in Beasley's case, unlikely to return.
As bad as this has seemed for the Pistons thus far, they may have found a lifeline to add talent to the roster by turning one of those free agent departures into a sign-and-trade.
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It appears as though the Pistons won't be losing Schroder for nothing after all. According to Omari Sankofa II of the Detroit Free Press, Detroit and Sacramento will turn the Schoder deal into a sign-and-trade with the Pistons being able to take back as much as $22.6 million in salary.
The Pistons will have some time to expand the trade to get a player back for Dennis Schroder.
— Yossi Gozlan (@YossiGozlan) July 3, 2025
Otherwise they create a trade exception, meaning they're operating over the cap. They'd have that $14.3 million trade exception and the $5.1 million bi-annual for further moves. https://t.co/gRvgMkdJPA
This is great news for the Pistons as they could get a legitimate player in return. They have previously been linked to Malik Monk who is set to make just under $18.8 million during the 2025-26 campaign, or they may settle for a large trade exception that could be used later in the season to make a move closer to the deadline.
If Monk is the player Trajan Langdon covets, he would provide the offense with a boost as he is capable of scoring from all three levels and is not afraid to let it fly from beyond the arc. On the other hand, a trade exception can be just as valuable down the road, as evidenced by the deal the Atlanta Hawks swung for Nickeil Alexander-Walker.
It is always better to gain an asset when losing a player to another team. While no deal is done yet, it appears that is just what Detroit will accomplish as part of the Schroder signing.