It's hard to find too many negative elements about the 2025-26 Detroit Pistons. The team has been on a roll since the start of the season, and has been the best team in the Eastern Conference by a significant margin, as cemented by their recent demolition of the New York Knicks to improve to 27-9. While some fans are hoping for a big splash ahead of the February 5 trade deadline, there hasn't been much trade buzz surrounding the Pistons. And this may not be a bad thing.
Instead of a trade that may hurt the team dynamics, the Pistons need to make the obvious decision about Daniss Jenkins. The 24-year-old guard has been impressive all season, but remains on a two-way contract. Converting him to a standard deal should be of the utmost priority for the front office.
Pistons Must Sign Daniss Jenkins to a Long-Term Deal Before It's Too Late
Jenkins has been a big reason for how the Pistons have been able to weather injuries. During Jaden Ivey's extended absence and whenever any backcourt player misses time, Jenkins stepped up in a big way. In 29 games, including six starts, Jenkins put up 7.8 points and 2.9 assists in 15.8 minutes per game on 44.3/40.8/80.0 shooting splits. He recently fell one point short of the franchise record for points scored in a second quarter when he put up 21 points on 7/7 shooting against the Cavs. He has scored over 20 points on three separate occasions, highlighting how much he can scale up his role when needed.
The problem for the Pistons is that Jenkins can only be eligible for 50 regular-season games as a two-way player. Unless he is converted to a standard contract, Jenkins is not eligible to play in the postseason, either. This means that the talented guard will run out of his NBA eligibility in February, forcing the Pistons to make a decision.
Detroit currently has no roster spots available. After starting the season with one roster spot open, the Pistons filled it by signing 25-year-old center Isaac Jones. So far, Jones has only seen one minute of action in a Pistons uniform. The Pistons will have to either waive Jones and fill his spot with Jenkins or trade away another player before the deadline to make room.
Among the 15 players on guaranteed deals, Bobi Klintman and Marcus Sasser, in addition to Jones, are also expendable if the Pistons want to part ways with one of them for Jenkins. Whether the Pistons make other moves at the deadline remains to be seen, but signing their unexpected standout to a long-term deal is a no-brainer.