New NBA Rumors on Pistons' Free Agency, Trade Targets After Isaiah Joe Deal Amid Herro, Powell Buzz

The Detroit Pistons' acquisition of Isaiah Joe in a trade with the Oklahoma City Thunder could end up being their biggest move for shooting help this offseason.

Per NBA insiders Marc Stein and Jake Fischer, the deal for Joe "makes it less likely" the Pistons will aggressively pursue other potential targets like Tyler Herro and Norman Powell.

ESPN's Shams Charania reported on Friday that Detroit was sending two second-round picks to the Thunder for Joe.

The move came after the Pistons had been connected to Herro even before he was included in the deal between the Miami Heat and Milwaukee Bucks for Giannis Antetokounmpo.

Herro could still be traded by the Bucks even after the Antetokounmpo deal, but they aren't opposed to keeping him on the roster at this point.

Coby White and Austin Reaves were also being targeted by Detroit, but both players wound up agreeing to deals with their current clubs before getting to free agency.

Powell has become more valuable to the Heat in the wake of the Antetokounmpo trade because they are now hard-capped at the first apron, but they currently have just $18.1 million cap space with four roster spots to fill.

There are maneuvers the Heat can take to clear more money, particularly if Andrew Wiggins opts out of his $30.2 million salary next season. Stein and Fischer also noted Nikola Jović, whose four-year, $62.4 million contract extension kicks in at the start of the 2026-27 season, has been made available in a trade.

Given how much uncertainty there is that Powell or Herro ends up leaving their current clubs, the Pistons opted to take any guessing out of the equation by adding Joe with one guaranteed year remaining on his contract plus a team option for 2027-28.

The Pistons are also mired in contract negotiations with Jalen Duren as he prepares to hit restricted free agency. The two sides don't appear to be close to a deal, but there is an expectation the Pistons will bring him back either by working something out or matching an offer sheet he receives.

Joe will provide a huge boost to Detroit's offense next season. The 26-year-old has shot better than 40.0 percent from three-point range in each of the past four seasons, including a career-high 42.3 percent mark in 2025-26.

Coming off a 60-win regular season before a disappointing playoff run that ended with a second-round loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers, the Pistons didn't need to take a huge swing and deplete their long-term assets to close the gap on the top-tier teams in the Eastern Conference.

Sacrificing just two second-round picks for a quality role player like Joe is a good piece of business, while allowing the Pistons to maintain flexibility for the future if they decide to go all-in on finding a second star to pair with Cade Cunningham.