Pistons Earn Average Offseason Grade From ESPN Analyst After Key Departures

Pistons Earn Average Offseason Grade From ESPN Analyst After Key Departures originally appeared on Athlon Sports.

It has been an interesting offseason thus far for the Detroit Pistons as they try to build off their historic season last year and compete near the top of the weakened Eastern Conference.

For the Pistons, they finished with the worst record in the NBA the prior two seasons before last season but that changed quickly as they were able to make the playoffs last year behind their core of Cade Cunnigham, Jalen Duren, Jaden Ivey and Ausar Thompson.

With their historic turnaround, the Pistons entered the offseason as a team to watch as they tried to upgrade their roster, but that quickly changed.

That was because of Malik Beasley being investigated due to gambling allegations, which quickly halted contract talks between him and the Pistons.

Detroit also lost Dennis Schroder and Tim Hardaway Jr. in free agency, though they did sign Caris LeVert and they also landed Duncan Robinson from the Miami Heat via a sign-and-trade.

With these moves, ESPN’s Kevin Pelton gave the Pistons a C offseason grade as they made notable additions to their roster, but also lost some key pieces from last season.

“The Pistons' offseason changed dramatically when ESPN's Shams Charania reported that guard Malik Beasley was under investigation by federal authorities in connection with a gambling probe. After All-Star Cade Cunningham, Beasley might have been Detroit's second-best player last season, and the late pivot limited the Pistons' options to replace him in free agency,” Pelton wrote.

While the Pistons did lose some key players from last season, adding both Robinson and LeVert in free agency allowed them to upgrade the scoring on their bench.

Detroit is also banking on their young players to continue to develop as Ivey will be coming back from a broken leg that he suffered last season while Ron Holland II proved during the Summer League that he is ready to take the next step.

Because of their mix of young players and veterans, the Pistons have a solid shot at being a contender in the East next season with Cunningham leading the way.

This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Aug 4, 2025, where it first appeared.