Austin Reaves Fits the Pistons. The Money Doesn’t.
· Yahoo Sports
The Detroit Pistons are going to be questioned over whether they did enough in the offseason to win another 60 games in the 2026-27 NBA season, and an Austin Reaves trade is the move that keeps getting floated for them. Detroit gave Ausar Thompson a five-year, $155 million extension and handed Jalen Duren a five-year, $200 million contract. Those two and Cade Cunningham are the core moving forward.
Cunningham is on a five-year, $269 million deal of his own, and the open question in Detroit is who plays second option behind him. Reaves came up in trade rumors all offseason. The honest answer is that the Pistons cannot get him right now, and the calendar is only the first reason.
Visit turconews.click for more information.
Bleacher Report Listed Reaves as a Target, Not a Trade
Greg Swartz of Bleacher Report wrote on Oct. 6 that Detroit should have made a major move in the offseason. His piece does not lay out terms for a Reaves deal, though. Swartz names Reaves as one of five wings he would want in Detroit, and separately names Ron Holland II as the asset the Pistons could move. The specific Holland-plus-picks-for-Reaves framing came from the coverage that followed, not from Swartz.
Swartz said,
“The Detroit Pistons aren’t going to sniff 60 wins again this season unless they can add a reliable No. 2 offensive option alongside Cade Cunningham.
The ideal trade target would be a wing who can create for themselves and others, helping to keep the offense humming when Cunningham needs a break or hits an inevitable shooting slump.
This list could include players like Tyler Herro, RJ Barrett, Lauri Markkanen, Franz Wagner or even Austin Reaves, should any become available.
Detroit has all of its first-round picks moving forward, making a potential blockbuster more likely. Former No. 5 overall pick Ron Holland II could be used as trade bait, as the runway hasn’t been opened for him in Detroit to reach his potential.”
An Austin Reaves Trade Would Cost Duren or Thompson
Holland carries a cap hit of roughly $9.07 million this season. Reaves is on a four-year deal worth about $184 million, an average of $46.2 million a year. For the money to work, Detroit would have to send out Duren or Thompson alongside Holland and draft picks. There is no version of this where a $9 million wing and a stack of picks brings back Reaves on its own.
Reaves Can’t Be Traded Until Jan. 15, 2027
Even if the Pistons wanted to pay that price, Reaves cannot be traded until Jan. 15, 2027. He re-signed with the Los Angeles Lakers at a raise above 20 percent, the condition that pushes a player’s trade-eligible date to Jan. 15 rather than earlier in the season. Last season he averaged 23.3 points per game in 51 games for Los Angeles, which is exactly the scoring Detroit has been shopping for next to Cunningham.
Detroit’s Answer Right Now Is No
Getting Reaves this season is a pipe dream. The only way it happens is if the Lakers fall out of playoff contention by the deadline and decide they want Duren or Thompson coming back. Would the Pistons do that deal? Almost certainly not. The second option has to come from inside this roster for now.