After being the surprise team in the NBA last season after their historic turnaround, the Detroit Pistons are set to enter the 2025-26 season with high expectations, especially in a weakened Eastern Conference.
Of course, the Pistons are coming off a season in which they made the playoffs as the sixth seed in the East after finishing with the NBA’s worst record the prior two seasons.
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Detroit Pistons guard Cade Cunningham (2) and forward Ausar Thompson (9)© Matt Marton-Imagn Images
Detroit has built a solid core combining their young players of Cade Cunningham, Ausar Thompson and Jalen Duren with veterans such as Tobias Harris and two offseason additions of Caris LeVert and Duncan Robinson.
With their core, the Pistons are expected to challenge for a top seed in the East next season as they look for their young core to continue to develop to make them into a title contender once again.
While the Pistons are expected to be a top team in the East next season, they could also look to make a major trade this offseason to pair another star alongside Cunningham to become an instant championship contender.
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Pistons predicted to acquire Lauri Markkanen from Jazz
With this in mind, Bleacher Report’s Greg Swartz recently released a mock trade that would land the Pistons Lauri Markkanen from the Utah Jazz to add another star player to their roster.
Utah Jazz forward Lauri MarkkanenRob Gray-Imagn Images
In the trade, the Pistons would send Harris, Ron Holland II, Marcus Sasser and an unprotected first-round pick in 2026 and 2028 to the Jazz for Markkanen.
While Detroit would be giving up some key players on their roster, especially a potential emerging star in Holland II, adding Markkanen to their roster may turn them into a title contender next season.
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Of course, Markkanen has been tearing it up overseas during EuroBasket this summer and he has proven to be a star in the NBA over the past handful of seasons.
Utah Jazz star Lauri Markkanen© Chris Nicoll-Imagn Images
The 28-year-old forward is a great scorer, rebounder and defender who would fit well inside next to Duren and would also take the pressure off Cunningham offensively.
Despite this, Markkanen has dealt with a ton of injuries over his career as he has played in more than 60 games just three times over his eight seasons in the NBA but there is no doubt that he would be a major addition to Detroit’s roster, though it would cost the Pistons a large trade package to acquire him.
This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Aug 20, 2025, where it first appeared in the NBA section. Add Athlon Sports as a Preferred Source by clicking here.