{"id":712283,"date":"2026-06-18T21:50:16","date_gmt":"2026-06-18T21:50:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/712283\/"},"modified":"2026-06-18T21:50:16","modified_gmt":"2026-06-18T21:50:16","slug":"detroit-pistons-open-to-moving-up-in-nba-draft-says-president-of-basketball-operations-trajan-langdon","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/712283\/","title":{"rendered":"Detroit Pistons open to moving up in NBA Draft, says president of basketball operations, Trajan Langdon"},"content":{"rendered":"

DETROIT \u2013 With less than a week before the NBA Draft, Detroit Pistons<\/a> President of Basketball Operations Trajan Langdon<\/a> expressed confidence that the team can add a valuable contributor with the No. 21 overall pick while remaining active in exploring ways to improve a roster coming off a breakthrough season.<\/p>\n

Langdon said Detroit benefited from a draft-pick swap that moved the Pistons up to No. 21 at the trade deadline via a protected first-round pick swap with the Minnesota Timberwolves, which was part of a three-team trade with the Chicago Bulls that sent Jaden Ivey<\/a> in exchange for Kevin Huerter<\/a>, and believes quality talent will still be available, despite what he described as a thinner-than-expected draft pool.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe were fortunate where we landed,\u201d said Langdon. \u201cWe feel we\u2019re going to get a good player here.\u201d<\/p>\n

Langdon noted that the growing influence of name, image, and likeness (NIL) opportunities in college basketball led more prospects to return to school, reducing the overall depth of this year\u2019s draft class.<\/p>\n

\u201cI couldn\u2019t have anticipated the amount of players that went back through NIL to school,\u201d Langdon said. \u201cI think that has kind of thinned up the depth of the draft.\u201d<\/p>\n

Detroit open to moving up draft board<\/p>\n

While Detroit is expected to keep the pick, Langdon did not rule out exploring opportunities to move up the board.<\/p>\n

\u201cCould we look at situations to get up if need be? Yes,\u201d Langdon said. \u201cBut I do think if we stay at 21, we\u2019ll find a player we like.\u201d<\/p>\n

Langdon expects plenty of activity around the league leading up to and during draft night, particularly outside the lottery.<\/p>\n

\u201cI do have a feeling that people will be aggressively trying to get better,\u201d Langdon said. \u201cWe\u2019re doing the same thing.\u201d<\/p>\n

Malik Beasley<\/p>\n

Langdon said on Thursday (June 18) that the organization has not yet discussed a possible return of veteran guard Malik Beasley<\/a>.<\/p>\n

When asked whether he had spoken with Beasley\u2019s representation regarding a new contract, Langdon noted that the veteran currently does not have an agent.<\/p>\n

\u201cI have not,\u201d Langdon said.<\/p>\n

Asked whether he had spoken directly with Beasley about returning to Detroit, Langdon again indicated no discussions had taken place.<\/p>\n

\u201cI have not talked to him about coming back,\u201d Langdon said.<\/p>\n

Beasley is set to become an unrestricted free agent this summer after playing a key role for the Pistons during the 2024-25 season, but he was under investigation for gambling last season. <\/p>\n

The veteran guard provided perimeter shooting and scoring off the bench as Detroit made significant progress and emerged as a playoff contender in the Eastern Conference.<\/p>\n

Free agency negotiations across the NBA cannot officially begin until June 30.<\/p>\n

Judge orders ex-Detroit Pistons guard Malik Beasley to pay $1M in default judgment to former sports agency<\/a><\/p>\n

Shooting, playmaking among offseason priorities<\/p>\n

The Pistons have identified perimeter shooting and additional playmaking as offseason priorities, though Langdon acknowledged finding elite shooting talent at No. 21 could be difficult.<\/p>\n

\u201cUsually, if they\u2019re really good shooters, they don\u2019t get there,\u201d Langdon said.<\/p>\n

Rather than drafting strictly for immediate need, Langdon said Detroit\u2019s focus will remain on selecting the best player available who fits the organization\u2019s culture and long-term plans.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe have players that are going to get expensive,\u201d Langdon said. \u201cWe\u2019re going to have to have our picks hit and be able to help our team.\u201d<\/p>\n

Free agency, trades in play as Pistons aim to build around core<\/p>\n

The Pistons are also expected to be active in free agency and trade discussions. <\/p>\n

Langdon emphasized the organization\u2019s desire to improve while maintaining flexibility and avoiding short-sighted moves.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re not going to give up too many assets for a player that we feel, without having those assets down the road, would hamper us in terms of making another move,\u201d Langdon said.<\/p>\n

Detroit\u2019s front office continues to prioritize continuity around franchise cornerstone Cade Cunningham<\/a> while evaluating opportunities to add complementary talent, similar to the New York Knicks, who won the title through free-agent signings and trades.<\/p>\n

\u201cOur best player we drafted here. Our top three players we drafted here,\u201d Langdon said. \u201cIt\u2019s finding the players that fit our top three players and enhance what they can do around them.\u201d<\/p>\n

Langdon repeatedly stressed that internal development remains the team\u2019s most important avenue for growth, following a season in which the Pistons made significant strides in the Eastern Conference.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think all of our guys will get better next year,\u201d Langdon said. \u201cWe\u2019ll come back a better team.\u201d<\/p>\n

Duren extension, ownership support highlighted<\/p>\n

Among the team\u2019s priorities is retaining center Jalen Duren<\/a>, who is eligible for a contract extension.<\/p>\n

\u201cI want him here,\u201d Langdon said. \u201cWe really want JD to be here.\u201d<\/p>\n

Langdon also praised owner Tom Gores<\/a>‘ commitment to the organization, saying the franchise has consistently received the resources needed to support players and staff.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s never been a no,\u201d Langdon said when discussing requests made to ownership. \u201cThe success that we\u2019ve had wouldn\u2019t have happened without his contributions and overall commitment.\u201d<\/p>\n

Sustainable growth guides Pistons\u2019 approach<\/p>\n

As the Pistons prepare for a pivotal offseason, Langdon said the organization\u2019s focus remains on sustainable growth rather than making headline-grabbing moves.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe know that we need to be more equipped to compete in the postseason,\u201d Langdon said. \u201cAdding pieces that help accentuate our core players will help us not only in the regular season, but in postseason play as well.\u201d<\/p>\n

The 2026 NBA Draft begins on June 25, 2026, at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York.<\/p>\n

Copyright 2026 by WDIV ClickOnDetroit – All rights reserved.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"DETROIT \u2013 With less than a week before the NBA Draft, Detroit Pistons President of Basketball Operations Trajan…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":712284,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[64],"tags":[88728,4576,88729,148151,58423,25158,355,99,147997,307113],"class_list":["post-712283","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-nba","tag-cade-cunningham","tag-detroit-pistons","tag-jaden-ivey","tag-jalen-duren","tag-kevin-huerter","tag-malik-beasley","tag-nba","tag-sports","tag-tom-gores","tag-trajan-langdon"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/712283","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=712283"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/712283\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/712284"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=712283"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=712283"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=712283"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}