NBA Trade Rumors: Pistons looking to pair Cade Cunningham with Ja Morant's 7'0 teammate
The Detroit Pistons will be looking for upgrades this offseason after a successful run in 2025-26. Former No. 1 pick Cade Cunningham had a breakout year playing under new coach J.B. Bickerstaff and with a roster strengthened by the additions of Tobias Harris, Tim Hardaway Jr. and Malik Beasley. Cunningham averaged 26.1 points, 6.1 rebounds and 9.1 assists on 47/36/85 splits.
The Pistons are heading in the right direction after years of rebuilding and have a marginal upgrade in their sights. According to Jake Fischer, Santi Aldama is among the Pistons' targets this offseason.
REPORT: Grizzlies and other teams believe the Pistons could be a threat to pursue Grizzlies RFA Santi Aldama, per @JakeLFischer.
The 7-foot Aldama has been an essential piece for the Grizzlies off the bench as a floor-spacing big. He averaged a career-high 12.5 ppg, 6.4 rpg and 2.9 apg last season, shooting 48.3%, including 36.8% from 3 on 5.0 attempts last year. Aldama played only 25.5 minutes per contest, so his production was impressive relative to his floor time.
The Pistons could use a player of his caliber, especially offensively, as Aldama can play at the power forward or center spot. However, it remains to be seen if he's a realistic target. Detroit has $17 million in cap space, but it's unlikely to be enough to sign Aldama. Even if the Pistons do sign him, the Grizzlies have the right to match an offer, as Aldama is a restricted free agent.
The other option could be a sign-and-trade, which is feasible but hard caps the Pistons under the first-apron.
NBA Trade Rumors: Pistons eyeing a stretch big next to Cade Cunningham
The Detroit Pistons are keeping up with the modern NBA trends, seemingly coveting stretch bigs this offseason.
While Santi Aldama is one name to keep an eye on, Jake Fischer reported that Myles Turner and Naz Reid are also among the options for the Cade Cunningham-led team. Like Aldama, Turner and Reid are also likely to return to their respective teams this summer.
It's almost a necessity to have a near 7-footer who can shoot. The Pistons have Jalen Duren and Isaiah Stewart in their current rotation. Both are solid, but have limitations on offense. Duren is a traditional big, while Stewart is a low-volume and usage rate big, especially under J.B. Bickerstaff.