Detroit Pistons general manager Trajan Langdon addressed the offseason exits of Malik Beasley, Dennis Schroder, and Tim Hardaway Jr., clarifying the decisions were not driven by a lack of interest from the team.
Speaking with reporters during team Media Day, Langdon emphasized that market factors and external circumstances played a significant role. “It wasn’t because we didn’t want to,” Langdon said, via Omari Sankofa II. He noted that competing offers from other franchises made retaining the veterans more difficult.
Langdon also mentioned that “investigations” impacted the Pistons’ offseason plans, though he did not elaborate further.
Beasley, who gave Detroit consistent three-point shooting last season, remains a free agent after the team took back its initial offer amid gambling probe.
Schroder, acquired in a midseason trade, brought veteran leadership to the backcourt but also found a stronger offer on the open market from the Sacramento Kings.
Hardaway Jr., meanwhile, joined the Denver Nuggets after spending part of last season as a stabilizing scorer for the Pistons.
Detroit enters the 2025–26 campaign coming off its most successful season in nearly a decade. The team finished 44–38, making the playoffs for the first time since 2019 and ending a 15-game postseason losing streak with a Game 1 victory against the New York Knicks.
Although they ultimately fell in six games, the playoff run underscored the growth of Cade Cunningham, Jalen Duren, and Ausar Thompson. The Pistons supplemented their young core this summer with additions like Caris LeVert, Duncan Robinson, and Javonte Green, while also re-signing Paul Reed.
