Jason Burgos
A new rumor suggests the Detroit Pistons‘ acquisition of Isaiah Joe has ended plans to pursue established shooting stars like Tyler Herro and Norman Powell this summer.
The Pistons took another big step forward this season toward their ultimate goal of being a title contender once again. The team’s 2024-25 campaign showed that their rebuild was working and that they could be a competitive team in the NBA. In 2025-26, they emerged as one of the best squads in the conference and looked like NBA Finals contenders.
However, during the playoffs, the weaknesses in the No. 1 seed facade showed. The most notable crack in the foundation was the lack of more reliable scoring after Jalen Duren withered under the postseason pressure. That is why they have been linked to a variety of veteran scorers in recent weeks.
Detroit Pistons pursuit of Tyler Herro and Norman Powell now dead?
Two names that come up often are the new Milwaukee Bucks addition, Herro, and the Miami Heat’s top scorer from last season, Powell. However, according to Marc Stein and Jake Fischer, after acquiring Joe in a trade with the Oklahoma City Thunder on Friday, going after those former All-Stars is now unlikely.
“Sources say that the Pistons’ acquisition of Joe now makes it less likely that they will pursue other targets on their list of guards known for shooting prowess. If that approach gets locked in, Joe’s arrival would have ripple effects on Norman Powell’s unrestricted free agency as well as the follow-up trade market for soon-to-be-Buck Tyler Herro.”
– Marc Stein & Jake Fischer
The 2020 second-round pick has been a solid reserve for the Thunder over the last two years. Posting just over 11 points and shooting an impressive 42% from three this past season.
Nevertheless, you can’t blame some Pistons fans for being disappointed that they won’t try to go after a pair of recent All-Stars who averaged 20 points a game each the last two seasons. They certainly could bring proven scoring punch to the team in 2026-27.
