The Detroit Pistons have made another clear move in their roster reset, sending Caris LeVert and two 2027 second-round picks to the Milwaukee Bucks for Taurean Prince and Gary Harris on Tuesday, July 7. The trade gives Detroit more flexibility, creates about $7.2 million in salary relief and adds a trade exception that lasts one year.
It is the kind of transaction that tells you exactly where a team believes it is in its cycle. The Pistons won 60 games last season, the third-best record in franchise history, and are now shaping the group around Cade Cunningham, Jalen Duren and Ausar Thompson while adjusting the rest of the roster around them.
Why Taurean Prince matters to Detroit
Prince arrives as part of a deal that is about more than one player. He is coming off a season in which he appeared in 60 games, averaged 19.2 minutes and shot 41.7% from the field, while also making 33.3% of his 3s. In a rotation that is being refined rather than rebuilt from scratch, that sort of experience has value.
There is also a straightforward business side to this move. Detroit was able to reduce salary and still bring in a veteran wing option in Prince alongside Gary Harris, which suggests the front office is trying to keep the structure of the roster intact while making room for future decisions.
What the Pistons are building
The Pistons are spending the offseason reshaping a roster that already showed real progress. The addition of Prince fits a broader pattern of adding or moving several players while keeping the focus on the core.
That core matters here. Cade Cunningham remains the lead figure, with Jalen Duren and Ausar Thompson also central to the long-term picture. Around them, the Pistons appear to be looking for pieces that can help them stay competitive without closing off future flexibility.
LeVert’s own path underlines how quickly this roster has changed. He was originally the No. 20 overall pick in the 2016 draft, acquired by the Brooklyn Nets, and joined Detroit on a two-year, $28.9 million contract in 2025. Just months later, he has been moved again as the Pistons continue to adjust.
A trade that is about flexibility as much as talent
For Detroit, this is not the kind of move that dominates the conversation on its own. But it does speak to a front office managing both present and future at the same time. The Pistons still want to build on a 60-win season, but they are also acting like a team that knows the work does not stop there.
Prince gives them another experienced piece, Harris adds to the incoming group, and the salary relief gives the Pistons a little more room to operate. In an offseason full of movement, that combination may prove just as important as the headline names.
