It’s no secret that the Eastern Conference leveled up for the 2026-2027 NBA season. The Philadelphia 76ers have played a major part in that factor, considering they added LeBron James and Jaylen Brown without losing Joel Embiid, Tyrese Maxey, or VJ Edgecombe.
But as certain teams improved, others are taking a hit. Since we should consider the Detroit Pistons a team to beat, their notable changes, mixed with a clear contract standoff, certainly serve the 76ers some good news ahead of training camp next week.
They’ve got issues in Detroit
The Pistons ran into a familiar issue for Philadelphia this past season. Detroit put together an impressive regular season, while winning their first-round series, but they couldn’t make it out of round two. Instead, the Cleveland Cavaliers sent the Pistons home before taking on the New York Knicks in the Eastern Conference Finals.
The Knicks are certainly the team with the biggest target on their back for next season, but the Pistons are a team to beat. After all, they finished the 2025-2026 season with the Eastern Conference’s best record at 60-22. They were six spots ahead of the 76ers–a 15-game lead.
But now they’ve got issues in Detroit. They suffered some key losses in free agency, and money is becoming an issue out there. It was all good when the young homegrown players were on their rookie deals without being extension-eligible, but now the star big man Jalen Duren wants his big break. He accomplished plenty last season, including an All-Star appearance and an All-NBA nod. Yet, the Pistons don’t want to give him a desirable contract in his eyes after showing playoff struggles.
It’s a tough situation for the Pistons to be in, especially since they continue to increase their offer before getting met with rejection once again. According to a report from The Athletic, the Pistons are willing to put $200 million on the table to keep Duren for the next five years. The star center continues to play hardball.
All the Sixers can do is smirk and feel good about it. Part of the reason why the Pistons have been so good over the past two seasons is that they have played drama-free hoops with incredible chemistry. Outside of Cade Cunningham, none of the core young players had major deals in hand. Now that Ausar Thompson got paid, and Duren was told he’s not a max guy despite putting together a max-worthy season, the Pistons have plenty of drama going into the new year. It just might be a competitive advantage for the Sixers at the end of the day.
Follow
Discussion about this post