NBA Rumors: The 3 players who will leave the Detroit Pistons after losing in the conference semifinals

Detroit Pistons signed the best record in the Eastern Conference this season, establishing themselves as one of the most solid teams in the regular season. However, their playoff journey left many doubts despite the evident growth of the project. In the first round, the Pistons needed to come back from a 3-1 deficit against Orlando Magic to eventually win in the seventh game.

Later, in the conference semi-finals, they found themselves on the ropes again against Cleveland Cavaliers after trailing 3-2 in the series. Detroit managed to force a seventh game, but ended up losing decisively by 31 points. Despite the team's competitive leap and fully engaging in the battle to dominate the East, the franchise is already working on significant changes for next summer.

Tobias Harris, an uncertain future

One of the most likely names to leave is Tobias Harris. His role as the second offensive option in the playoffs once again highlighted that Detroit needs a scorer of greater impact to truly contend for the title. The franchise is looking for more outside shooting and more space in attack. Although Harris shot a decent 36.8% from three-point range during the regular season, his performance dropped to 29% in the playoffs, despite averaging 18 points per game.

The forward will be an unrestricted free agent, and the team states that they would like to keep him, although not at a figure close to the $26.6 million he received this season. It will all depend on the salary cut he is willing to accept, although the sentiment is that Detroit would prefer to invest that money in a player of greater impact.

Caris LeVert, potential trade piece

Caris LeVert's continuity also seems complex. Beyond his modest numbers—7.4 points per game and 33.3% from three-point range—the main reason is the strategic value of his contract. According to Ian Levy from Fansided, the $14 million expiring in LeVert's contract represent one of the few real assets Detroit has to try to make a significant improvement this summer through a trade.

Kevin Huerter has not met expectations

Another player with many chances to leave is Kevin Huerter. The shooting guard arrived in Detroit at the trade deadline with the goal of providing outside threat, but his performance fell far short of expectations. Huerter converted just 30.8% of his three-pointers this season between the Chicago Bulls and Pistons. His performance in Detroit was even worse, with a concerning 29.4% from beyond the arc in 25 games.

The decline in outside shooting has become a trend. Last season, he shot at 33.8% from three-point range, far from the 38% he had maintained during his first six seasons in the NBA. Considering that shooting is precisely the main reason for teams to bet on him, he would need to regain that level to continue having value in the market. Now as a free agent and after not delivering the expected performance, it appears that Detroit will not seek to renew his contract.