When Trajan Langdon was prepping for the offseason, he initially felt he would retain one or two of the three key Detroit Pistons players who were hitting the open market.

At this point, they are all gone. Langdon and his team helped fill the void of Tim Hardaway Jr, Malik Beasley, and Dennis Schroder with the addition of Caris LeVert and Duncan Robinson.

While the Pistons might hold right there, there will be names to keep an eye on as the season plays out.

The Athletic’s Hunter Patterson recently tabbed Dallas Mavericks veteran PJ Washington as a potential target for the Pistons in the future.

“Washington is an undersized stretch forward who makes up for his lack of height by boasting the longest wingspan on this list. Despite spending his first four-and-a-half seasons on a Charlotte Hornets team in a cycle of losing, Washington still has a defensive box plus-minus of zero,” Patterson writes.

“… Given Washington’s defensive versatility, age, NBA Finals experience, shooting ability and grittiness, he’d be a formidable candidate for Detroit’s traded player exception.”

Washington entered the NBA out of Kentucky in 2019. He was the 12th overall pick by the Charlotte Hornets. Right off the bat, Washington had a role in Charlotte. He played four full seasons with the Hornets before getting traded to Dallas 44 games into his fifth year.

When Washington wrapped up the 2023-2024 NBA season, he played in 29 games, averaging 12 points, six rebounds, and one steal.

Last year, Washington played his first full season with the Mavericks. The veteran started all but one of the 57 games he played. Washington posted averages of 15 points, eight rebounds, two assists, one steal, and one block per game. He made 45 percent of his shots from the field and 38 percent of his threes.

The Pistons are entering their final year with Tobias Harris. With Harris still being productive, a return shouldn’t be ruled out. However, the 32-year-old isn’t exactly perfectly aligned with the Pistons’ timeline. Washington, at 26 with multiple seasons left on his deal, could be helpful for the long haul.

At this stage of the offseason, there’s been a lot of smoke building around a potential long-term agreement between the Mavericks and Washington happening. While that hasn’t come to life just yet, it’s a situation that Pistons fans should keep an eye on.