The Detroit Pistons should hold onto their 15th pick

The Detroit Pistons shave the 15th pick in this years upcoming NBA Draft. The Pistons could use it in a trade, but they should just hold onto it.

The Detroit Pistons just barely squeezed into the playoffs as the eighth seed. Being in that situation caused a section of the fanbase to wonder why the Pistons would want to make the playoffs.

By just squeezing into the playoffs as the eighth seed, the Pistons fell out of the draft lottery and gave them zero chance at moving up in the draft. Instead, the Pistons were the worst team (record wise) to make the playoffs, which leaves them with the 15th pick in the draft.

With the Pistons being in salary cap hell and having a player like Jon Leuer, who is on a big contract but cannot play, and Langston Galloway and Reggie Jackson on expiring contracts, many have floated the idea of using the Pistons pick to get rid of one of these contracts.

It’s not the worst idea. The draft is a crapshoot and there’s no guarantee the Pistons will even get a rotational player at the spot they sit at. Using the pick to create some cap space on a team that has no money could be helpful.

Or even using the pick and an expiring contract to grab an immediate impact player could also be helpful. Either way, trading the pick could make some sense.

However, the Pistons should probably keep their pick and for one reason and one reason only.

Money.

The Pistons pick gives them a CHANCE to draft an impact player and have him be on a low-cost controlled contract for the next handful of years.

The Detroit Pistons desperately need some production from players they don’t have to pay a ton to. This was the idea with Glenn Robinson III, except GR3 was almost unplayable for most the year and complete bust in play.

If the Pistons could draft a player who helps them immediately at the pick they have now, they won’t have to worry about paying him for at least the next three years. Which, by the way, fits perfectly into the Pistons window to build around Blake Griffin and Andre Drummond.

Trading the pick wouldn’t be the worst idea, but keeping it may be a better one.