NBA Draft: How can the Detroit Pistons get the No. 1 pick
Most teams with high draft picks are looking to rebuild. However, the only building the Golden State Warriors want to do is a parade route to celebrate another championship.
Ravaged by injuries to its star players (and Kevin Durant heading to Brooklyn), the Warriors had the worst record in the NBA during the regular season.
Minnesota jumped over them in the lottery but having the No. 2 selection is still quite valuable.
The Warriors are not looking for someone to grow with a ‘young core’, they want some veteran talent to play with its revived stars like Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson and make a run at the Lakers and Clippers next season.
As the entire NBA knows, the Warriors prize shooting more than anything. In many of their NBA title runs, they went with 6-foot-6 Draymond Green at center.
To pry away the No. 2 pick, Detroit has a shooter who could immediately help Golden State: Luke Kennard.
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Kennard would fit like a glove with Golden State, a tall, smart sharpshooter who does the little things to help a team win. Yes, we are talking about what many consider a foundational piece to the Pistons future, but to get something, you need to give something.
A chance at not just a foundational piece, but the foundation itself, makes the Pistons give up Kennard. For salary cap purposes, the Warriors send center Kevon Looney, a hustler, in the deal.
The Pistons also get the luxury of seeing who gets picked first, and then they can adjust. With a standout in the top five at pretty much every position, Detroit is guaranteed to get a prime player, and the most-likely 19-year-old kid won’t have to deal with the pressure of being the No. 1 pick (see Fultz, Markelle).
That is not say it wouldn’t be pretty neat to have NBA Commissioner Adam Silver walk out and say “With the first pick, the Detroit Pistons select ….” The last time the Pistons had the first choice was 50 years, when they took future Hall of Fame center Bob Lanier back in 1970.
Of course, moving up just a couple spots can make a big difference. Dallas went up to 3rd from 5th two years ago and that got them Luka Doncic.
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If Weaver and team president Ed Stefanski make a bunch of phone calls, and are willing to gamble for what could be a major payoff, Detroit’s name could be heard earlier on draft night than most people expect at the moment.