The Delon Wright trade was more about the future than the present for Troy Weaver and the Detroit Pistons.
Not only did the Pistons get another draft pick but they cleared an extra six million in cap space for next season, which they could use to make future moves.
The Pistons are now in a better position to make offers on free agents or to get involved in trades, possibly taking on some salary in exchange for an asset.
They are also in a better position to re-sign any of their own restricted free agents, specifically Hamidou Diallo, who would slot nicely into the cap they created with the trade.
The cap space was the real reason for this trade, but Troy Weaver was able to get some gravy in the form of two second-round draft picks, one of which will come this year and one in 2024, so let’s take a look at what the Detroit Pistons will have in the next draft.
Detroit Pistons: How many draft picks do the Pistons have in 2021?
The Detroit Pistons will have one first-round pick that they technically owe the Houston Rockets, but it is protected 1-16, so unless Detroit wins out and makes the playoffs, they are keeping that pick and it should be a high one.
The Pistons will also have three second-round picks. They have one coming from Toronto which would currently be the 37th pick, one from Charlotte that is now at 48 and one from the Lakers that currently lands at the 54th pick.
Of course, all of these picks could and should be better by the time the draft comes around, as the Raptors are falling apart, Charlotte just lost LaMelo Ball for the season and the Lakers are without LeBron James and Anthony Davis for an extended period.
The Hornets pick was as high as the 36th just last week, so it could change drastically by the end of the season.
Second round picks by themselves are not a worth a ton but they could be valuable together, especially if the Pistons wanted to move into the end of the first round and draft someone like Ayo Dosunmu, who could be a steal and is projected to go somewhere in that range.
Second round picks are often used as sweeteners in trades, so if the Detroit Pistons are active in the offseason (which they are almost sure to be) they could end up moving those picks in part of a larger deal.
Troy Weaver made a great trade, as it opened up future flexibility with the salary cap and gave him more ammunition to work with. This offseason is going to be a wild one, stay tuned.