The Detroit Pistons have four picks heading into the 2021 NBA Draft including the number one overall and three picks in the second round.
The Pistons will almost certainly use the first pick on Cade Cunningham, who has all of the talent to be the next superstar in the NBA.
The Pistons aren’t likely to add four rookies, so they could use some of their second-round assets and a player or two to try and move up into the first round if there is a player who Troy Weaver likes.
Weaver has already shown he can find talent in the mid to late first round after drafting Isaiah Stewart and Saddiq Bey with the 16th and 19th picks in last year’s draft.
So if he can package some of the second rounders and perhaps a redundant player, we could see the Detroit Pistons move into the first round in 2021.
The Pistons would likely target a team that is in “win now” mode and doesn’t care about adding more young players, or a team that wants to stockpile as many picks as possible.
Here are four teams the Detroit Pistons could target for NBA Draft day trades into the first round.
Detroit Pistons draft picks: Trading with OKC in the NBA Draft
Oklahoma City has the 6th, 16th and 18th picks and I am sure Sam Presti is cooking up some deals as we speak.
The Thunder already have a team full of teenagers and may not want to add three more, but Presti also loves to hoard draft picks and young talent, waiting for his opportunity to strike with a blockbuster trade.
I already talked about a potential trade with OKC that would involve sending Sekou Doumbouya and a bunch of second round picks to OKC in exchange for the 16th or 18th pick.
Some fans are loathe to move on from Doumbouya, but he is the last player leftover from the previous regime and I could definitely see Troy Weaver shipping him out if he can use him to get a mid-first round pick.
This would be giving up on Doumbouya early, but it’s not like he was a top five pick or that the Pistons have invested much in him. Personally, I’d take my chances that Weaver could find someone better in a very deep draft.
Detroit Pistons: NBA Draft trade with the New Orleans Pelicans
The Pelicans fall into the category of teams that are desperate to win now. They have the 10th pick in the lottery and four picks in the second round, so they are almost certain to make some draft day trades.
They are trying to keep Zion Williamson happy after the Stan Van Gundy experiment failed miserably and will be under pressure to add some talent around him and not more prospects.
The Pelicans already have a lot of talented but raw young players in Nickeil Alexander-Walker, Kira Lewis Jr. and Jaxson Hayes and may not want to add another project with the 10th pick.
The Pistons are reportedly high on James Bouknight, and if he is still there at 10, I could see them trying to package a player and maybe some future picks to move up.
But what would it take to get them there? The Pelicans definitely need guys who can defend the wing so may be interested in Josh Jackson, especially considering he is on a team-friendly deal the would allow the Pelicans to make additional moves.
But Jackson would not likely be enough on his own to move up this much, so the Detroit Pistons would likely have to throw in a protected first round pick somewhere down the road to sweeten the deal.
If the Pistons could get the 10th pick for Jackson and a future 1st, they would consider it, as his skills might re redundant if the Pistons re-sign Hamidou Diallo.
Detroit Pistons: NBA Draft trade with the New York Knicks
The Knicks have the 19th pick in the first round and I could definitely see them trying to move it to get another player.
The Knicks were one of the surprise teams of the NBA this season, finishing 4th in the Eastern Conference before getting exposed in the playoffs.
They won’t be eager to regress after finally giving their fans something to cheer about, but the Knicks have seven potential free agents this offseason, so could have a radically different roster.
We know Tom Thibodeau likes veterans who can defend, so this is another team that might be interested in trading for someone like Josh Jackson to come off the bench.
Again, I am not sure Jackson alone is enough to move up this far, but if the Pistons were to kick in one of their second-round picks, the Knicks would consider it. Is Jackson worth a late first-round pick?
Will the Knicks try to add veterans and run it back or will they start over once again and build around the talented young players they have?
They will be a wild card in the NBA Draft, but one the Detroit Pistons could potentially find some common ground with.
Detroit Pistons: NBA Draft trade with the Golden State Warriors
I’d say the team most likely to trade out of the first round will be the Golden State Warriors, who have the 7th and 14th picks in the lottery.
The Warriors will be getting Klay Thompson back and with Stephen Curry still playing at an MVP level, they are trying to win titles while the window is still open and may not be interested in adding two more young players.
Zach Lowe floated a ridiculous trade for the first overall pick but that is 100 percent not happening, so you can stop that talk right now.
The Pistons might consider moving Jerami Grant if the price is right and there might be some interest, as he is a guy who would fit in well with the Warriors and would certainly be an upgrade.
I really don’t see this happening, as the Pistons’ timeline has been sped up and they are high on Grant, but I could see the Warriors having some interest in Mason Plumlee as well. The Warriors are one of the teams who I thought might trade for Plumlee this season, so if the Pistons offered him up for the 14th pick, the Warriors might consider it if there was also another future draft asset attached.
I highly doubt Plumlee would be enough to move into the lottery but how about Plumlee and Jackson? This would help the Warriors depth and give them some additional defense and playmaking.
If the Detroit Pistons want to add a second 1st-round draft pick to go along with Cade Cunningham, there will be some teams out there to deal with.