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Detroit Pistons: Pre-draft Q and A with The Athletic’s James Edwards III

By Thomas Chavez

Detroit Pistons general manager Troy Weaver: Raj Mehta-USA TODAY Sports
Detroit Pistons general manager Troy Weaver: Raj Mehta-USA TODAY Sports /
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INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA – APRIL 03: Jared Butler #12 of the Baylor Bears and Justin Gorham #4 of the Houston Cougars compete for a loose ball in the first half during the 2021 NCAA Final Four semifinal at Lucas Oil Stadium on April 03, 2021 in Indianapolis, Indiana. (Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images)
INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA – APRIL 03: Jared Butler #12 of the Baylor Bears and Justin Gorham #4 of the Houston Cougars compete for a loose ball in the first half during the 2021 NCAA Final Four semifinal at Lucas Oil Stadium on April 03, 2021 in Indianapolis, Indiana. (Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images) /

Trading up back into the first round has been speculated for a while now. Are there any players that fans should keep their eyes on if they start to fall for the Detroit Pistons to potentially trade up and grab?

Edwards III: ‘Bones’ Hyland is a guy I had them getting with their first pick of the second round which is 37 for them. There is a world where he goes in the late first. Maybe they know that and move up to get him. Jared Butler from Baylor is another guy. He had some health issues. He’s been cleared to play in the NBA. Personally, I thought he was the best guard at Baylor. He’s a guy that could go late first depending on how scared teams are with the medical stuff, or how unafraid they are. Afraid or unafraid, that could waver where he falls. I think that’s another guy who could be of interest. Those two are the two names that I’m pretty confident that they like in some capacity. Whether or not they’re willing to trade up to get them is another story.

You recently wrote an article about five draft-and-stash players the Pistons could look to target. Of those guys, who do you think would make the best fit for Detroit and have the highest potential?

Edwards III: Rokas Jokubaitis is the guy that’s probably the best in this class, but I think he probably goes too soon for Detroit if they keep their seconds. So from there after him, I really like Vrenz Bleijenbergh from Belgium, he played at Antwerp. 6-10, 6-11 plays like a wing, solid passer pretty good IQ, can shoot the three-ball. Weirdly was terrible at the free-throw line, but shot well from three at the Euro Cup. He needs to get his body to fill out a little bit and probably needs to sharpen some things in terms of skills. I just think he’s very much kind of like today’s NBA, a long tall wing who can put the ball on the floor and create and if all goes well, create mismatches on the offensive end. That’s a big ‘if’, but it’s worth it if you’re picking at 52. It’s not a bad idea to have a guy that you’re intrigued by that you can stash away and don’t need to worry about paying him right now. If things go well and you can see he’s doing well overseas, you have the rights to bring him over.