NBA Draft: More prospects Detroit Pistons can draft-and-stash

The Detroit Pistons had the second-worst record in the NBA last season, yet they really don’t have much roster space to get filled in the NBA Draft. General manager Troy Weaver has said only a couple of roster spots are available, and we know where one spot is getting filled.

With three second-round draft picks, unless Detroit can package them to move into the first round, the Pistons will most likely employ a draft-and-stash strategy with those selections.

In basic terms, if a player has a contract with another team outside of the NBA (usually a European club) the team that drafts that player retains his NBA rights for the future, and he does not count on their team roster limit.

As an example, Detroit drafted Deividas Sirvydis in 2019 but he did not join the team until 2020 as the Pistons retained his rights. When the ‘stashed’ player requests a contract with the team, they must either offer him one or release him.

Having grown up watching the NBA and dreaming of playing in the top league in the world, sometimes it is not easy to convince players to wait a year or two before coming over. You can be sure the Pistons are on the horn to agents of foreign prospects, to see where their head is at.

We have already written about three draft-and-stash candidates but there are other strong possibilities out there for the Pistons to take on July 29

Here are three good candidates for the Detroit Pistons to draft and stash

Ariel Hukporti

An interesting background in addition to being a 7-foot, 246-pounder who just turned 19 in April.

Hukporti’s parents are from Togo on Africa’s West Coast but he grew up in Germany (where his parents immigrated) and plays professionally in Lithuania.

He was the MVP at the Basketball Without Borders Camp held in February, 2020 in conjunction with NBA All-Star Weekend.

Hukporti averaged 10.4 points,7.4 rebounds for Nevezis this past season in the Lithuanian League. NBA Draft Room lists Hukporti as the 15th best center available in the draft.

Like most draft and stash candidates, Hukporti has shown potential but is quite raw. He would be eaten alive if had to see NBA action this year but … a few years from now … could be completely different.

Hukporti was at the NBA Draft Combine in Chicago, so he does have interest in an NBA career.

Right now, Hukporti is strictly a low-post scorer but he attempted three-pointers in Lithuania, making 27.7 percent of his threes. He just turned 19 so it is not like he can’t add outside shooting to his repertoire.

The Pistons have three centers under contract for next year: Mason Plumlee, Isaiah Stewart and Jahlil Okafor. It is not seen as a position of major weakness Heck, their third-string center is in the Olympics.

But Okafor’s contract runs out after next season and Plumlee’s expires in two years. So, Detroit will be in the market for a young, athletic center that could grow with its core in a couple of years – perfect timing for Hukporti to join the club.

But will Hukporti want to wait a couple of years? He is a German of Togolese ancestry  playing in Lithuania. The NBA has to look very inviting to him.

This is where talks with the agent, pre-draft, are key to what the Pistons might do with Hukporti.