Detroit Pistons: Troy Weaver speaks, but no promise to take Cade Cunningham

With the NBA Draft fast approaching, Detroit Pistons general manager Troy Weaver had a press availability. Although most fans would have liked him to simply say they were taking Cade Cunningham with the first pick, he was more cagey than that.

In a 12-minute Q&A with the media (courtesy of the Free Press, you can see the whole thing here), Weaver pretty much said the same things he did on June 22, after the Pistons were awarded the No. 1 pick in the draft for the first time in 51 years.

Here are the major points:

Detroit Pistons still looking at five players for first pick in NBA Draft

Weaver said he would look at five players on June 22 to go first, and he repeated it on Tuesday. According to reports, Cunningham, Jalen Suggs and Jalen Green have come to Detroit for workouts in the past week, and they were trying to get a workout arranged with Evan Mobley. Who the fifth person would be is a bit of mystery.

"“We’ll look at five guys, uncover every stone,” said Weaver. “(We’ll) put ourselves in position to make the right choice for the Pistons. Realistically, we’ll look at five guys.”"

But while he kept saying nothing was decided, when Weaver was asked specifically about Cunningham, he did not downplay the Oklahoma State guard’s ability.

"“He is a talented young man,” said Weaver. “He’s at the top of the list.”"

Do not expect as many Draft Day moves as last year

In his first draft night as the Pistons GM, Weaver was a whirlwind, getting two additional first rounders (which turned into All-Rookie selections Isaiah Stewart and Saddiq Bey) plus a second-round selection (Saben Lee), who had a promising rookie season.

This year, with a more (we emphasize more) normal pre-draft process, teams are able to zero in on players they want at lot easier. Last year, with virus restrictions, everything was film and Zoom conferences, so teams, not sure of anything, were more amenable to trades.

Also, the Pistons now have actual players who are like, good, so Weaver can’t just hand another team a copy of his roster and ask: “Who do you want?”

It is not that Weaver won’t try to swing some deals. This year he has three second-round picks to work with, so he has more ammunition than last year (when all Detroit had entering the draft was the No. 7 overall pick). But he did not sound like a guy about to pull the trigger on a bunch of trades.

"“It might not yield as much as last year, it might,” he said, “but we will still have an aggressive mindset.”"

Weaver is not sweating having the No. 1 pick in draft

If you have ever watched Weaver talk, he is a pretty even-keeled guy. Which is probably a good thing in a business with a lot of highs and lows.

He says he does not feel any additional pressure because he now gets to make the first pick in the draft.

"“(There’s) pressure with every pick. You pick 1, 7,38, 16, it doesn’t matter,” said Weaver. “I don’t feel any pressure to get it right. My pressure is to get the Detroit Pistons in the right direction.“… We will be ready for the No. 1 pick. Some people might not like having No. 1, but I’m ecstatic about it.“This is why they hired me.”"

Weaver’s tone did not appear to be someone looking to sell to the highest bidder (like Boston was in 2017). But if someone wanted to massively overpay (not the reported OKC deal), he will certainly listen.

Whoever the Pistons take at No. 1, it will be after a lot of thought and consideration.