The Detroit Pistons are going to have a busy and interesting offseason.
They already have a solid young core to build around with Cade Cunningham, Saddiq Bey and Isaiah Stewart, will have some money to spend in free agency or trades, and will have at least a top-7 pick in the 2022 NBA Draft.
Of course, the Pistons are hoping for a top-4 pick and have a 52.1 percent chance to get it, and if they do, we could see additional shuffling.
Jerami Grant is entering the final year of his contract and there will be a number of teams calling about the possibility of acquiring him in a trade this offseason.
I have already laid out the reasons for keeping Grant, as I think he’s the type of guy the Pistons will want in a year or two when they are actually trying to compete for a playoff spot.
His salary isn’t crazy for a guy who produces like him, and every team needs some older players to lead, especially a team with so many guys under 25-years-old.
But I can also see the benefit in trading him, as the Detroit Pistons could potentially snag another lottery pick and be set up with young talent for the foreseeable future, especially if they get the right guys.
Detroit Pistons: The most likely Jerami Grant trade
There has been speculation for weeks now that the Portland Trail Blazers will pursue Grant with one of their two first-round picks.
Currently they own the 6th and 11th picks, though that could very well change depending on the luck of the draw.
I can’t imagine a scenario where the Blazers would part with the 6th pick in the 2022 NBA Draft, but I could see them dealing the 11th for Grant, as they are trying to reload around Damian Lillard, not rebuild with young players.
I could also see several of the playoff teams having interest in Grant, especially if they flame out in the first round, but most of them lack the draft assets to make it happen, as I can’t see Troy Weaver flipping Grant for a late first-round pick, he’d rather just keep him.
So let’s assume that the Detroit Pistons do trade Grant for the 11th pick after they get lucky and land a top-3 pick in the draft. Here is my dream scenario.
Detroit Pistons draft: Choosing in the top-3
If the Detroit Pistons luck out and get a top-3 pick in the 2022 NBA Draft, they could go in a number of ways.
The consensus is that Chet Holmgren, Jabari Smith and Paolo Banchero will be the top-3 guys, though there is plenty of argument about which one is best.
I would be happy if Detroit walked away with any of these three, as all of them have high ceilings and offer skillsets that the Pistons desperately need, whether it is rim protection, shooting or another playmaker on offense.
I also think there is a possibility that the Pistons would trade down if they got the number one overall pick, especially if they could stay in the top three and acquire additional assets.
But let’s assume they are picking 3rd and end up with Paolo Banchero, who would give the Pistons another high-ceiling offensive talent and be the immediate replacement for Jerami Grant in the starting lineup.
The great thing about this top three as it relates to Grant, is that they all project to be power forwards in the NBA, so any of them could replace Grant if the Pistons do end up trading him.
I do think this would set the Pistons back in the short term, as a rookie is not likely to be as good as Grant, but it would give Detroit one of the most exciting young teams in the NBA and potentially set them up for more sustained success down the road.
Detroit Pistons draft: What to do with the 11th pick
If the Pistons did end up with a pick in the 11-12 range, they can still find a nice complementary player to add to their roster and bolster the bench.
I wrote about one possibility for a second 1st-round pick, Tari Eason from LSU, who projects to be one of the better defenders in this draft and is a guy who hustles and can knock down shots.
But the real benefit of the Pistons getting another lottery pick is that they would either be able to take a risk on high ceiling potential or grab a guy who fits an immediate need.
Shaedon Sharpe would be a huge get in this range, though it is unlikely he falls this far. I love Sharpe as a prospect and think he could end up being the best player in this draft, so my dream scenario would be for him to fall to the Pistons late in the lottery.
Johnny Davis, Jalen Duren and Dyson Daniels would also be high-ceiling possibilities here. The Pistons could also go the “need” route and draft a guy like Ochai Agbaji, whose ceiling is lower but who already has an NBA-level skill (3-point shooting).
For the purposes of this, I am going to pretend the teams ahead of Detroit are scared off of Sharpe because he didn’t play this season and he miraculously falls into the Pistons’ lap.
If they are going to trade Jerami Grant, I want it to be because they saw two guys they thought could be part of the core.
- Cade Cunningham/Killian Hayes
- Shaedon Sharpe/Frank Jackson
- Saddiq Bey/Hamidou Diallo
- Paolo Banchero/Marvin Bagley III
- Isaiah Stewart/Kelly Olynyk
This 10-man rotation has shooting, athleticism, depth, and most importantly, has three guys in the starting lineup who project to be stars in the league.
Look, this is a dream scenario for a reason, there are a lot of moving parts and a lot would have to go right for the Pistons, but if they are going to move their leading scorer, I hope it’s for nothing less than the dream.