Would the Detroit Pistons trade their pick if they fall out of top-3?

The Detroit Pistons are hoping to land a top-3 pick in the 2022 NBA Draft, but if they don’t, all options are on the table.

Most experts agree that there is a drop off from the top-3 guys, although it’s possible that some teams’ Big Boards look a little different.

Jaden Ivey is usually ranked as the 4th guy, but after that, it gets murky, as anyone from Shaedon Sharpe to Keegan Murray could jump into that 5th spot.

With no clear choice, the Pistons could choose to trade their pick in a package for a known commodity, and there are a couple of names that would make sense.

Detroit Pistons draft: Potential trade targets for draft day

The first name that comes to mind is Donovan Mitchell from the Utah Jazz. It was reported that Rudy Gobert gave the team an ultimatum, and though it seems like they’d be more likely to trade Gobert in that situation, Mitchell may be the riskier long-term bet for Utah, as he has expressed displeasure with the team in the past.

Mitchell is only 25-years-old and averaged nearly 26 points per game this season, so it would take more than just the 5th pick to acquire him. The Pistons could add Jerami Grant, which would also give Utah $10 million in cap space as well as no future salary obligations.

Would Grant and the 5th pick be enough to get Mitchell? Probably not. Would adding Killian Hayes help?

Utah may have hit their ceiling with the Gobert/Mitchell pairing, but given the age of their roster, it’s hard to see them trading him for draft picks and young talent.

Another name to keep an eye on is Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, the 23-year-old shooting guard from OKC.

SGA would give the Pistons a dynamic backcourt, though he and Cade Cunningham both love to be on the ball and have some overlapping skills.

OKC would be more likely to want a package of young players and picks, but the price would undoubtedly be higher for SGA, who is younger and already locked up through the 2026-27 season.

The only way OKC would consider a move like this is if they thought Josh Giddey was a guy to build around and wanted two more top picks to go with him. OKC could potentially have the 4th, 5th, 12th and 30th picks in the 1st round, which may be too many young guys, even for them.

Would the temptation to add two top-5 picks around Giddey while simultaneously getting off of SGA’s contract be enough? I doubt it, as SGA is just too young and good, but it could make sense given the age of their roster.

Detroit also owes OKC a future pick, so the Thunder could waive or change that obligation to allow the Pistons to throw in another first round pick or two.

If the Detroit Pistons end up in the top-4 of the 2022 NBA Draft, I think they will just make a pick, but if they drop, expect some trade rumors to surface.