After winning just 23 games last season, the Detroit Pistons were rewarded with the 5th pick in the 2022 NBA Draft. Try not to celebrate too hard.
This season proves why I hate tanking and why the NBA needs to get rid of the Draft Lottery completely, but I digress.
The Detroit Pistons should still be able to land a good player with the 5th pick one way or another, as there is no consensus on the top guy and he may end up falling to Detroit if they get lucky or a team like the Kings sniffs out the bust and picks him (I do feel more comfortable with the Kangz picking directly in front of Detroit).
There will almost certainly be a player available at five that the Detroit Pistons like and who would complement Cade Cunningham, so chances are that they will just use that pick to take the best player available and I trust Troy Weaver to find that guy.
But they have other options, five total by my count, and there may be more. This has the potential to be a wild offseason for the Detroit Pistons.
Detroit Pistons: Options for the 5th pick in the 2022 NBA Draft
Option #1: Pick Jaden Ivey or Shaedon Sharpe
The first option would be to take one of Jaden Ivey or Shaedon Sharpe, one of whom will almost certainly be available with the 5th pick.
Putting a dynamic, high-ceiling guard next to Cade Cunningham would set the Pistons up in the backcourt for the forseeable future and fill their biggest need.
With Chet Holmgren, Paolo Banchero, and Jabari Smith expected to go in the top three in some order, even if the Kings choose a guard (would they really add another guard? It’s the Kangz!) one of these two will be there.
Ivey has an electric first step and is a guy who can get his own shot. He’s an explosive athlete with a huge wingspan who some experts have compared to Donovan Mitchell or Anthony Edwards.
Shaedon Sharpe is the draft’s biggest mystery, as he was the top high school prospect of 2022, but ended up not playing at all, so teams are going to have to rely heavily on pre-draft workouts and limited tape.
But Sharpe has all of tools, the highest vertical in the history of the combine, and would immediately give the Detroit Pistons a boost of athleticism, and high-ceiling potential to go with elite size in the backcourt.
If I had to bet, I’d say that the Detroit Pistons will end up with one of these two players.
This would allow them to extend Jerami Grant and give them an exciting starting five whether they ended up landing Deandre Ayton or not.
I could get behind this group:
- Cade Cunningham
- Ivey/Sharpe
- Saddiq Bey
- Jerami Grant
- Deandre Ayton/Isaiah Stewart
But what if the Detroit Pistons want to trade Jerami Grant?
Detroit Pistons: Options for the 5th pick in the 2022 NBA Draft
Option #2: Pick Keegan Murray
The Detroit Pistons might have a player in mind that is not currently on anyone’s radar, but as of right now, Murray looks like he’ll go in the top five or six of the 2022 NBA Draft.
He is a “do it all” forward who can shoot the 3-ball, run the floor and defend multiple positions even though he might not have a glaring elite skill.
If the Detroit Pistons don’t see Jerami Grant as part of their future, then this might be his replacement, as Murray provides many overlapping skills.
This would allow the Pistons to move Grant (possibly in a deal for Portland’s 7th pick) or to keep him and either find a way to play him with Murray, or use Murray as a super-sub off the bench who gets big minutes and plays with just about everyone.
Could the Detroit Pistons get away with a versatile and huge lineup full of wings?
- Cade Cunningham
- Saddiq Bey
- Keegan Murray
- Jerami Grant
- Isaiah Stewart
This would give the Pistons a long and switchable defense, a pretty good shooting team and a much-more efficient offense.
Murray is also one of those guys who doesn’t need the ball in his hands to make an impact, so would slide right into this group as a guy who can defend all over the place and knock down 3-pointers.
But if the Detroit Pistons do like Murray, it’s hard to see them keeping Jerami Grant.
Detroit Pistons: Options for the 5th pick in the 2022 NBA Draft
Option #3: Trade Jerami Grant and pick two players in the 2022 NBA Draft
It has been a very poorly kept secret that the Portland Trail Blazers are going to make a play for Jerami Grant this offseason.
They are trying to reload around Mr. Lillard and he and Grant are buddies who would complement each other well on the court.
Now that Portland dropped one spot the 7th pick, it seems even more likely that they would make a move like this, which would probably include the Pistons taking back a player or two along with the 7th pick in exchange for Grant.
This would give the Detroit Pistons both the 5th and 7th picks in the 2022 NBA Draft and open up a whole new can of options.
They could just use both picks on players they like and end up with a lineup like this:
- Cade Cunningham
- Jaden Ivey
- Saddiq Bey
- Tari Eason
- Isaiah Stewart
The Pistons could also take a guy like Jalen Duren, or AJ Griffin, Bennedict Mathurin or Jeremy Sochan (I LOVE Eason).
To me, this is the least desirable outcome, as it would leave the Detroit Pistons worse than they are now, even younger and probably set us up for another season of losing.
But they would have huge future potential, five very good young players locked into deals and have the core to build around for the foreseeable future.
The Pistons have two other options when it comes to trading Jerami Grant.
Detroit Pistons: Options for the 5th pick in the 2022 NBA Draft
Option #4: Trade Jerami Grant and the 5th pick for a star or a package
If the Detroit Pistons don’t like their chances of getting a guy they like with the 5th pick in the 2022 NBA Draft, they could try to package it in a trade for a star.
Grant plus the 5th pick is a pretty good starting point for a trade, as he has the contract to match someone already on a big deal and his contact is expiring, so the team wouldn’t be taking on any long-term money.
Without going too deep into the options, how about Jerami Grant and the 5th pick for John Collins and Atlanta’s 16th pick?
How about Jerami Grant and the 5th pick to New Orleans for Jaxson Hayes, Devonte’ Graham and the 8th pick?
Would Jerami Grant and the 5th pick be a starting point to get Rudy Gobert? How about Shai Gilgeous-Alexander? My point is that the Pistons would potentially have a lot of trade options if they packaged Grant with that 5th pick.
I don’t think the Detorit Pistons will do this unless there is a genuine star who is a perfect fit with Cade Cunningham, but if they could sniff out the right deal, I wouldn’t rule it out.
Detroit Pistons: Options for the 5th pick in the 2022 NBA Draft
Option #5: Trade Grant, get the 7th pick and then package them to move up
Another Jerami Grant trade option would be to move him to Portland for that package built around the 7th pick.
This would give the Pistons the 5th and 7th picks in the 2022 NBA Draft, which they could potentially use to move up.
If they put both of those picks together, could they move into the top-4? The top-3? Let’s say the Rockets aren’t high on any of the top-3 guys, would it behoove them to trade the 3rd pick to get the 5th and 7th?
Would the Oklahoma City Thunder consider such a move or do they have too many picks and young guys already?
This certainly wouldn’t be enough to move into the number one pick, but it might be enough to move into the top three or four.
The Detroit Pistons would have to absolutely LOVE one of the prospects to do such a thing, as they’d be turning down a chance to potentially add two impact players instead of one.
This is another option that I see as a long shot, as I am not sure there is a team in the top-3 who would sacrifice that pick to move back.
Troy Weaver and the Detroit Pistons are going to be busy this offseason and have a whole lot of options now that they have dropped to the 5th pick in the 2022 NBA Draft.