NBA Draft: why were so many Detroit Pistons at Jaden Hardy’s workout?

Jaden Hardy is not someone the Detroit Pistons should be looking at with the picks they have in the NBA Draft. But there were Pistons players and management at a workout of Hardy’s. Why?

The Pistons have two picks in the June 23 NBA Draft, one at No. 5 and another at No. 46. Jaden Hardy will not be drafted as high as No. 5 and is projected to be taken way before 46, but Pistons higher-ups, and even players, were watching Hardy workout.

On June 6, at Klutch Sports Pro Day (run by Adele’s boyfriend, Rich Paul), among those in attendance were general manager Troy Weaver, coach Dwane Casey and players Cade Cunningham and Isaiah Stewart. According to reports, they seemed to be paying a lot of attention to guard Jaden Hardy.

Hardy, a 6-foot-4 guard, was the leading scorer on the G-League Ignite team this past season. He is projected to go from late first to early second round. So why were Pistons players and management watching a guy who the team probably won’t draft, barring a trade?

Hardy is not scheduled, according to him, to have a tryout with the Pistons. Of course, that might raise some eyebrows with other teams if he did. Weaver likes to work quietly.

He is a Detroit native but Hardy’s family moved to Nevada before he hit high school. Hardy was there with other prospects as part of the Klutch workout, but a pattern seems to be emerging.

And why were Cunningham and Stewart present? Neither is represented by Klutch (Cunningham is with Excel and Stewart is repped by Roc Nation). Maybe they are big Adele fans and were hoping she would stop by?

Stewart played with Hardy at the Rising Stars Game during All-Star Weekend, but that is not much of a reason to go see someone in a public workout.

Too much may be read into this, but Detroit seems to be showing an inordinate amount of interest in players expected to go late in the first round.

Remember, during the 2020 draft, Weaver maneuvered to get Detroit the No. 16 and 19th picks, in addition to the No. 7 they had to start the night.

Could it be just due diligence, in case a trade gives the Pistons a late first-rounder? Or is something cooking, and Weaver knows he needs to take a look at players going later in the first round?

Why are Weaver and Casey and some Detroit Pistons players watching Jaden Hardy play?

It could be all innocent. Casey and Weaver are there to look at players, and pay homage to Klutch, which represents many NBA players. Cunningham and Stewart might know some buddies who are part of the workout.

Sometimes when there is smoke, it’s just smoke.

CBS Sports has Hardy going to the Spurs at No. 20 in its latest mock draft. While rated as one of the top high school players in the Class of 2021, he had an up-and-down season in the G-League, going against much older players most of the time.

He averaged 17.7 points, 4.6 rebounds and 3.2 assists, which are pretty good stats for a 19-year-old. But consistency was reportedly a problem.

Is Hardy a fit for the Pistons? An athletic tall guard is certainly welcome, the Pistons are looking for a permanent partner in the backcourt for Cade Cunningham. He is not a great, outside shooter (26.9% on threes in G-League), which is a reason he is not a lottery pick.

The Pistons already have some athletes who are not good shooters, but Hardy has big upside if he can get his shot figured out.

Was the Pistons crowd at Hardy’s workout meaningful, or just a coincidence and nothing more? We might find out on draft night.