Pistons 2022 NBA Draft: The boring scenario may be the best one

With just a day to go before the 2022 NBA Draft, speculation is still rampant around the Detroit Pistons and what they will do with the 5th pick.

We’ve laid out just about every scenario, from the long-rumored Portland trade for Jerami Grant, to the Pistons trading up or even back in the draft.

We’ve looked at myriad draft trades in the top-10, some crazy possibilities in the top-5, and have fake-traded Jerami Grant to just about every team in the league.

But it is far more likely that none of those things happen and that the Detroit Pistons’ 2022 NBA Draft is far more boring than fans want or expect.

But that might be the best thing, as the Pistons could walk away from this draft with a solid team that is ready to win now and should be even better in the future.

Detroit Pistons draft: The boring scenario

There has been widespread speculation that the Sacramento Kings will trade the 4th pick after a report that said they were looking for players to help them win now.

This has led some to believe that they are not interested in Jaden Ivey, but will leverage that to try and make a big trade instead. But if that trade doesn’t come, and the Kings still want someone to help them win now, then drafting Keegan Murray makes more sense, as he is one of the most NBA-ready guys and a far better fit with the Kings than Ivey.

That leaves Ivey dropping to the Pistons, which almost seems like fate at this point, as the team has expressed interest and Ivey himself has said that he wants to play in Detroit. He grew up a Pistons’ fan and his mom (coach for Notre Dame’s women’s team) played for the Shock. What better guy to help restore the Pistons to their former glory?

The fit with Cade Cunningham is there, and Ivey may give the Pistons the best chance to improve now but still get a high-ceiling talent who could end up being a star and the best player in this draft.

If the Pistons were to draft Ivey, then keeping Jerami Grant makes a lot of sense, as they wouldn’t have an immediate replacement and the reported trade offers they are getting don’t line up with what Troy Weaver will require to move Grant.

Drafting Ivey and extending Grant may not be the most exciting offseason, but with continued speculation that the Pistons could land Deandre Ayton, they could walk into next season with a starting five that looked like this:

• Cade Cunningham
• Jaden Ivey
• Saddiq Bey
• Jerami Grant
• Deandre Ayton

Count me as one of the fans who would be ecstatic if this happened, as this is a lineup that could compete in the Eastern Conference and still has plenty of room to improve with four guys in the starting lineup 23-years-old or younger.

Many fans of the Detroit Pistons are expecting bold moves and multiple trades this offseason, and we may still see them, but if Ivey falls to Detroit, expect their offseason to be a little more boring, which could be the best thing for both the present and future.