Detroit Pistons draft: Many possibilities for the 36th pick
After finally trading Jerami Grant, the Detroit Pistons will have the 5th and 36th picks in the 2022 NBA Draft after swapping second-rounds picks with Portland as part of the deal.
The speculation is that the Pistons will take one of Keegan Murray or Bennedict Mathurin with the 5th pick, though with Trader Troy Weaver you can never be sure of anything.
It’s hard to judge the Grant trade in a vacuum, as we still don’t know what the Pistons will do with the copious amounts of cap space they now have at their disposal, which is the most of any team in the NBA.
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The pick swap has largely been overlooked in this trade, but moving up 10 spots will definitely give the Detroit Pistons a better chance to find a rotation player, and would also give them further ammunition if they wanted to try and trade up in the 2022 NBA Draft.
Detroit Pistons: Options for the 36th pick in the 2022 NBA Draft
Moving from the middle of the second round to the beginning gives the Detroit Pistons a much better asset whether they want to use it themselves or try to package it in a trade.
The Pistons also have that extra first-round pick in 2025, though it is a long shot to be a lottery pick considering the Bucks are still likely to have Giannis Antetokounmpo in his prime.
If the Pistons wanted to try and move up in this draft, they could potentially package those two picks, though that is not likely to get them much.
It’s far more likely that the Detroit Pistons try to find a player with this pick, and Troy Weaver probably has someone in mind.
Here are some names to watch.