The Detroit Pistons may have won the 2022 NBA Draft last night, as they got both of their reported targets in Jaden Ivey and Jalen Duren and were able to add a high-ceiling project in the second round in Gabriele Procida.
It was a masterclass by Troy Weaver, who some were falsely maligning after the Jerami Grant trade, jumping to conclusions before the final product was revealed.
In the end, the Pistons got what they wanted for Jerami Grant (a lottery pick) and were able to land the two guys they most coveted. This draft was an A+ for Troy Weaver, especially when you consider the Pistons had to take on little money to do it.
They still have tons of cap space, but now their free-agent needs may have changed. You can probably rule out Jalen Brunson and Collin Sexton (phew!) as the Pistons already got their two-guard of the future in Jaden Ivey.
I’d say you can also rule out a guy like Mitchell Robinson, as his skills overlap with Jalen Duren’s and Duren is both younger and cheaper.
Without landing another power forward, there is now an even stronger possibility that the Detroit Pistons will retain Marvin Bagley III, who may end up starting next season.
The Pistons probably thought they were going to leave this draft needing either a guard or center in free agency to fill out their roster, but now, their free-agent options are far more open. So who will Detroit pursue?
Detroit Pistons in free agency: Option #1
No one.
The Detroit Pistons could easily go into next season without making a big splash in free agency, especially if they think Isaiah Stewart/Marvin Bagley III are ready to play power forward next to Jalen Duren.
They can just roll with their young core, which is now one of the best in the NBA and save their cap space for some veteran help or to make future moves.
Detroit can be conservative with their money here, sit on it and save cap space for a big trade at the deadline or for next year’s free agent class, which is much deeper with star talent.
The Pistons aren’t under pressure to make a splashy move now and could just go into the season after making some minor moves.
But they could also still land a big name.