GM Troy Weaver of the Detroit Pistons is known for having a great eye for talent, and fans hope that is the case with Jaden Ivey and Jalen Duren.
Both players were high atop the Pistons’ draft wishlist but heading into the draft it didn’t look like they had much chance to get either of them.
Ivey ended up falling into their laps and became a no-brainer choice with the 5th pick, as he is an ideal fit with Cade Cunningham on both ends of the floor, especially after the Pistons get more shooters on the roster.
Once Ivey fell the pieces started to come together for the Detroit Pistons to trade for Jalen Duren, who was a guy Weaver was reportedly very high on coming into the draft.
In fact, Weaver liked him so much that there were reports that the Pistons may have used their 5th pick to get him if Ivey had not fallen.
That is pretty high praise, but luckily it didn’t end up happening, as the Pistons were able to trade for the 13th pick and get Duren anyway, pulling of a draft day coup that started with the Jerami Grant trade.
But if Detroit hadn’t been able to pull that trade off, they had another one ready to go.
The Detroit Pistons had another trade for Jalen Duren lined up
It’s always good to have a backup plan, and the Detroit Pistons had one when it came to landing Jalen Duren.
According to HoopsHype, the Pistons had another deal in place with the Cleveland Cavaliers if the first one fell through:
"“As a contingency plan, the Detroit Pistons discussed offering a future first-round pick and an additional future second-round pick to the Cleveland Cavaliers for the 14th pick if Detroit couldn’t select Jalen Duren with the 13th overall pick in a separate trade with the Charlotte Hornets…”"
I think this shows exactly how much Troy Weaver really wanted this guy, as he was covering every base and exploring every possibility when it came to gettin Jalen Duren in the NBA Draft.
With Weaver’s track record in the draft, his insistence on getting Duren is something to be excited about, and the Detroit Pistons have hopefully landed their center of the future.