Pistons mock draft: Detroit trades back for two picks

The Detroit Pistons are currently at the bottom of the NBA standings, which means they can fall no further than 5th in the upcoming NBA Draft Lottery.

Of course, that would be devastating to fans who are praying for Victor Wembanyama to save us, and represent the worst-case scenario for a team that needs elite talent.

The Pistons could certainly still find an impact talent in that range, but most draft experts think there is a big drop off after the first two or three picks, depending on how you view Brandon Miller as a prospect.

Beyond that, it is just a crapshoot as usual, so if the Pistons were to land the 5th pick, trading back might be an option, and there is one team that could make a good partner.

Detroit Pistons draft: Trading with the Orlando Magic

The Orlando Magic have two picks in the lottery, their own, and the one they are owed from the Bulls as part of the disastrous Vucevic trade that I am certain the Bulls would not do again.

Orlando is already one of the best young teams in the league and may not feel that they need to add two more lottery picks. They are sniffing the play-in this season and undoubtedly want to be playoff contenders next year, so adding two more rookies may not be in the cards for them.

In my first and only spin on Tankathon today, the Pistons dropped to 5th (puke) and Orlando ended up with the 7th and 10th picks.

If this were to happen, would Detroit consider trading their 5th pick for the 7th and 10th? That would obviously depend on Orlando’s plans, as they could try to package those picks to make a big trade. For them to want to move up, they would really have to want someone in that 5th slot and there may not be a player that warrants that kind of expense.

But for the sake of argument, let’s pretend the Magic are willing to deal. Would the Detroit Pistons be interested?