Unless the Detroit Pistons land the number one pick in the 2023 NBA Draft then it’s difficult to predict what they will do.
Victor Wembanyama is the consensus #1, but beyond that you’ll find a lot of debate, even though most scouts think Scoot Henderson is a notch above the rest of the field.
If the Detroit Pistons were to land the 2nd pick or lower, trading back does make some sense, as does trying to package the pick in a trade for a star.
It’s still too early to know which stars might be available and if a top-5 pick in this draft is enough to tempt a team to trade an established player.
Detroit Pistons draft: Making a trade around the 2023 NBA Draft
Troy Weaver has shown that he is not afraid to wheel and deal, so if there is a player out there he thinks he can get, we could see him flip the Pistons’ pick, especially if it falls out of the top three.
The Detroit Pistons have plenty of young guys already, and Detroit has difficulty attracting top free agents, so trying to land an impact player via a trade is another route.
The question is who the Pistons might be able to get if they had the 4th or 5th pick on the trade block? This draft isn’t deep enough for that pick to land a star by itself, unless that star had huge flaws and red flags.
There is one star player who fits that bill, but would be a huge risk for the Detroit Pistons and his current team may not have any interest anyway. But it might be worth a call, as there are few players with higher upside in the entire NBA.