Pistons draft: What type of player could Detroit get by trading their pick?
Detroit Pistons draft: Trading the 5th pick for a role player and a later pick
Lu Dort
De’Andre Hunter
Neither of these players would be worth trading the 5th pick straight up to get, as they are both quality role players but not stars.
The Thunder or Hawks would have to swap their pick as well, which would still give Detroit a first rounder while also giving them a quality role player.
Either of these guys would immediately help Detroit’s atrocious wing defense, as both are plus defenders who can guard a couple of spots.
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The problem is that neither of them are very good shooters and both are locked into contracts that Detroit may not want to take on, particularly Hunter, who is making big money for a guy who only scores 15 points per game on mediocre shooting splits.
Dort would probably be the more attractive option here, as he is a better defender and comes a bit cheaper, but would OKC really be interested in more draft picks? They already own about half the league’s picks, though they would have to give up at least one to make this deal work.
In the end, players in this tier might be worth it depending on the draft pick that was coming back, which in these cases would likely be in the 12-15 range. Would one of these players and a borderline lottery pick be enough for the 5th pick?
I don’t think so, as a guy like Jarace Walker could turn into one of these guys in two years and you’d have him locked into a cheap deal. Unless there were multiple draft picks involved, this is the type of deal the Pistons should avoid.