Pistons draft: What type of player could Detroit get by trading their pick?

Detroit Pistons draft: Trading the 5th pick for a star

OG Anunoby

Zion Williamson

Mikal Bridges

Of these three, Anuoby is the most likely to hit the trade market, as the Raptors are looking for a new coach and may want to retool. They’ve said publicly that pretty much everyone is on the table except Scottie Barnes, so Anunoby may be gettable.

I highly doubt the Pelicans would trade Zion Williamson at this point, as it would be selling low, but he is an absolute game changer when healthy. Those last two words are the big caveat and trading for him would be a huge risk for the Pistons. Detroit would probably have to add other assets on top of it, which would likely frighten them off, especially considering Zion is locked into a max extension.

Bridges is another guy who gets mentioned a lot but is probably not going to be on the market, as he proved himself to be one of the best two-way players in the league. The Nets already reportedly turned down four first-round picks for him, so it’s unlikely the Pistons even have what it takes to get him, even with the 5th pick. It would likely have to be the 2nd pick to pry Brooklyn off Bridges or Zion away from New Orleans.

I wouldn’t rule out Anunoby in the right deal, and he would certainly be a fit as a 3-and-D wing, but there are also wing players in the draft who might reach the same level and would be under a rookie deal. Anunoby is more of a sure thing, but he’s not the type of player that would immediately make Detroit a contender.

In other words, the 5th pick is not likely to land the Detroit Pistons a star-level player unless there are some major red flags or they add considerably to the deal to make it happen. I could still see them trading the pick, but it’s more likely they just take the best player available if the worst were to happen.