The Detroit Pistons are guaranteed to have a top-5 pick in the 2023 NBA Draft, but there is certainly no guarantee how they will use it.
If they land #1, Victor Wembanyama will be coming to Detroit and fans will be dancing in the streets.
But anything from #2 on starts to get tricky, as the Pistons don’t really need another ball-dominant guard, though popular consensus says they would either just take Scoot Henderson and figure it out, or try to trade back.
The third pick would likely be wing Brandon Miller from Alabama, but if the Pistons end up 4th or 5th (please no) then just about every option is on the table, including trading the pick for multiple picks or a more established player.
Detroit Pistons draft: Trading for the biggest need
It is no secret that the Detroit Pistons need a wing who can defend, and if they did fall to the 4th or 5th pick, they could use that pick to make a trade.
The question is what type of player they might be able to get. Anything short of an impact two-way wing would be a big disappointment, but there are a couple who might be available, including OG Anunoby of the Toronto Raptors.
The Raptors are at a crossroads after missing the playoffs and parting ways with coach Nick Nurse. They could decide that cashing in Anunoby is the best way to retool around Scottie Barnes and Pascal Siakam.
Trading Anunoby would land Toronto a haul of assets and free up some future money for the inevitable Scottie Barnes extension.
There aren’t many players in the NBA who would be better fits for the Detroit Pistons than Anunoby, as he is one of the league’s best wing defenders and can shoot the 3-ball, a perfect match with Cade Cunningham and Jaden Ivey.
So what would it take to get him?
Detroit Pistons draft: Trading for OG Anunoby
If the Detroit Pistons land in the top-3 of the 2023 NBA Draft, there is a very good chance that they will just take the best player available and they should. But the draft is a huge crapshoot beyond that, so trading the 4th or 5th pick for an established player does make some sense.
Would this be enough to land a top-5 wing defender in the NBA?
Toronto may immediately hang up the phone on this deal unless there is someone they really like with the 4th pick. They also may want nothing to do with Bojan Bogdanovic, who is a better shooter than Anunoby, but a traffic cone on defense.
But what about the Detroit Pistons? Would they give up both of their draft picks and their best veteran to get Anunoby?
Detroit Pistons draft: Trading for OG Anunoby
This would be a somewhat risky move for the Detroit Pistons even though Anunoby is a very good fit on paper. He only has one guaranteed year left on his contract and then a player option, so they would have to be comfortable offering him a max extension to keep him around.
So while his $18 million next season looks like a bargain, that number is going to jump way up after that, as Anunoby would likely decline his 2024-25 player option to seek a long-term deal.
Also, the 4th or 5th pick in the draft will likely be a wing, and the Pistons may be able to find a guy who ends up just as good or better than Anunoby who they have under team control on a rookie deal.
However, there is also a very good chance that the players taken in that range don’t reach Anunoby’s level. He has a chance to win Defensive Player of the Year soon, and the Pistons would potentially have him locked up for all of his prime years.
A foursome of Cunningham, Ivey, Anunoby and Jalen Duren is a pretty nice starting point and the Detroit Pistons would still have cap space to add another player or two in free agency.
There is some amount of risk with a trade like this, and you could argue that it is a year too soon for Detroit to be making these kinds of moves, but if you have a chance to lock up the entire prime of one of the league’s best two-way wings, it’s hard to walk away for “potential.”
Like I said, it’s possible this wouldn’t be enough to get OG anyway, but if it was, the Detroit Pistons would at least have to consider it.