Fans of the Detroit Pistons are counting down the days to the NBA Draft Lottery, praying for some luck to come to the Motor City.
Every lottery team is clinging to the hope of landing Victor Wembanyama, and we could see a wild 2023 NBA Draft depending on how things shake out.
The NBA is as wide-open as ever, and this draft doesn’t have much of a consensus past the top two, so we could see a whole lot of trades go down on draft day.
The Detroit Pistons could be involved depending on the pick they get, as anything is on the table if they don’t land #1 overall.
In fact, when you look at the teams in the lottery, the Detroit Pistons aren’t the only ones who could be active in trades around the 2023 NBA Draft.
Detroit Pistons: Why the 2023 NBA Draft could have a lot of trades
Here’s a look at the teams that have obvious reasons to be active on the trade market during and around the NBA Draft:
- Detroit Pistons: Let’s start at home. If the Pistons land in the top-3, they will likely take Wembanyama, Scoot Henderson or Brandon Miller. But if they were to land the 4th or 5th pick, a trade like this could happen, as Troy Weaver wants to turn the corner and may want a more established player over another young rookie.
- Houston Rockets: There are rumors that they are going to bring in James Harden, so it might make sense for them to trade any pick but #1 to try and get another player to put around him.
- Portland Trail Blazers: They are slotted into the 5th position, and could definitely use that pick to trade for a veteran player to put around Damian Lillard, who expressed dissatisfaction with the youth movement.
- Orlando Magic: They have two picks in the lottery, their own and the Bulls’, so could package them to try and move up or to target a player in a trade.
- Washington Wizards: Is Bradley Beal finally going to be traded? If not, they could use this pick to try and get another veteran player around him.
- Dallas Mavericks: Perhaps no team in the NBA is under more pressure to improve their roster than the Dallas Mavericks, who missed the playoffs and may lose Kyrie Irving. They don’t have much in the way of assets, so their pick (which will likely be in the top-10) is their best asset to use in a trade to get Luka some help.
- OKC Thunder: The Thunder were the league’s youngest team and still made the play-in, so their future is bright. Do they need more youth? They could flip this pick for a player or package it with future picks to either move up or target some impact talent.
- Toronto Raptors: Could the Raptors use this pick and a player to move up in the draft? Could they package it to try and land an upgrade at guard? A lot is on the table for Toronto in a crossroads offseason.
- New Orleans Pelicans: Will they finally get sick of the non-stop Zion Williamson drama? Could the Pelicans package this pick and one of their young players to land another star? NOLA has a ton of future picks, and already has some quality young talent, so they could use some of it to plug some holes in the roster.
As you can see, just about every team in the lottery has a reason to make a trade around the 2023 NBA Draft, so we could be in for a wild night when it finally rolls around.