Detroit Pistons: 3 offseason scenarios with the top-3 picks
The Detroit Pistons can’t fall any lower than 5th in the upcoming NBA Draft Lottery, but have a 47.9 percent chance of landing number five, which would be the worst-case scenario.
Fans are preparing for the worst, but hoping the Pistons at least land in the top-3, which has a 40.1 percent chance of happening.
There’s not much certainty in this draft past the #1 pick, as there is a big drop off from Victor Wembanyama to everyone else. If the Pistons were to get the 2nd pick, they could try to trade it to move back and pick up extra assets or as part of a trade for a more proven player.
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But let’s assume for a moment that the Detroit Pistons land in the top three and decide to keep their pick. The pick they get will affect how they go about their offseason and what types of players they pursue in free agency.
Detroit Pistons: 3 offseason scenarios with the top-3 picks
#3: Brandon Miller
If the Detroit Pistons were to get the third pick, Miller seems to be the guy, but like I said, past the first pick, nothing is guaranteed. But if the Pistons did take Miller, he is an easy fit into what they already have. His addition would change how the Pistons approach free agency.
With their wing of the future potentially in place, they could use their cap space in a variety of ways. Going after a guy like Jerami Grant might be redundant, so they could focus on defenders and role players, possibly saving some cap for a big trade later in the season.
They add a guy like Josh Hart, and go into next season looking like this:
- Cade Cunningham/Killian Hayes
- Jaden Ivey/Josh Hart
- Brandon Miller/Alec Burks/Isaiah Livers
- Bojan Bogdanovic/Isaiah Stewart
- Jalen Duren/James Wiseman/Marvin Bagley III
That’s a big, versatile team that has some exciting potential defensively, especially with the guys coming out of the second unit. Ideally the Pistons could trade Marvin Bagley III for another guard but that’s a pretty versatile team that has shooting and some defensive potential, but would need Miller to be good in that area right away and big improvement from Ivey in the first unit.
If the Pistons do get the third pick, this type of team is a strong possibility.