The Detroit Pistons will have the 5th and 31st picks in the 2023 NBA Draft and a lot of possibilities for what to do with them.
Detroit has reportedly been “aggressively” pursuing trades for the 5th pick, and that was before they made the big splash by hiring coach Monty Williams and making him the highest paid coach in the NBA.
Does hiring Monty Williams make a trade more likely? Not necessarily, as Troy Weaver was going to explore trades either way and won’t make one unless the right deal is there for a player who can help them now, or for additional draft assets.
Today I am going to put on my GM hat and fire up the trade machine to see some of the possibilities the Pistons have when it comes to making a draft trade.
Here is a hypothetical trade with each team in the top-10 of the 2023 NBA Draft.
Detroit Pistons: Possible draft trade with every team in the top-10
#10: Dallas Mavericks
This trade with the Dallas Mavericks made a little more sense before the Monty Williams hire, as it seems less likely that the Detroit Pistons are going to want to move veterans for youth with Williams on board.
This is the type of move that could make the Pistons worse in the short term, so they’d have to absolutely love someone available at 10 and have high hopes of landing an impact free agent with some experience to replace Bojan Bogdanovic.
The Mavs are desperate and will almost certainly trade that 10th pick, and there is some argument that Bogdanovic is not a great fit with the Pistons given his lack of defense on the wing. The Mavs may want Detroit to eat more of their terrible contacts as well.
Detroit Pistons: Possible draft trade with every team in the top-10
#9: Utah Jazz
This is another move that might have made more sense before Williams, but this seems more likely given that Detroit is not giving up one of their veteran players in the process.
Utah has three picks in the first round, so it makes sense for them to try and move up, especially if they are enamored with someone in the 5th spot.
This only makes sense for the Pistons if they have a player at nine who they like as much or more than anyone they could take at five. If they think there is a massive drop off in talent, then it would be smart to just take a player with the 5th pick.
But if they don’t perceive that drop off, adding two players is better than one and could allow the Detroit Pistons to get a two-way wing like Taylor Hendricks as well as a scorer like Jordan Hawkins.
Detroit Pistons: Possible draft trade with every team in the top-10
#8: Washington Wizards
The last two trades were fairly pedestrian, but this one would make a big splash and potentially land the Pistons the unicorn they missed out on when they dropped to the 5th pick.
This one is complicated for several reasons. The first is that Porzingis has a player option and could decline it and just become a free agent, in which case the Detroit Pistons could get him for nothing more than money.
But it seems unlikely that the Wizards will just let him walk, so they could sign him to a max extension and then trade him, but would this deal move them? It’s not an all-in on a rebuild but gives them two top-10 picks in this draft plus a guy in Bogdanovic who can at least replace Porzingis’ shooting.
I can only see the Wizards doing something like this if they think Porzingis is going to opt out, and that they may possibly lose Kyle Kuzma as well, leaving them not much but Bradley Beal, in which case, it may be time to finally blow it up in DC.
Detroit Pistons: Possible draft trade with every team in the top-10
#7: Indiana Pacers
It’s hard to see much trade opportunity here, as both of these teams are in similar phases of their rebuilds and both need the same thing: Help on the wing. But the Pacers do have two picks in the first round of the draft, so it’s possible they could look to move back and pick up a future asset.
It may cost the Detroit Pistons more than a future second rounder to move up five spots in the 2023 NBA Draft, but if there is a prospect there that they really love, it might be worth it.
There are a number of similarly ranked players in that range, but if the Pistons have a guy high on their big board who drops, it might be worth moving up.
Detroit Pistons: Possible draft trade with every team in the top-10
#6: Orlando Magic
The Magic are another team that is unlikely to deal with the Pistons, as they are both teams on the come up and could prefer veteran additions to more rookies. But I’ll give it a shot.
In this scenario, the Magic give up two lottery picks to move up one spot in the draft and grab veteran shooter Alec Burks in the process.
This really only works if the Pistons think they can still get the guy they want at six and if the Magic think it would be worth moving up a spot to get their guy. It also allows the Magic to add a veteran shooter, which they need, and still keep a top pick.
Detroit Pistons: Possible draft trade with every team in the top-10
#4: Houston Rockets
Rockets are yet another team that the Detroit Pistons would be unlikely to trade with, though there might be some possibility if Detroit was willing to throw in the right player.
Houston does need an upgrade at backup point guard, so would a deal like this entice them to move back one spot?
This may not be worth it for the Pistons unless they know the Rockets are going to draft the guy they really want one spot before they can. Moving back one spot wouldn’t affect the Rockets that much, though Hayes may not be enough incentive to do it.
Detroit Pistons: Possible draft trade with every team in the top-10
#3: Portland Trail Blazers
The Trail Blazers seem like the team most likely to trade their pick, as they are trying to build a winner right now around Damian Lillard. This trade probably seems lopsided for the Pistons (it definitely is) but bear with me.
This would only be feasible if the Trail Blazers thought they were going to lose Grant for nothing. In this trade, they sign and trade Grant for Bogdanovic, which will save them around $10 million in cap space.
They also get the #5 pick, the #31 pick and a future first from the Pistons right around the time when Damian Lillard will be long gone and they will be in rebuilding mode.
The Pistons move up two spots for a chance to draft Brandon Miller or Scoot Henderson while also picking up the two-way forward they desperately need.
Hard to see Portland doing something like this given their desire to win now, as Bojan isn’t as good as Grant, but if they plan to blow it up (also possible) and trade Damian Lillard too, then a trade like this makes more sense, as it nets them draft assets.
The truth is that Portland will probably trade this pick in a package for a star and it won’t be with the Detroit Pistons.
Detroit Pistons: Possible draft trade with every team in the top-10
#2: Charlotte Hornets
This is another team that isn’t a great trade partner for the Detroit Pistons, as they are the two worst teams in the Eastern Conference and in similar places in their respective rebuilds.
The Hornets are reportedly enamored with Brandon Miller, so it is hard to see them trading their pick unless there were significant assets attached.
Hard to see the Hornets not laughing at this and hanging up the phone, as I doubt they’d want to spend most of their available cap space on a 34-year-old and Killian Hayes. But both of those players could help Charlotte, who would still have the 5th pick to add another wing player.
The Detroit Pistons would only do this if they saw Brandon Miller as the wing of the future and worth giving up a valuable veteran to get him. Can’t see the Hornets saying yes to this, and the Pistons may not think Miller is much better than the wing they can get with the 5th pick.
Detroit Pistons: Possible draft trade with every team in the top-10
#1: San Antonio Spurs
I was going to try and come up with a blockbuster involving the #1 pick, but the likelihood of the Spurs trading that pick is less than zero. I don’t know if there is a trade out there for the #1 pick, even if Giannis or Luka were on the table.
I saw this trade proposed by James Edwards III, and I don’t love it, but it does make some sense for both teams.
Keldon Johnson would give the Pistons immediate help on the wing, as he is a 22 point per game scorer. But is he worth the 5th pick? Not by himself, no. But if the Spurs were to throw in a future pick, the one they are owed from Toronto, it may be worth the gamble for Detroit.
The Pistons owe the Knicks a future first rounder and they will be hampered from making trades until it conveys. This would give them a valuable trade chip if they wanted to make additional moves. It’s also possible that pick will be a high one, especially if the Raptors blow it up this summer as some expect.
Given Toronto’s history, it’s more likely that pick would be at the end of the lottery or just outside it, but still might be worth it for Detroit.
I don’t love Johnson, but he did shoot nearly 40 percent from 3-point range in his third season when he was a lower usage player, as he would be on Detroit. He could be better than any of the wings they could get at five and is locked into an okay deal. I wouldn’t call it team friendly but it’s not far off.
Of course, the Pistons could just draft a guy there who is as good as Johnson and on a rookie deal. In the end, I can’t see this happening, as Johnson is just not good enough to move the needle.