Ranking 5 possible draft trades for the Detroit Pistons

Ranking 5 possible draft trades for the Detroit Pistons

#1: Swinging for the fences

This one was suggested by ESPN, and is probably the most polarizing one on the list, but to me, it’s a no-brainer for the Detroit Pistons, one that could land them a superstar.

Is there risk involved? Of course. But when you are the Pistons and superstar players are hard to come by, you have to take a risk to get the big reward.

First off, I don’t think Charlotte would do this, as they aren’t getting enough for the rights to draft Scoot Henderson. The Pelicans and perhaps the Pistons, would have to add another young player to this to make it work for the Hornets. The Pelicans also have a ton of future draft picks that they could attach if the Hornets didn’t want to take on additional salary.

There are growing rumblings that New Orleans might actually trade Zion, and if so, they might be able to do better than this, though they are getting Scoot Henderson plus two players who can help them now.

As for the Detroit Pistons, I know a lot of fans would not be into this at all. Zion Williamson has not been reliable and has only played 114 games in four seasons. He will be entering the first year of a max extension starting next season. However, there are some out clauses built into it, so it’s not as big a risk as you might think, as Williamson’s contract is not fully guaranteed. He has huge motivation financially to play in as many games as possible or risk losing a big chunk of his deal.

He’s a risk, but one worth giving up this price to take, as Bojan Bogdanovic is likely to be finished in Detroit after this season, Stewart is good but ultimately a role player, and there is no one that the Pistons can take with the 5th pick who has the upside of Zion Williamson, who happens to still be 22-years-old.

His career has started similarly to Joel Embiid, who also couldn’t stay on the court, but who has figured it out and just won the MVP. Zion is that level of talent when healthy, so yes, it’s a massive risk, but if you can do it without giving up Cunningham, Ivey or Duren, it’s an absolute no brainer.

It would give Detroit two former #1 picks, which is the exact outcome they wanted when tanking for all of these years, and they would still have money left over to sign another impact player (who would also give them some Zion insurance).

If you are the Pistons, this move fills your coffers with money, as Zion is a legit draw and seat filler. It would bring huge excitement and attention to Detroit and remove the ceiling on what this young team can be.