The 2023 NBA Draft is nearly upon us and the Detroit Pistons are likely to be busy.
Because of their combination of cap space and the 5th pick in the draft, Detroit has seemingly been at the nexus of just about every trade report, whether as an active player, or as a third team providing a landing spot for a contract in exchange for assets.
We’ve seen trade proposals with the Pistons taking on a proven player in exchange for the pick and we’ve seen ones where they move back in the draft to acquire more assets.
Could the Detroit Pistons move up in the 2023 NBA Draft?
We’ve not seen many trade proposals where Detroit actually moves up in the 2023 NBA Draft and for good reason, we know that the Spurs aren’t trading the #1 pick and Detroit may not have enough to move up to 2nd or 3rd, and may not desire to anyway depending on the cost.
Scoot Henderson is not a great fit with what Detroit already has, so trading up to 2nd seems unlikely unless Detroit has someone else in mind that they don’t think will fall to 5th.
Portland has the 3rd pick and will be looking for a star player in return if they move it, which would seem to leave Detroit out. Houston is unlikely to trade their pick, so would there really be a way for Detroit to move up?
One publication thinks so.