For more than half a decade, the NBA Draft was dangled in front of fans of the Detroit Pistons like a dirt farmer tempting a donkey with a carrot. It was the only hope we had.
Egregious tanking did lead to #1 pick Cade Cunningham and a string of #5 picks that turned into Jaden Ivey, Ausar Thompson and Ron Holland II.
Those days are hopefully over forever now that the Pistons have the core of their team set and can focus on banking wins instead of boosting their lottery odds.
Even after all of that purposeful losing, the Pistons miraculously didn’t add surplus draft picks but still owe one to the Timberwolves as part of the trade up for Isaiah Stewart. It has been passed from the Rockets through the Thunder and Knicks before landing in Minnesota’s lap as part of the Karl Anthony-Towns trade.
Entering the season, I wasn’t sure if that pick was ever going to convey as a first rounder, as it is top-13 protected and in 2027 would turn into a second-round pick if it hadn’t already been collected.
There was/is a large swath of fans that wanted just one more tank job to set the team up with a decent pick in a loaded draft, a sentiment that has all but disappeared now that the Pistons are sitting in the 6th seed with a chance at the playoffs.
Don’t get me wrong, I still hear from people who wanted the Pistons to trade all of their veterans at the deadline to increase the chances of keeping their pick, but they are a small group now and those of us who enjoy watching basketball couldn’t be happier.
With a tough remaining schedule, there is still a chance the Pistons will end up in the 2025 NBA Draft, but that possibility is getting slimmer by the day.
Detroit Pistons draft: Where the pick stands at the All-Star break
If the draft were held today, the Detroit Pistons would not have a pick in the first round, as it would convey to the Timberwolves as the 18th selection.
The Pistons would have to be overtaken by the Kings, Warriors, Hawks and Magic to get back to the 13th pick, which is certainly possible considering they are all close together in the standings.
They do still have a pending pick in the 2nd round that has so many protections and stipulations attached that I honestly can’t make sense of where it might fall, so we’ll have to wait until the end of the season to see where it lands.
Why losing the pick is a good thing
Fans who are into the draft might be disappointed that the Pistons many not be a part of it after this season, but it is ultimately a good thing for the team.
It not only means they were good enough to stay out of the lottery, but it will open up the possibility of bigger trades, as they will then have access to all of their future picks starting in 2027.
Trajan Langdon doesn’t seem like the type to throw away draft picks, but if he wants to make an impact trade next summer, having picks at his disposal will be paramount.
There is also a chance Langdon will find a way to use his surplus of 2nd-round picks to trade up in the 2025 draft, a possibility that became more likely when he banked two more at the trade deadline.