Pistons quietly preserved multiple paths to a breakthrough

The Detroit Pistons didn’t make any league shattering trades this offseason, but they didn’t do anything stupid and maintained control of all of their future draft picks. 

Detroit controls its own first-round draft picks for the next seven seasons and beyond and has accumulated 12 second-round picks in that time. 

Not many teams around the league have control over all their own picks, though there are a few who have more selections overall after acquiring them in trades. 

It has given Detroit multiple ways to get the star they need, whether it’s though trades or even the more unlikely route of the draft. 

Pistons trades and the new draft lottery system 

No one can really predict how the new draft lottery rules are going to affect how teams do business, but for now, the unknown has made those picks more valuable. 

On one hand, you could say that the Pistons expect to be good for the foreseeable future, so those picks won’t be that valuable. 

But the new lottery rules have changed that, as it’s given much more favorable odds to the teams in the middle, which theoretically makes Detroit’s picks more valuable, as there is a chance they could slide for one reason or another and end up with a top pick. 

Teams in the 8-10 range will now have better or equal lottery odds to those at the very bottom, so there’s at least a chance of a more favorable outcome than there was in the past. 

If Detroit is going to land a star over the next year, they will need draft picks to do it, and now those picks do look more appealing even though Detroit is once again expected to be a playoff team. 

The random chance of a number one pick 

There is also a scenario that we don’t really want to talk about, but that is a distinct possibility for a team like the Pistons. 

Let’s say for whatever reason, the Pistons happen to slide one year and end up in the play-in game. Maybe they had some early season injuries, or Cade Cunningham had to miss some time, or everyone else just got better that year. 

There is a world in which Detroit could be an 8-10 seed, make the playoffs, and still end up with the number one pick in the draft. Being in that spot was a death sentence for a franchise in the past, but now, it’s a legit path to a top pick. 

No one wants the Pistons to slide, but an off season now offers another pathway to a great player and potentially breakthrough. 

Detroit was smart to keep some powder dry and not throw around their picks in iffy trades, as they are even more valuable now and offer multiple paths to star players, even for good teams. 

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