The Detroit Pistons have 3 options for how to fix this mess
By Tyler Dutton
Option 2: Trade the pick and young players for proven talent
The counter to this plan would be that Detroit cannot continue to get younger. This season has proven that bad habits are beginning to form, and adding more young talent doesn’t always fix everything. To have Detroit stand somewhat pat, and simply try to use this pick to get younger and more talented would be a mistake.
The opposite of option one would be to acknowledge that Detroit has plenty of young talent, and getting younger isn’t necessarily the way to take the next step. There are steps to each rebuild, no matter the sport or organization. Sell off assets, acquire draft capital, develop young talent, add veteran stars, and then you’re ready to compete. While I’ve grossly oversimplified the process, the baseline idea is the same.
During each rebuild the organization must decide when to take the next step forward and begin to acquire proven talent. This is always a tricky decision as if you jump to this phase too quickly, you run the risk of ruining the rebuild and having to start over. Yet, as discussed in the last option, waiting too long can lead to hampering the development of young talent as well as missing their window.
Option two would likely include trading the expected number one overall pick for proven, all-star talent. Adding a veteran like that would do absolutely wonders for this locker room. If the right player or players are acquired, bad habits can be broken, a winning culture can be developed, and you begin to stack wins on top of each other.
It’s hard to say what the first overall draft pick would net you in a known weak draft class. Detroit may have to take what they can get. It should also be noted that Detroit cannot simply trade their first round pick this year. Detroit cannot trade their 2024 pick but could trade the rights to the player they draft on draft night, but not before.
Again, it’s tricky when this action needs to be taken, but Detroit fans can simply look to the Red Wings regarding this strategy. The Wings went through the teardown, acquiring draft picks, developing that young talent, and this past offseason began adding proven talent ala Alex DeBrincat, Patrick Kane, etc. For the Pistons, those players could be Lauri Markkanen, Zach LaVine, John Collins, etc. This would likely be the most successful way forward for the Pistons.