Trajan Langdon scores huge win as Pistons asset is officially locked in

After last night’s slate of games, the Detroit Pistons are officially locked into the draft swap they received from Minnesota as part of the Jaden Ivey trade. The Pistons will choose 21st, moving up seven spots from their 28th pick. 

The Ivey trade wasn’t what Pistons fans were hoping for or expecting this season, but it’s now clear that Langdon pulled the plug on that experiment at the right time, adding a rotation player in Kevin Huerter and the pick swap that the Pistons are now guaranteed to receive for a guy who isn’t even in the league. 

Some fans weren't happy with the return, especially before the Ivey flame out, but it’s now obvious that Langdon wasn’t going to do any better than a rotation player and a seven-spot jump in the draft. 

It’s not how anyone wanted the Ivey era to end in Detroit, but Langdon made the most of a bad situation and has put the Pistons in a much better position in the draft. 

The Pistons have more options with the 21st pick 

It may not be a lottery pick, but moving up to the 21st spot gives the Pistons myriad options that might not be available with the 28th pick. 

The Pistons now have a much better chance of finding an impact player, as we’ve seen the 21st pick yield All-NBA talent in recent years. It’s the spot where Tyrese Maxey was drafted, so the Pistons can get a player, possibly even one that is better than Ivey, given this is a deep draft. We've also seen Yves MIssi, Christian Braun and Grayson Allen taken in recent drafts with the 21st pick, so this is still well within the range to find an NBA player.

The 21st pick is high enough to envision the Pistons trading up if there is a player they love going a few spots ahead of them, as Detroit has a ton of extra second-round picks that could entice someone in the 15-20 range to move back. 

Rebuilding teams like Memphis and Chicago may be interested in grabbing a few extra picks and shots at talent to move back a few spots.  

This was far more unlikely with the 28th pick, as that’s close enough to the end of the round that it may as well be a second rounder, in which case teams would rather just wait and avoid the higher salary slot. 

The opposite is also true, as Detroit could be the team to move back if they can pick up an extra pick or two, so even though the 21st pick isn’t great, it offers the Pistons much more flexibility than a pick at the end of the round. 

Langdon has won just about every move on the fringes in the last two seasons, including this one, as he was able to flip a distressed asset for two pieces that will help the Pistons now and the future. 

If the Pistons are able to land a rotation player with this pick, Langdon should get a lot of credit, as he saw the vision even as fans were complaining.