The Detroit Pistons are .500 at the midway point of the 2024-25 season, exceeding most expectations as the current 9th seed in the Eastern Conference.
Their rapid improvement may have changed Trajan Langdon’s strategy at the trade deadline, as Cade Cunningham is playing at an All-NBA level and the team has a real shot at the playoffs, as they are just 1.5 games behind the 6th seed with the standings shifting with each win or loss.
The upcoming road trip will tell us a lot about how this team can hold up under pressure without Jaden Ivey, as they have missed his secondary scoring and playmaking over the last two losses.
Any move is complicated by the fact that the Pistons owe a top-13 protected draft pick to the Minnesota Timberwolves. It’s an asset Langdon probably didn’t expect to lose this season, but with his team on the fringes of the playoffs, it is a possibility.
Here’s where the pick stands right now and what it means for the Detroit Pistons, who could find themselves in an ideal situation where they can develop players, play meaningful games and still keep their pick.
Detroit Pistons draft: Where the 2025 pick stands in January 2025
If the season were to end today, the Pistons with their .500 record would keep their pick, as it would currently be 11th.
That would give them the following odds for each pick in the top 13:
#1: 2%
#2: 2.2%
#3: 2.4%
#4: 2.8%
#11: 77.6%
#12: 12.6%
#13: .4%
The Pistons would have just shy of a 10 percent chance at landing in the top-4 of the 2025 Draft, which has some intriguing star power and plenty of depth.
They’d most likely be choosing 11th or 12th and could also potentially trade that pick on draft day (technically drafting a player and then trading his rights).
Right now, the Pistons would make the play-in with their young team but still keep their pick, which may be the needle Trajan Langdon tries to thread at the deadline, as he can get the development and improvement he wanted, but keep one of his biggest assets.
We’ll know his thought process by how he handles the trade deadline, as he could make a minor move to add some depth that could keep them in the playoff hunt without going all-in, or he could use this as an opportunity to go for it and forget about the pick.
It’s not a decision most thought the Pistons would have to make this season, but they are a team living on the fringes between the playoffs and keeping their draft pick and these upcoming weeks before the trade deadline will likely decide which direction they choose.