The Pistons can thank the lottery gods again (not at all). For the third year in a row, Detroit’s catastrophic season is rewarded with a pick… outside the Top 4 (téma la curse) since they will choose in 5. And in a draft filled with question marks, zoom in on the options that Trajan Langdon – new president of basketball operations – can study.
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Option #1: Take the best prospect available, probably a winger
For two seasons, the Pistons have selected a young talent with pick 5 (Jaden Ivey in 2022 then Ausar Thompson in 2023). Why stop now while everything is going so well ? The reconstruction process started a few years ago is still slipping, as evidenced by the record of 14 small victories in 2023-24, and accumulating additional talent does not hurt.
Depending on the selections in places 1 to 4, the franchise could bet on the greatest potential, on the player with the highest ceiling. The majority of American mock drafts often link Detroit to Matas Buzelis, the former winger of Team Ignite. In addition to a profile with potential, his game could fit perfectly into Monty Williams’ five. In case it is not available, the names of Cody Williams Or Ron Holland are also possible choices on the wing.
But we also note that many of the prospects projected around pick 5 are guards/outsides, and the front office could certainly give it a try if they imagine a good complementarity with Cade Cunningham. At this level, we must not be choosy about Stephon Castle, Reed Sheppard, Nikola Topic even Rob Dillingham in case of a big crush.
ESPN, The Athletic, Bleacher Report, & Yahoo Sports, are mocking the same player to the Detroit Pistons after yesterday’s draft lottery.
Matas Buzelis is a 6’10 forward who played for the G League Ignite.
In 26 games he averaged:
14.3 points | 6.9 rebounds | 2.1 blocks | 44.5… pic.twitter.com/aObe2hxKiU
— Aaron Johnson (@AJohnsonNBA) https://twitter.com/AJohnsonNBA/status/1789993103211794645?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
Option #2: trade-down to recover assets
In a Draft characterized by the homogeneity of the (supposed) ceilings and the uncertainty as to the order of the top 10, the Pistons could also choose to go down a few places. Especially since several teams a little further away would be tempted to move up.
According to Jonathan Givony, the Chicago Bulls – holders of pick 11 – perhaps imagine themselves breaking into the top of the Draft on June 26. If the Pistons don’t have a favorite, trading pick 5 for 11 could allow them to recover a future draft choice or another interesting player. Givony also mentions that the Bulls have more than one eye on Matas Buzelis.
In a maneuver like this, Detroit could still get away with a talent in the lottery like Ron Holland, Cody Williams, Ja’Kobe Walter Or Tidjane Salaün if one is still available in 11.
The Bulls have shown a willingness to trade up in the draft, per @DraftExpress (https://t.co/Wmn58QwIjU).
Donovan Clingan and Matas Buzelis are two potential targets to monitor for Chicago moving up from No. 11 overall. pic.twitter.com/zDFME8sM4P
— Evan Sidery (@esidery) https://twitter.com/esidery/status/1799081517987360773?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
Option #3: swap pick 5 for a more experienced player
New option, and the Chicago Bulls are back in the equation.
It may be that Trajan Langdon is happy with the core of young players in Michigan – gently, we use the conditional. Between Cade Cunningham, Jaden Ivey, Ausar Thompson, Jalen Duren and Isaiah Stewart, there are all profiles aged 23 or under – and talented – that must be developed. So, rather than adding another one if there is no favorite, the president of basketball operations could instead want one experienced profile.
The name of the Pistons came up insistently when the Chicago Bulls were looking for a buyer for Zach LaVine. While the full-back is still on the market, a deal between the two former rivals is not necessarily to be ruled out. And given the record of number 8, Detroit would not necessarily have too much to give up in history. We’re a long way from that now, but you never know.
The Bulls will attempt to trade Zach LaVine this offseason, but his market appears to be severely limited.
Only one team reportedly showed interest in LaVine at the deadline, the Pistons, but they will likely pivot with GM Troy Weaver’s future with the organization seriously in… pic.twitter.com/P1WfegyiEW
— Evan Sidery (@esidery) https://twitter.com/esidery/status/1794742969339154456?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
