Detroit — Since the regular season ended last month — and even before that for most of the teams not in the playoffs — the object of the affection of general managers around the league has been the No. 1 pick in the draft.
Even while the season was still going on, many team front-office members were envisioning what Cade Cunningham, the presumptive No. 1 pick, would look like in their jersey. The Pistons slogged through a 20-52 season and after getting some lottery luck on Tuesday, they got the No. 1 pick in the July 29 draft.
The Pistons were tied for the best odds of getting the No.1 pick, but given their history of never moving up with their own pick in 14 lottery appearances, there wasn’t a lot of optimism they’d get the top prize.
“We prepared for the worst and hoped for the best. We were fortunate enough to come out with No. 1 pick, and we’ll take it,” general manager Troy Weaver said Wednesday morning on the “Stoney and Jansen Show” on 97.1 FM. “I had a good feeling about things going in. I didn’t know quite this good at No. 1, but I had a pretty good feeling that we would land in the top five.”
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Cunningham, a versatile 6-foot-8 talent who can play point guard or either wing position, should be the No. 1 pick, but Weaver insists his staff will continue their due diligence and evaluate the top prospects as they would have before the lottery. Getting the first pick gives them the luxury of taking the player they want, but they’re not completely locked into just one player.
Weaver likes what Cunningham can add and with a 20-win team, the Pistons need more than just the No. 1 pick to turn their fortunes. In Weaver’s rebuild, it’ll take a few more pieces, and Cunningham’s strengths will give things a kick-start.
“(His strength is) versatility as a player. Off the floor, it’s his leadership abilities and he brings a winning attitude. So, there’s a lot to like about what he brings to the table,” Weaver said. “We’ll continue to evaluate the top of the draft and explore every option that’s out there. We’ll have to continue to do our work and prepare for the 29th,” Weaver said.
With all the excitement surrounding getting the No. 1 pick for the first time since 1970, when they drafted Hall of Fame center Bob Lanier, Weaver says they’ll continue to look at all the options at the top of the draft, and that trading the pick also is an option. It’s unclear what a potential trade package would include, but it likely would entail trading down a couple of spots and getting a bounty of assets in addition.
rod.beard@detroitnews.com
Twitter: @detnewsRodBeard