The NBA Draft is almost here and Detroit Pistons fans will get a much better sense of the direction of their favorite team once the dust settles and the 58th pick is made. Right now, the Pistons pick fifth overall, but all eyes are actually on the Sacramento Kings and pick four. Who will they take? Will they trade it? Could Detroit be convinced to move up just one spot in order to grab their preferred player? Who do they prefer? So many questions. But we’ll answer some easier questions before we get to the more existential stuff.
NBA Draft Vitals
When: Thursday, June 23 at 8 p.m.
Where: Barclays Center, Brooklyn, New York
Watch: ABC, ESPN and ESPN App
Watch the DBB Live Draft Show
Members of the Detroit Bad Boys staff will be jumping onto the Motor City Hoops YouTube channel to discuss the NBA Draft in real time and probably get pretty silly while we do it. There will be some revolving guests, but most will be on hand during the entire lottery.
You can read the details here.
NBA Draft Odds
As of publication, the current odds courtesy of DraftKings have the picks falling as such: Jarbari Smith Jr. (-250), Chet Holmgren (-220), Paolo Banchero (-350), Jaden Ivey (-155) and the Pistons’ fifth pick is being treated as nearly a toss-up. Current odds are tight between Keegan Murray (+135), Jaden Ivey and Bennedict Mathurin (+175).
There has been significant movement in Mathurin’s direction in the past several days, but nobody is feeling terribly confident about what the Pistons will do. There is also some reporting to indicate that if the Kings can’t find a deal to their liking they might take their preferred player, Keegan Murray, at four and the Pistons would reportedly be happy to take Ivey at five.
What is the NBA Draft Order?
First Round
- Orlando
- Oklahoma City
- Houston
- Sacramento
- Detroit
- Indiana
- Portland
- New Orleans (from Los Angeles Lakers)
- San Antonio
- Washington
- New York
- Oklahoma City (from LA Clippers)
- Charlotte
- Cleveland
- Charlotte (from New Orleans)
- Atlanta
- Houston (from Brooklyn)
- Chicago
- Minnesota
- San Antonio (from Toronto)
- Denver
- Memphis (from Utah)
- Philadelphia
- Milwaukee
- San Antonio (from Boston)
- Dallas
- Miami
- Golden State
- Memphis
- Oklahoma City (from Phoenix)
Second Round
- 31. Indiana (from Houston via Cleveland)
- 32. Orlando
- 33. Toronto (from Detroit via San Antonio, Washington and Chicago)
- 34. Oklahoma City
- 35. Orlando (from Indiana via Milwaukee)
- 36. Portland
- 37. Sacramento
- 38. San Antonio (from Los Angeles Lakers via Chicago and Washington)
- 39. Cleveland (from San Antonio via Utah)
- 40. Minnesota (from Washington via Cleveland)
- 41. New Orleans
- 42. New York
- 43. LA Clippers
- 44. Atlanta
- 45. Charlotte
- 46. Detroit (from Brooklyn)
- 47. Memphis (from Cleveland via New Orleans and Atlanta)
- 48. Minnesota
- 49. Sacramento (from Chicago via Memphis and Detroit)
- 50. Minnesota (from Denver via Philadelphia)
- 51. Golden State (from Toronto via Philadelphia)
- 52. New Orleans (from Utah)
- 53. Boston
- — Milwaukee (forfeited)
- — Miami (from Philadelphia via Denver; forfeited by Miami)
- 54. Washington (from Dallas)
- 55. Golden State
- 56. Cleveland (from Miami via Indiana)
- 57. Portland (from Memphis via Utah)
- 58. Indiana (from Phoenix)
Will Jerami Grant Get Traded?
As good as Jerami Grant has been in Detroit, the conversation of when to sell high on him has been around for nearly his entire tenure. It appears the team is willing to move Grant for the right price, but who knows if that price is out there. Grant is likely not an attractive enough piece to attract a top-10 pick on his own, but there have been rumblings that he could be shipped in some deal with the Wizards (10th), you can never discount Oklahoma City (12th), Atlanta has been previously connected (16th), and Philadelphia is always aggressive (23rd).
As we discussed previously, the cost of trading Jerami Grant during the draft is that you don’t have him available as a piece you can use in a sign-and-trade during free agency. Considering the number of restricted free agents the Pistons have been connected to, including Deandre Ayton and Miles Bridges, you wonder if they want to keep Grant to help facilitate a deal.
How Will the Draft Impact Free Agency?
Troy Weaver says the draft will have little if any impact on what the Pistons do in free agency. But if they end up with Keegan Murray at 5, you have to imagine it only adds an extra incentive to send Grant elsewhere.
The Pistons are likely looking to add shooting, athleticism and size in the front court and back court. They have been connected to players such as Jalen Brunson, though that talk seems to have died down, Mitchell Robinson and Dennis Schröder.
What’s the Perfect Offseason Look like?
I don’t find the idea that the Pistons will be able to add Deandre Ayton to be particularly plausible even though there seems to be interest from both parties.
If that is the case, then give me Bennedict Mathurin, a Jerami Grant trade that nets Tari Eason, a free agent deal to Tyus Jones and sell some cap space to a team desperate to chase Jalen Brunson and/or Kyrie Irving in free agency and take on a bad contract for a couple of future picks.
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