Does this trade make sense for the Detroit Pistons?

If the Detroit Pistons are only set on drafting either Cade Cunningham or Jalen Green, then no, this trade does not make much sense for them because neither of those players would be on the board at 5th overall. However, obtaining the 5th, 8th and 33rd overall picks, as well as a young talent in R.J. Hampton gives the Pistons a ton of future value to play around with. 

They could easily keep all of these picks that Orlando gives them, resulting in Detroit bringing in four total new, young players to their franchise. The 5th and 8th picks in the 2021 NBA Draft are definitely valuable because while there may not be talents that can come in and immediately make a difference, a lot of the players in the 5-10 range of this year’s draft possess a ton of potential. 

Guys like Jalen Johnson, Jonathan Kuminga, Keon Johnson, Franz Wagner and even Scottie Barnes possess a lot of potential to grow into key, All-Star-like talents one day, but they are a lot more “raw” in terms of being ready to play right away like guys like Cade Cunningham and Jalen Green. 

If Detroit is willing to put in the time to develop their new talents, then this trade definitely makes sense for them because they can get two high-level, young talents instead of just one. However, the Pistons seem sold on the idea of drafting either Cunningham, Green or Mobley, which means they would need a Top-3 pick in this year’s draft. 

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Making this trade with Orlando and then possibly packaging the 5th and 8th picks together to acquire either the 2nd or 3rd overall picks from either Houston or Cleveland is an option, but again, the Pistons would really have to work to make this trade possible. 

As a result, holding onto the #1 overall pick is probably in the best interest of the Detroit Pistons. There is value to be had by trading this pick, but at the end of the day, they are not going to be able to get a player like Cunningham or Green by trading down.