After landing the No. 1 overall pick in the 2021 NBA Draft, Lady Luck was not on the side of the Detroit Pistons this year. The Pistons fell two spots during the NBA Draft Lottery, as they will now be selecting fifth overall.
While they will still be able to land a highly rated prospect, they will be at the mercy of the draft board. They will have to be ready for numerous scenarios as it is truly anyone’s guess what will go on with the No. 4 overall pick before them.
Right now, that selection is held by the Sacramento Kings, who were one of the biggest winners of the draft lottery. What they decide to do with that selection will have a trickle-down effect, as numerous teams have been linked to them looking to move up and acquire the No. 4 overall pick.
Detroit could be active themselves on the trade market as they have one of the most desirable trade chips in the league with Jerami Grant. That would make someone such as Keegan Murray out of Iowa a solid selection for them as he could slide right into Grant’s spot should a trade be made.
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However, it seems as if the Detroit Pistons would prefer landing Purdue guard Jaden Ivey. According to Jake Fischer of Bleacher Report, Detroit is projecting a strong confidence that they will be able to land Ivey with the fifth pick as long as the Kings don’t trade No. 4 to someone targeting him.
Two of the teams that have been mentioned as suitors for Jaden Ivey are the Washington Wizards and New York Knicks. Detroit should hope that the Sacramento Kings asking price remains very high and that no deal is completed, as they expect Murray to be the fourth player selected as long as nothing crazy happens within the top three.
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Right now Auburn’s Jabari Smith Jr., Gonzaga’s Chet Holmgren, and Duke’s Paolo Banchero are expected to be the first three picks in the draft.