The Pistons May Trade Draft Pick For An Established Star
The Pistons are in a tough spot with the 12th pick in the 2017 NBA Draft, so they are considering flipping it instead.
Detroit has the misfortune of being outside of the playoffs, but not inside the top five, or even top 10 draft picks this year. This is a problem for a team that has struggled to return to the greatness that fans in Michigan have come to expect.
Last year the Pistons were in a similar situation, picking at 18, when they took Henry Ellenson. A big man with a lot of promise, but unproven in the NBA. It's still too early to decide if the pick was a bust, but Ellenson definitely didn't help the team win his first year.
So here we are almost a year later, and the Pistons find themselves in the same boat.
Not good enough to make the playoffs, and take time to develop young players . . . but not terrible enough to increase their chances at a top 3 pick.
So many NBA experts are speculating that the Pistons are open to trading the 12th overall pick to find an established player on the market.
Trading also poses a problem though since Detroit would most likely have to package a player with the pick. Not to mention the fact that there aren't a ton of great players available for what the Pistons have to offer right now.
The Draft happens June 22nd, so hopefully we'll have a better idea of what VanGundy and the Pistons have in mind before then.