The Detroit Pistons are inexplicably win-now mode.
Despite not tanking hard towards the end of 2017 for better draft position, the Pistons still missed the postseason, and were a virtual non-threat all year long.
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Surely this would mean the Pistons would use the 12th pick in the loaded 2017 NBA Draft class to add the next core piece for the future, so that they can build around the young talent they already have.
Noooooooope.
NBA Draft scuttle: Hearing Detroit is open to discussing trades for its No. 12 overall pick in hopes of acquiring more of a win-now veteran.
— Marc Stein (@TheSteinLine) May 30, 2017
According to ESPN’s Marc Stein, the Pistons are looking to acquire a win-now veteran in exchange for the No. 12 overall pick in this year’s draft.
There is still a lot of mystery around why the Pistons went 37-45 in 2016-17 just a year after going 44-38 and claiming their first playoff spot in seven years. Despite being swept by the Cleveland Cavaliers in the 2016 playoffs, their competitive first-round series with the eventual champions led people to believe they would be a team that could compete for a top-four spot in the Eastern Conference.
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Apparently, Pistons head coach and President Stan Van Gundy feels as though a lot of the teams struggles last year had to deal with point guard Reggie Jackson being injured, and the team is closer to what they showed in 2016 than what they did in 2017.
Jackson and center Andre Drummond are still the centerpieces of the team, but both are still young. If Van Gundy feels like a veteran presence is what this team needs to win, he does have a few interesting options on the table.
Some players expected to be dealt this off-season are Carmelo Anthony, Brook Lopez, Jimmy Butler, Ricky Rubio, Eric Bledsoe, and Marvin Williams just to name a few. Some of those names are more interesting than others, and some would take way more than just the 12th pick in the draft. *cough* Jimmy Butler* cough
