It is not a dream.
Our Detroit Pistons did win the 2021 NBA Draft Lottery and they do have the No. 1 overall pick in the 2021 NBA Draft, which means that in less than a month, they will select Cade Cunningham out of Oklahoma State and he will eventually lead us to an NBA Championship, right?
Well, according to a report from ESPN, Pistons GM Troy Weaver is not locked into selecting Cunningham No. 1 overall.
From ESPN:
Cunningham is not any kind of lock at No. 1 from everything I've gathered. Detroit is continuing to conduct due diligence on a group that also includes Jalen Green and especially Evan Mobley, while also exploring several trade opportunities that have emerged.
Troy Weaver, Detroit's general manager and head decision-maker, has done quite a bit of work on the top of this class, sources say, spending a week in the G League bubble in February scouting Green, Jonathan Kuminga and the Ignite program and then crisscrossing the country in March to take in the WCC tournament championship (where Jalen Suggs had a signature performance), two Pac-12 tournament games (during which Mobley had arguably his best two games of the season) and the Big 12 quarterfinals, where Cunningham had a relatively pedestrian game by his standpoint, going 6-of-15 from the field with six turnovers.
That's what NBA teams tell me they are hearing coming out of Detroit's front office. But would the Pistons really pass on Cunningham if the draft were tonight? I still think the answer is no. I would put Cunningham as the overwhelming favorite to end up in Detroit at that spot still, which, by the way, I've been told he would be very excited about. The recent buzz about other options can be chalked up to a second-year GM doing his homework and trying to make sure he leaves no stone unturned with what might end up being the most valuable pick he ever has in his career.
Folks, there is going to be a lot of noise heading up to the draft but personally, I would be shocked (and very upset) if the Pistons passed on Cunningham.
