Edwards did a bit of a mock draft piece today and seems to think Whitmore and Walker are the top 2 on the board after Wembanyama, Miller and Scoot. He also reiterated in a mailbag article the other day that we're going to chase Cam Johnson and Jerami Grant with our cap space. I need Lillard to stay in Portland so Grant sticks with him.
Recap with a bunch of quotes from Edwards on basically everything about the team going forward if anyone is interested. For all of his annoying flaws, he seems to be very plugged in on what they're doing. The Stewart stuff is annoying for me and I have a hard time understanding how Stewart is basically untouchable while we're also taking a forward at 5, keeping Bojan and chasing Grant with Wiseman, Bagley and Duren on the roster. I get that they love Stewart, but that makes no sense.
I don't like being ten days from the draft and not having a clear cut guy I want us to take. I'd like to be very excited on draft night or have a meltdown. Seems like we're headed toward a shoulder shrug reaction, though I thought the lions were in a similar position and......woof!
Wonder how off a Orlando trade of 6/11 for 5 31 and either bogey or burka is also I’d be down trading with Indiana for 7 and one of their 1 rounders to satisfy the one we owe
Rumor is Orlando would be trading up for Amen. If Harden signs with Houston then the odds increase that they take a wing like Whitmore, otherwise Amen would make the most sense for them at #4. Another rumor is that the Pelicans are looking to trade up into the top 3 to get Scoot and could include Zion or Ingram. Dropping out of the top 3 picks really screwed this team.
From ESPN Whitmore is getting looks at No. 4 with Houston, but many around the league believe Detroit is a natural landing spot for him considering the Pistons' roster and the significant upside he offers. Whitmore is working out for teams across the top 10 -- including Portland, Houston, Detroit, Orlando, Indiana and Utah -- and making a strong impression with his shooting and explosiveness. His workout in Detroit on Monday gave him an opportunity to show the Pistons brass an opportunity to envision how he would fit in a backcourt with Cade Cunningham and Jaden Ivey. Some trade scenarios could be in play for the Pistons with the No. 31 pick as well, for example, packaging Bojan Bogdanovic for Tim Hardaway Jr. and the No. 10 pick, sources tell ESPN. -- Givony
lol they just took that one sentence from the ESPN mock draft and are reporting it like it's an actual rumor
Weaver will trade Stewart for a future 2nd then use #5 to draft essentially the same player in Walker
This is why I can’t get on board with Jarace, even though he seems like the right choice. Im totally on board with Weaver loving Stewart, but he seems to keep putting road blocks in the way of his development.
Stewart is a good role player, but that’s about it. I don’t get the obsession with him. And if all those teams loved him leading up to the draft, he wouldn’t have slipped to 16. I think Whitmore needs to be the pick at 5, and just hope he turns into a decent player.
That's sort of why I want to keep him though. I don't think he'll ever command a huge contract, but can be an awesome role player in a playoff series. My fear with bigs is always that they'll fall in that range where they're good, but not Embiid or Jokic, so they end up getting paid a ton, but don't add the value of wings at the same price. Couldn't agree more. That's just team propaganda.
3dwards While Detroit must react to the Rockets’ decision at No. 4, I’m hearing the Pistons will be strongly considering five prospects with their selection if they stay put at No. 5: Amen and Ausar Thompson (Overtime Elite), Cam Whitmore (Villanova), Jarace Walker (Houston) and Taylor Hendricks (Central Florida). All five of those prospects have worked out with Detroit over the last two weeks, according to multiple league sources who agreed to provide background while not being authorized to speak publicly. Hendricks, in particular, impressed in front of Pistons executives and coaches, most notably with his shooting. The 6-foot-9 forward, has the potential to be an impactful 3-and-D wing for the Pistons immediately upon arriving in the Motor City, assuming he ends up being the pick. There’s room to grow into something more, too, if he can improve his ballhandling and decision-making. The 19-year-old forward with a 7-foot-1 wingspan can defend multiple positions, as well, due to his ability to slide his feet. Ausar Thompson also has some big supporters in the Pistons’ front office, according to those league sources, and very well could be who Detroit takes in Thursday’s draft. The 20-year-old Ausar is more of a wing than his brother, but both are supreme athletes with good size. In his 2023 NBA Draft Guide, colleague Sam Vecenie wrote that Ausar Thompson reminds him most of Andre Iguodala. I couldn’t agree more. The potential Ausar Thompson has a secondary or tertiary creator for others really drives that home, as do his physical gifts, finishing ability and questionable jump shooting. It’s not a given, though, that the Pistons will select at No. 5. “If it’s going to help us move forward, we’ll entertain anything,” general manager Troy Weaver said back in April. “We’re excited about this draft pool, but we’ll try to move the team forward any way we can.” Outside of No. 1, all of the picks in the top 5 could be up for grabs. I think it’s more likely that the Pistons trade back than use No. 5 to acquire a veteran player via trade, but it does sound like all options are still on the table ahead of Thursday’s draft.
The one good thing about all the prospects thought to be in our range is that they all seem to be decent on defense. It seems to be anywhere from should be at least an average defender to this could be a real strength
You guys okay giving Johnson 4/$110 mil? Would rather have him than Grant. probably best we’d be able to get anyways in free agency.
I could talk myself into that for Cam before I could for Grant. Would still prefer we just took on $$ via trade than FA.
Stein also mentioned that we're believed to be pursuing Cam Johnson this summer. I don't understand how you have that mentality, plan to take a 3 or 4 with the 5th pick, and also won't discuss Isaiah Stewart for any trades. If that's what we're doing, we need to be looking to dump at least one (ideally both) of Bagley and Wiseman.
I believe the thought would be to draft/sign the most amount of young or young ish talent possible and let it shake out organically. Who cares about fit on a 20 win team? If Bagley or Wiseman can’t get into the rotation fuck em.
I've been all over the place, but at this moment... Whitmore Ausar Thompson Amen Thompson Black Hendricks Walker Walker would be higher (probably 4th) if we traded Stewart, but that doesn't seem like it will happen. There's not a huge difference for me between 1 and 6 in terms of players, though. I could be fine with any of them. I still have Black 5th, but I don't think he's even on our board so I could probably just take him out.
I still go back and forth on the Thompsons. I'll absolutely talk myself into us picking one of them, but they're such wild cards and I have no clue how they would fit around the guys we have. Pretty much every deep dive I've seen where you get anonymous scout quotes when talking about them is basically "What the fuck is Overtime Elite? That shit is a joke."
Amen seems like the better player, but Auser seems like a better fit. I don’t really understand the appeal of Amen here unless we are trading Ivey. Maybe we end up making some crazy moves to get both Amen and Auser? Sounds awful but hey, let’s get our own Sedin twins.