The Detroit Pistons currently boast the seventh overall pick in the 2020 NBA Draft slated to be held virtually later in November. In no way does this mean that general manager Troy Weaver is going to stay at seven. Why? The downtrodden organization is apparently interested in trading up for stud guard LaMelo Ball.
ESPN’s Eric Woodyard focused on this detail with two weeks remaining until the annual NBA Draft. He had an interesting note.
Detroit Pistons rumors: Team looking to trade up for LaMelo Ball?
“One possible target has been training in the team’s backyard throughout the pandemic: top prospect LaMelo Ball — whose mentor and manager, Jermaine Jackson Sr., is a former Piston and Motown native,” the NBA insider noted.
For his part, Weaver has also made it clear that the Pistons could look to trade up from the seventh pick in the NBA Draft. “Moving up is definitely an option,” the general manager said. This obviously won’t quiet any Pistons-related rumors around the Association’s water cooler in the coming days.
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2020 NBA Draft: What’s the plan for the Detroit Pistons?
As of right now, rumors suggest that Ball could be falling down the draft board due to less-than-stellar interviews with teams. If that is indeed the case, these Detroit Pistons likely wouldn’t have to move up too far. Remember, Ball was seen as a potential top-three lock just a couple weeks ago.
Rumors on this front exist within a very narrow backdrop. Selecting No. 1 overall, the Minnesota Timberwolves are said to be looking to trade down. The same thing can be said for the Golden State Warriors with the second pick.
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That latter option is intriguing in that the Warriors have been linked to injury-plagued Detroit Pistons forward Blake Griffin in rumors recently. A trade up from the seventh spot to secure Ball while moving on from Griffin’s bloated contract could make sense for the Pistons right now. Remember, Golden State has that $17-plus million trade exception stemming from the Andre Iguodala trade. That would obviously come in handy here.
As it stands, the Detroit Pistons have to start anew with a rebuild. If that means trading the old guard (Griffin) while attempting to build around Ball, then so be it.