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Report: Pistons to trade first-round pick for a veteran

Despite finishing eight games under .500 and missing out on the playoffs, the Detroit Pistons seem to feel they are close to making noise back east.

This can’t be considered too much of a surprise with the raw talent Detroit boasts on its roster. That’s why the 2016-17 campaign was seen as a disappointment for Stan Van Gundy’s team.

Now, with the draft set to take place in June, the Pistons themselves are looking to add to their veteran core instead of drafting a youngster for the future.

Normally, a low-end lottery pick would not net a significant return. That has to be considered an exception to the rule in a 2017 NBA Draft class that appears to be absolutely stacked.

The larger issue here is what Detroit plans on doing with its current core pieces. After choosing Andre Drummond over Greg Monroe, the former has failed to step up into a lead scoring role. Drummond averaged just 13.6 points per game this past regular season. Meanwhile, high-priced guard Reggie Jackson fell into Van Gundy’s doghouse throughout the season.

It is certainly possible that one of those guys could be moved with the 12th pick for a franchise cornerstone type player. That obviously remains to be seen. But the Pistons are one of those teams we should be paying extra attention to heading into the draft.

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