A day after the Pistons plunged from No. 1 to No. 5 in the draft lottery, Mike Valenti feels your pain: "It's more sadness than anger. Because that ends any hope of a future you have." Best case scenario, says Valenti, "This rebuild just got extended by at least three years."
GM Troy Weaver will have to get creative on the trade market to enhance the Pistons' roster this summer. Similar to the Kings trading former lottery pick Tyrese Haliburton two years ago to acquire Domantas Sabonis, who helped end Sacramento's 17-year playoff drought this season, Valenti says "you may have to trade one of your prized backcourt guards:"
"I don’t know a way out. Everything has to be on the table for this franchise, everything. You have three pieces that other people might be interested in: Cade, Ivey, Duren. They have to be at least discussed. The No. 5 pick has to be discussed. Taking on a terrible contract has to be discussed."
Here's the problem on the trade market: the most realistic targets aren't all that appealing. Valenti lists four players "you could hope to get" in a trade involving the fifth overall pick:
"Jordan Poole, who’s just starting a four-year $128 million contract and is largely cancerous. Deandre Ayton, who re-signed with the Suns and we’re back to last summer, three years and $102 million left on that deal. How about Zach LaVine? DeMar DeRozan wants to kill him. Four years, $176 million left on his deal. ... Ben Simmons, two years, $77 million if you wanna go down that deja vu. These are all the players that will be on the market," says Valenti.
LaVine is probably the most appealing of the bunch, a two-time All-Star who's scored 25.4 points per game and shot about 39 percent from three over the last three seasons with the Bulls.
Here's the other problem: free agency isn't much better. Valenti says "the one player that would make sense" for the Pistons comes with three issues: Cam Johnson of the Nets.
"One, I don’t know if he wants your money; two, he’s a restricted free agent, so the Nets can match; and three, you gotta be willing to pay four years, $100 million for a guy who’s alright. And let’s say you do it. Does that really move the needle?"
Johnson, who could fill the Pistons' need on the wing, averaged a career-high 16.6 points and shot 40 percent from three last season.
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