Detroit Pistons mailbag: Should they draft Donovan Clingan when they have Jalen Duren?
CHICAGO — The Detroit Pistons were one of the NBA's most-unsettled teams during the NBA draft combine in Chicago, which began a day after the lottery on Monday. They have a top-five pick and are a month into their search for a head of basketball operations, who'll be tasked with fixing a rebuild that hasn't just stagnated, but collapsed altogether.
In this mailbag, we'll take a look at what the Pistons should do with the fifth-overall pick and their asset collection compared to the rest of the NBA.
What is the ideal scenario with the 5th pick? Trade for instant impact player? Draft BPA? Or trade back for more assets? — @VictorN64864221
I’m not sure if there’s a singular ideal scenario with the fifth pick. Trade it for an instant impact player? Sure. Keep it and take the highest player on their board? Might as well. Trade back for more assets? They would benefit from it.
When you’re a 14-win team, you just need to get better. It’s less about the route you take, and more about making sure that route actually does more good than harm. My sense is that the Pistons aren’t thrilled about adding yet another young player to their young roster.
MORE FROM SANKOFA: Why Pistons may be better off trading fifth pick in lackluster NBA draft class
It’s ultimately up to the new head of basketball operations, but it wouldn’t surprise me to see them trade out of the first round altogether for a veteran who will lift the team’s floor. Six of their eight first-round picks under Troy Weaver — Isaiah Stewart, Cade Cunningham, Jaden Ivey, Jalen Duren, Ausar Thompson and Marcus Sasser — remain on the roster. There may not be room for a seventh.
Stewart has already signed an extension, and Cunningham seems likely to sign his rookie max extension this summer. Ivey and Duren will be extension-eligible next summer. The Pistons are now at the stage where they’re figuring out which players they should commit to financially. They can’t keep everyone, and adding another rookie to the group doesn’t solve any of their present problems.
They need to surround Cunningham with talent and prove to their first overall pick that they’re not only committed to winning, but are capable of building a winning team. The quickest path for them is likely consolidating some of their young players, along with their fifth overall pick, to pursue players who can help them win now.
How do the pistons compare to other teams looking to make trades in terms of assets and draft capital? Should we temper expectations more? — @Stan4Burks
Because the Pistons still owe a future first-round pick to the New York Knicks that’s protected through 2027 and are thus limited by the NBA’s Stepien Rule, their asset pool is weaker than many other teams who are scouring the trade market. They can’t trade any near-future firsts until that pick conveys, meaning they will likely have to sweeten any offers with some of their young players to close that gap.
The Houston Rockets, Utah Jazz, Portland Trail Blazers and Oklahoma City Thunder are among the teams with a surplus of first-rounders that can be dangled. The Pistons could still offer multiple firsts by attaching their 2029 or 2030 first-rounders to their 2024 pick, but a team coming off of a 14-win season probably shouldn’t be in the business of sacrificing more future draft capital.
Detroit does lead the NBA in salary cap space (roughly $64 million) but there are teams such as the Philadelphia 76ers who have cap space and multiple future firsts. It’s always good to temper expectations. The Pistons will be involved in the trade market but their draft pick situation limits what they can offer compared to the rest of the league.
How much would you offer Tobias Harris? — @bigdogpistons1
The 31-year-old former Pistons forward has been connected to his former franchise as he enters unrestricted free agency. He averaged 17.2 points, 6.5 rebounds and 3.1 assists on 48.7% overall shooting and 35.3% shooting from 3. Is he the sexiest name on the market? No. But he would’ve been one of Detroit’s two best players on their opening-night roster last season. He’d be a worthwhile addition.
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Harris’ new deal will be much less than the five-year, $180 million max deal he signed in 2019. He turns 32 in July, and I can’t imagine the Pistons will want to offer a longer deal than necessary. Something in the neighborhood of three-years, $60 million with a team option in Year 3 might work for both sides. Harris would get one last healthy contract, and Detroit would get a floor-spacing veteran forward through his age-32 and 33 seasons.
Clingan or Duren? — @chrispybitez
This debate will be had by fans (and certainly within the Pistons’ organization as well) through the draft, I’m sure.
Duren put up big numbers as a 20-year-old second year player — 13.8 points, 11.6 rebounds and 2.4 assists. He has good chemistry with Cunningham and is already among the NBA’s best rebounders and lob threats. Why would Detroit part ways with such a player?
If Duren were just as good on defense, it wouldn’t be a discussion. But he was among the league’s worst rim protectors and actually regressed in some ways compared to his rookie season. He’s yet to average a full block per game and is frequently out of position to contest shots. His defensive effort and focus has lacked. He’s young, but youth isn’t a good excuse when other young bigs (such as Dallas Mavericks rookie Dereck Lively) are already much further ahead.
Simply put, Duren will never be an effective starting center if he doesn’t make significant strides on defense. UConn's Donovan Clingan, on the other hand, is widely viewed as the best defensive big man in the draft. He put on a clinic in the NCAA tournament and has all of the tools and intangibles at 7-foot-2. There are some who believe he can be an effective NBA rim protector from day one.
The Pistons aren’t good enough to draft for position. Clingan fills a massive need and may be the clear best player available at No. 5. There’s little downside to taking him and letting the superior defender between him and Duren earn the starting job next season.
Contact Omari Sankofa II at osankofa@freepress.com. Follow him @omarisankofa.
Feeling a draft?
What: 2024 NBA draft.
Fast facts: Round 1 — June 26; Barclays Center, New York; Round 2 — June 27; Seaport District Studios, Secaucus, New Jersey.
Pistons’ picks (overall pick in parentheses): Round 1 — 5 (5); Round 2 — 23 (53).
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Detroit Pistons mailbag: Another lottery pick? Tobias Harris?
