Pistons: 3 teams they could make a trade with on NBA draft night
By Duncan Smith
Potential NBA draft night trade partners for the Pistons: 2. OKC Thunder
Troy Weaver’s previous employer, the OKC Thunder, are another top candidate to make a deal with the Pistons on draft night. Given the stockpile of draft assets they’ve collected through outright hoarding, they are a top candidate to make a deal with just about any team in the NBA.
In this draft, they have the sixth, 16th and 18th picks, and they may want to utilize some of these picks in a way other than actually drafting players with them. On a roster already chock full of young players, adding three more rookies from this class may be counterproductive. Converting one of them into, say, Josh Jackson and a second-round pick, could be something that appeals to Thunder general manager Sam Presti.
Much like the Knicks picks, the 16th and 18th picks fall in an area of the first round that Weaver is familiar with, and he’s demonstrated an ability to find value outside of lottery range. If the Pistons do indeed want to add first-round picks in this draft, the Thunder make a lot of sense as a trading partner when draft night rolls around next Thursday.