Latest NBA labor regulations could provide advantages for Detroit’s draft-night openings

This Tuesday, Pistons President Troy Weaver recieved the press for a media session to talk about the team’s offseason objectives and what they expect from the upcoming 2023 NBA Draft this Thursday. He compared it to a walk in the park.

“Walk through the park at night, you’ve got to be ready for whatever’s going to come,” Weaver expressed during his 25-minute conference. “And draft night is that way. You’ve got to be prepared for different scenarios, trade scenarios, different playing dropping, players rising. That’s why the work is so important now, so on draft night we’re equipped to handle what happens.”

If we go back to last year’s draft, the Pistons saw an opportunity and took it. After recieving the fifth overall pick Jaden Ivey, they later traded a future first-round pick recently obtained from the Blazers for Jerami Grant and ended up exchanging him for No. 13 Jalen Duren.

This time around, Detroit enters June 22’s draft with the fifth and 31st picks, but who knows what trick the club’s President might have up his sleeve.

If you’re interested, you can check out Weaver’s full media session as he attended the press this Tuesday:

As they own a high lottery ticket, the second round’s first choice and around $30 million in cap space that has suffered some changes in NBA’s newest labor regulations. This next July this means big money, as the new collective bargaining agreement comes into effect and has stronger punitive measures for tax-paying administrations.

“There’s some thought there,” Weaver said about the vast opportunities set in front of them for making trades with teams who are looking to cut their payroll, create more cap space or just waive veterans. “Teams are really having to start looking at their roster composition and how it plays out.

“There could be some vulnerable situations that we could take advantage of and we want to be prepared and working hard to make sure that if those opportunities are afforded, we’re there.”

Weaver knows how to read a draft, as he believes his second-round pick will be even stronger than many first-round options

“You usually get a good player in the top of the second round,” Weaver assured. “I think I would say 31 to 38 has probably been a better crop of players than 21 to 28. Somebody can do that study. I would wager that there’s been better players from 31 to 38 than 21 to 28.”

Their front office knows how valuable is holding the first pick of the second round, as they possess leverage not only due to the potential player’s quality, but also because the new CBA might just work in their favor once again.

“Thirty-one is a valuable pick,” the Detroit President said. “I think it carries a lot of weight for different reasons. The contract, teams that may want to do different things with a second-round pick vs. a first-round pick. We like the pick and think we can do a lot with it.”

Who knows what mysterious move can be unleashed during Thursday’s draft, but one thing for sure is that Weaver has his agenda clear as he hopes to solidify the team’s core with their two solid picks.