About an hour before the NBA draft in November 2020, first-year Detroit Pistons general manager Troy Weaver began to reshape the franchise in his vision.
Weaver traded a heavily protected first-round pick in a deal with the Houston Rockets for the No. 16 overall pick.
The player became fan favorite Isaiah Stewart.
More than four years later, that future pick the Pistons owe is finally set to convey, freeing up their flexibility on the trade market starting this summer.
The Pistons (43-34) have officially clinched a top-six seed in the Eastern Conference playoffs after their road win over the Toronto Raptors on Friday night.
That's good news not only for them, but for the Minnesota Timberwolves, who acquired the Pistons' 2025 first-round pick last September in the Karl-Anthony Towns trade with the New York Knicks. The Pistons' pick is top-13 protected this season, so it will transfer to the Timberwolves. The pick is currently No. 18 in the 2025 draft.
The draft picks of the 14 teams that miss the playoffs enter the draft lottery May 12.
