The Detroit Pistons won the NBA Lottery and the rights to the first pick in the 2021 NBA Draft. There are a few weeks until the draft, so there will be plenty of rumors swirling about what will happen with the No. 1 pick.
Most recently, it has been reported that Oklahoma State point guard, Cade Cunningham, is not a lock to be the first selection in the draft. Cunningham is the No. 1 ranked player at many outlets and has been pegged as a potential first overall pick even before he stepped on campus at Stillwater.
If the Pistons are legitimately considering another prospect, they will have no shortage of suitors that will want to trade up for the chance to select Cunningham. This will undoubtedly be a storyline to watch in NBA trade rumors as the time of the top pick being on the clock takes place.
According to ESPN’s Jonathan Givony, there are already four teams looking into what it would take to trade up to the No. 1 spot in the draft with the Pistons; the Cleveland Cavaliers, Houston Rockets, New Orleans Pelicans and Oklahoma City Thunder.
Teams including Cleveland, Houston, New Orleans and Oklahoma City are among those making overtures to evaluate what it would take to move up to the No. 1 slot, sources say, but those talks are at an early stage, and any trade is unlikely to be consummated until much closer to the draft, if at all.
The Cavaliers had the third overall pick in this year’s draft and have a litany of young players already on the roster. If they were to trade up for Cunningham, that would likely increase the odds of Collin Sexton being on the move.
READ MORE: NBA Rumors: Best trade Rockets can offer Pistons for No. 1 pick in 2021 NBA Draft
The Rockets have three first-round picks in the 2021 NBA Draft, as they have the No. 23 and 24 overall selections in addition to No. 2. So, they have some pieces to maneuver up the board should they choose to.
The Pelicans have extra draft picks from the Anthony Davis trade that they could use to move up the board if they feel strongly about Cade Cunningham. The Thunder have so many draft picks in the coming years that they could trade multiple selections to Detroit this year and still have a deep cache remaining.
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This will be a story to keep an eye on, as there are four or five prospects teams believe are worthy of being the No. 1 selection. So, even if a team can’t make a trade with the Detroit Pistons for No. 1, there could still be movement amongst the top five as teams try and land their next franchise cornerstone.
