CHICAGO — At least the Detroit Pistons have a second-round pick in the upcoming NBA draft in June.
Too soon?
For fans still angry over the January acquisition of power forward Blake Griffin, Tuesday night was another painful reminder.
With rookie Luke Kennard representing the franchise at the draft lottery held at the Palmer House Hilton on Tuesday night, it became official that the Pistons would lose their 2018 first-round pick to complete the terms of the trade with the Los Angeles Clippers.
The news came quick once the draft picks started coming in when the Clippers' logo appeared in the 12th slot.
The immediate cost for the Griffin acquisition was two good players (Tobias Harris and Avery Bradley) and one role player (Boban Marjanovic).
The last cost hurts a fan base desperate for any bit of good news, with the franchise just now undertaking searches for a president of basketball operations and a head coach — the fourth and fifth searches since Pistons owner Tom Gores purchased the team in 2011. Gores fired Stan Van Gundy last week as team president and head coach.
But the franchise believes it’s worth the gamble and with a little luck and health, Griffin could boost the franchise to a middle seed in the Eastern Conference playoff chase.
The Pistons finished 12th with a 39-43 record, but the first-round pick had a top-four protection through 2020.
The chances were scant. The Pistons had only a 2.5 percent chance of landing in the top three.
The Suns won the No. 1 pick, followed by Sacramento and Atlanta.
Last year, the Pistons again entered the lottery in the 12th slot, and stayed put. They drafted Kennard with the pick later that summer.
Utah Jazz star Donovan Mitchell was selected next. The fan base is still angry.
The Pistons lost their 2014 first-round pick at the lottery shortly after Van Gundy was hired. The pick competed the terms of the June 2012 trade initiated by former team president Joe Dumars for the expiring contract of aging swingman Corey Magette. Dumars made the move to ditch the expensive contract of Ben Gordon to the Charlotte Hornets.
The Pistons will have a second-round pick (42nd overall) in the upcoming draft, scheduled for June 21 in Brooklyn, N.Y.
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2018 NBA draft order
First round
1. Phoenix
2. Sacramento
3. Atlanta
4. Memphis
5. Dallas
6. Orlando
7. Chicago
8. Cleveland (from Brooklyn)
9. New York
10. Philadelphia (from LA Lakers)
11. Charlotte
12. LA Clippers (from Detroit)
13. LA Clippers
14. Denver
15. Washington
16. Phoenix (from Miami)
17. Milwaukee
18. San Antonio
19. Atlanta (from Minnesota)
20. Minnesota (from Oklahoma City via Utah)
21. Utah
22. Chicago (from New Orleans)
23. Indiana
24. Portland
25. LA Lakers (from Cleveland)
26. Philadelphia
27. Boston
28. Golden State
29. Brooklyn (from Toronto)
30. Atlanta (from Houston via LA Clippers)
Second round
31. Phoenix
32. Memphis
33./34. Atlanta
33./34. Dallas
35. Orlando
36./37. Sacramento
36./37. New York (from Chicago via Oklahoma City)
38. Philadelphia (from Brooklyn)
39. Philadelphia (from New York)
40. Brooklyn (from LA Lakers via Toronto via Orlando)
41. Orlando (from Charlotte via Phoenix via Memphis)
42. Detroit
43. Denver (from LA Clippers via New York via Philadelphia)
44. Washington
45. Brooklyn (from Milwaukee)
46. Houston (from Miami via Memphis)
47. LA Lakers (from Denver via Chicago via Utah)
48. Minnesota
49. San Antonio
50. Indiana
51. New Orleans
52. Utah
53. Oklahoma City
54. Dallas (from Portland via Denver)
55. Charlotte (from Cleveland via Brooklyn via Philadelphia)
56. Philadelphia
57. Oklahoma City (from Boston)
58. Denver (from Golden State)
59. Phoenix (from Toronto)
60. Philadelphia (from Houston)
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