The Detroit Pistons went into their second-to-last game of the 2025-2026 NBA season with a matchup against the Charlotte Hornets on the road.
Despite holding the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference, the Pistons played their key guys. With a long break coming up, the Pistons want to keep the ball rolling and make sure that Cade Cunningham can get comfortably settled in again.
The Pistons ended up winning against the Hornets 118-100.
Detroit secured the victory and also landed major 2026 NBA Draft news.
With the way Friday’s slate played out, the Pistons learned that they would pick up the No. 21 pick in the 2025-2026 NBA Draft.
The Latest On The Detroit Pistons’ NBA Draft
via Keith Langlois, Pistons.com: A good night for the Pistons. Their 59th win ties for the third most in franchise history. The kicker is that Toronto’s loss means the pick swap the Pistons got from Minnesota in the Kevin Huerter deal conveys. It was protected 1-19. Pick will now be 20 or 21.
Since the Minnesota Timberwolves defeated the Houston Rockets, the pick officially becomes No. 21.
With the swap, the Pistons will end up moving up seven spots on draft night.
How The Pistons Landed The Pick
The now-infamous Jaden Ivey trade gave the Pistons an opportunity to pick up a quality veteran in Kevin Huerter and a pick-swap with the Timberwolves.
While the Pistons’ decision to cut ties with Jaden Ivey left a little concern at first, considering he was a homegrown player who showed a lot of promise, it has since become clear that they made the right move.
Ivey’s injury concerns lingered when he got to Chicago. On top of that, his off-court comments on social media landed him in hot water. The Bulls didn’t waste time releasing him.
The Pistons aren’t putting all of their focus into the draft in April these days. Soon, they will fire up a second-straight playoff run as the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference.
Still, they can feel good about landing a major gift before wrapping up the regular season on Sunday against the Indiana Pacers.