There’s chatter around the league that the Pistons have eyes for Arizona’s Bennedict Mathurin, Kevin O’Connor of the Ringer writes in his final mock draft before the Thursday night event.
Mathurin has stapled together excellent workouts with several teams throughout the draft process and apparently, his meeting with the Pistons was no exception.
For what it’s worth, Bennedict (+210) is listed third in PointsBet’s odds for who will be selected at No. 5 behind Keegan Murray (+125) and Jaden Ivey (+200). There have been multiple reports linking Ivey to the Pistons, though there’s a strong possibility that the Purdue guard ends up being selected at No. 4 (by the Kings or a team that trades up to that spot).
Detroit is also rumored to be interested in Jalen Duran, as ESPN’s Jonathan Givony explains. The Pistons could end up making a trade to acquire an additional first-round pick, especially if Duran slides. Givony lists Charlotte (at No. 13) as a potential partner in a scenario where Gordon Hayward is also sent to Detroit.
More NBA Rumors
- The Bucks are said to be eyeing a trade-up in the draft with rival teams believing that Mark Williams or Walker Kessler could be their target. Milwaukee currently owns the No. 24 overall selection, which could be out of range for the top tier of centers in the draft.
- The Wolves are likely to trade D’Angelo Russell either on draft night or in the coming weeks, according to long-time NBA journalist Dane Moore. This isn’t the first time Russell has been mentioned in trade rumors. We previously examined whether the former No. 2 overall pick would make sense as a Cavs addition.
- Washington has been willing to discuss Kyle Kuzma and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope in trade talks and the latest buzz is that the team giving up the No. 10 selection to the Pacers for Malcolm Brogdon is unlikely. In our All-Trade NBA Mock Draft, the Cavaliers traded Sexton to the Wizards for KCP (while also swapping the No. 10 and No. 14 overall selections), something that couldn’t be consummated until free agency begins.
- The Sixers are looking for a first-round pick in exchange for Matisse Thybulle as part of three-team trade proposals that would land the franchise a veteran rotation player, Jake Fischer of Bleacher Report shares. Philadelphia has been exploring the market, speaking with a bevy of teams about deals, and Tobias Harris, Danny Green, and the No. 23 pick are all reportedly on the table.
