The Detroit Pistons are the beneficiaries of a pick swap in the 2026 NBA Draft, one year after losing their first-round pick due to a trade five years prior.
The Pistons, who finished with a 60-22 record – third-best in the NBA this season – will pick at No. 21 overall June 23 in the first round of the NBA draft instead of their initial spot at No. 28 overall.
That’s because a pick swap they received from the Minnesota Timberwolves in the trade that sent Jaden Ivey to the Chicago Bulls converted in their favor, moving the Pistons up seven spots in the draft order.
That could be a big deal for a Pistons team looking to bolster its roster with young talent, with president of basketball operations Trajan Langdon acknowledging the advantage May 19 in his end-of-season press conference.
“That’s gonna help us for sure,” Langdon said. “I do think there’s a line between 21 and 28 where the talent differs, it definitely changes.”
The Pistons sent their 2026 second-round pick to the Los Angeles Clippers (currently owned by the New Orleans Pelicans) in the massive trade that landed them Saddiq Bey in the 2020 draft. Ironically, Bey had his best season as a pro with the Pelicans in 2025-26, averaging a career-high 17.7 points per game over 72 games in New Orleans under former Pistons executives Joe Dumars and Troy Weaver.
The Pistons own all their own future firsts and 15 second-rounders.
Here’s a breakdown of all the draft picks the Pistons own over the next seven drafts.
Detroit Pistons future draft picks
What draft picks do Pistons have in 2026?
This first-round pick comes courtesy of the Timberwolves, who sent a protected pick swap to clear salary in a three-team trade including Chicago. When the pick swap converted, it allowed the Pistons to move up from No. 28 to No. 21 in the draft.
The Pistons sent their second-round pick to the Los Angeles Clippers as part of the Luke Kennard-Saddiq Bey three-team draft night trade in 2020.
What draft picks do Pistons have in 2027?
The Pistons will receive either the Dallas Mavericks’ or the Brooklyn Nets’ 2027 second-round pick as part of the 2021 DeAndre Jordan trade with the Nets, getting whichever pick finishes in a less favorable slot.
They also own the Bucks’ second-rounder, acquired as part of the KJ Martin Jr. trade with the Philadelphia 76ers in February 2025.
What draft picks do Pistons have in 2028?
There’s a lot of complicated potential draft shuffling here, but this is the summary:
The Pistons’ second-rounder could be sent to the Sixers if it lands outside the top 25 picks in the round.
Detroit could have two additional seconds: One from the Clippers or Charlotte Hornets, one from the Miami Heat and one from the New York Knicks, though the least favorable of those three picks will go to the Utah Jazz (giving the Pistons two seconds from those three outcomes).
What draft picks do Pistons have in 2029?
This one isn’t much easier to follow, unfortunately.
The Pistons own the Bucks’ second-rounder acquired in the 2023 Joe Harris trade with the Nets, and control the Knicks’ second-rounder acquired at the 2024 trade deadline in the Bojan Bogdanovic and Alec Burks deal.
The Pistons agreed to send their least favorable pick to the Sacramento Kings as part of last summer’s Dennis Schröder sign-and-trade. So whichever of these three picks lands furthest down in the draft order will head to Sacramento.
What draft picks do Pistons have in 2030?
The Pistons traded Monte Morris to the Timberwolves at the 2024 trade deadline for Minnesota’s 2030 second-round pick.
What draft picks do Pistons have in 2031?
The Pistons got the Mavs’ second-round pick (via the Sixers) from the Martin trade.
The Warriors second-round pick comes via the Pistons’ involvement in the 2025 Jimmy Butler trade between the Warriors and Heat, though the Pistons might instead receive the Timberwolves’ second-rounder if it’s less favorable than the Warriors.
What draft picks do Pistons have in 2032?
At least we ended on a simple one!
*Starting on the first night of the 2026 draft, the Pistons will have access to deal their 2033 first-rounder and second-rounder, giving them up to five tradeable firsts.
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You can reach Christian at cromo@freepress.com.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: How many future draft picks do Pistons own? Here’s what they can trade
Reporting by Christian Romo, Detroit Free Press / Detroit Free Press
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