Detroit — A week leading up to the 2026 NBA Draft, president of basketball operations Trajan Langdon revealed that he will look at everything when it comes to revamping the Detroit Pistons’ roster this summer. One scenario Langdon hinted at was moving up in the draft if the team had a chance to acquire one of their preferred prospects.
During the first round of the NBA Draft on Tuesday night, the Pistons traded with the Memphis Grizzlies to move up from No. 21 to No. 17. As a result, they selected Ebuka Okorie, 19, from Stanford. As part of the deal, the Pistons sent three future second-round picks to the Grizzlies. A source confirmed the trade with The Detroit News. The Grizzlies selected forward Karim López from Australia at No. 21.
The selection of Okorie in the draft enhances the depth of the Pistons’ backcourt. He is a 6-foot-2 combo guard who can play both on and off the ball. He averaged 23.2 points in 32 games played as a freshman at Stanford this season. Okorie led the ACC in scoring and ranked seventh nationally. Okorie shot 46.5% from the field and 35.4% from behind the arc.
As a score-first guard, Okorie’s playmaking ability has been overlooked, but he still has the potential to be a reliable playmaker, averaging 3.6 assists per game. One of the best parts of Okorie’s game is his ability to attack downhill, whether as a scorer or a facilitator, due to his speed.
Before the deal with the Pistons, the No. 17 pick originally belonged to the Oklahoma City Thunder. However, the Grizzlies and Thunder swapped the picks during an earlier trade. The Thunder drafted guard Bennett Stirtz with the No. 16 pick in the trade with the Grizzlies.
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This article originally appeared on The Detroit News: Pistons trade up to No. 17 to select Stanford guard Ebuka Okorie
Reporting by Coty M. Davis, The Detroit News / The Detroit News
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By Coty M. Davis, The Detroit News | USA TODAY Network
