After they selected Ausar Thompson with the No. 5 pick in Thursday’s draft, the Detroit Pistons started making phone calls in hopes of landing Marcus Sasser, writes James L. Edwards of The Athletic. General manager Troy Weaver had been hearing rave reviews from his scouts all season about the Houston guard, whose combination of shooting, defense and self-confidence made him a traget for late in the first round or early in the second round.
Detroit found a willing trade partner in the Boston Celtics, who agreed to swap their newly-acquired pick at No. 25 in exchange for the 31st selection and two future second-rounders. While it could be viewed as a high price to move up six spots, Weaver wanted to be sure he was in position to grab Sasser.
“You can talk about his shooting, defense, but he’s a rock … steady,” Weaver said. “He brings it every game. You never have to worry where he’s going to be, what he’s going to do. He’s rock solid. We wanted to add this stabilizing player and personality to the restoration. We pushed our chips in and went and got him.”
There’s more from Detroit:
- If Sasser is going to have an immediate role, it will create a logjam in the backcourt for a team that has used first-round picks on Killian Hayes, Cade Cunningham and Jaden Ivey over the past three years, Edwards notes. The Pistons hold a $10.4M option on veteran guard Alec Burks that Edwards expects Detroit to exercise, so a battle for playing time is shaping up. Edwards suggests that Weaver may look to trade either Burks or Hayes, the latter of whom is eligible for a rookie-scale extension this offseason.
- Thompson spent a few days in Detroit when he and his brother traveled there for a workout and he got a strong indication that the Pistons were going to draft him, Edwards adds in a separate story. “They told me I fit where the modern NBA was going — having multiple facilitators on the court, being able to come off screens, play defense.” Thompson said Thursday shortly after hearing his name announced. “That was one of the main things. I just felt the chemistry while being there. I was excited being there. I left there impressed. I thought this would be a place that I’d be very happy ending up. Now look at me.”
- Ivey, Jalen Duren, James Wiseman and Isaiah Livers are all expected to play at least one summer league game, Edwards tweets.
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