As NBA teams continue to jockey ahead of the second round of the 2024 NBA Draft, the Minnesota Timberwolves and Detroit Pistons agreed to a deal that will net Detroit the No. 37 overall pick and former Duke guard Wendell Moore Jr., according to Shams Charania.
In return for Moore and pick No. 37, Detroit is sending Minnesota the No. 53 pick in the 2024 NBA Draft, according to Charania.
Moore is entering what is currently the final year of his contract, and will be owed $2,537,040 for the upcoming season. His contract also has a team option, meaning the Pistons could pick that up and keep him on the books into the 2025-26 season. And as Piston’s writer James Edwards III explained on social media, the move effectively helps the Pistons lower the salary cap while moving up in the draft and acquiring an end-of-bench player with some upside.
In two NBA seasons, Moore has played in 54 games and made two starts, averaging 4.2 minutes per game.
It’s also quite possible the Pistons will move on from the No. 37 pick, as new president of basketball operations Trajan Langdon said during his press conference after Round 1 that the organization is valuing future assets over making picks in the 2024 Draft.
“We have cap space,” Langdon said. “We’re getting calls. We want future assets more than picks in this draft.”
What happens with Bronny James remains a dominant storyline
In the first-ever two-day NBA Draft, the No. 1 talking point heading into Thursday’s second round is Bronny James and whether he comes off the board.
The one-and-done USC product and son of LeBron James was saddled on one of the most underwhelming teams in the country, a preseason top-25 team that failed to win half their games. Meanwhile, James suffered through a heart issue that sidelined him for a while, then came back as a minor contributor off the bench.
Despite a tough go as a freshman, James decided to enter the NBA Draft and is still on the board heading into day two. According to Shams Charania, though, he will likely hear his name called.
“The expectation is for him to get drafted today in round two,” Charania said during his appearance on the Pat McAfee Show. He emphasized that the James camp is looking for home that truly believes in him.
“For everyone around Bronny James throughout this pre-draft process, his agent Rich Paul at Klutch Sports, it’s been about investment, finding a team that’s willing and wants to invest a multi-year contract in him.”
Right now, there’s two likely suspects, per Charania.
“He worked out for two NBA teams, the Phoenix Suns and the Lakers. That was intentional; finding teams that believe in him, are going to invest a multi-year contract in him.”
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