On the heels of various reports that Detroit isn’t locked in on Cade Cunningham with the No. 1 overall draft pick, The Athletic’s John Hollinger said Monday that Jalen Green is a real consideration there. If that happens, Cunningham would suddenly become a realistic option for the Houston Rockets, who will pick at No. 2 in the 2021 NBA draft.
Hollinger, formerly an NBA executive and currently a senior columnist, had this to say after attending the draft combine in Chicago:
This has been reported other places already, including by our own Sam Vecenie, but I can very much confirm that the Pistons are intrigued by G-League Ignite guard Jalen Green and could take him over Cunningham.
Should Green go to the Pistons, it would make Cunningham — a versatile forward out of Oklahoma State and the longtime No. 1 frontrunner in most mock drafts — available to the Rockets at No. 2 overall.
New for @TheAthleticNBA — News, notes, who's up and who's down from a very (gasp) back-to-normal feeling NBA Draft Combine.https://t.co/JU8h2DewKs
— John Hollinger (@johnhollinger) June 28, 2021
There might also be a possibility that Houston could trade up with Detroit and take Cunningham at No. 1, with Green going to the Pistons at No. 2. The Rockets have particularly useful leverage for such a transaction, since they own one of Detroit’s future first-round draft picks.
It’s entirely possible that the Pistons still select Cunningham, of course. Subsequent interviews, workouts, and video analysis could shift the narrative. But with one month to go until the July 29 draft, it’s becoming clear that the possibility at least exists of him going elsewhere.
