2019 NBA Draft: Pistons trade up to take overseas player whose name is hard to spell

The Detroit Pistons traded the 45th pick and a future second-round pick to move up to the No. 35 pick to take Deividas Sirvydis. The 6-foot-7 Lithuanian is a potential draft and stash candidate, according to Vince Ellis of the Detroit Free Press.

One of the youngest players in the draft, (Pistons first-round pick Sekou Doumbouya was the youngest), Sirvydis didn’t turn 19 until June 10 and shot 46 percent from 3 for Lietuvos rytas in the Eurocup in limited minutes.

He’s not an imposing athlete and he has a poor frame that might not develop much further, and will be looked at as a potential 3-point specialist. On ESPN, Mike Schmitz compared Sirvydis to Luke Kennard before even knowing the pick was traded to Detroit.

Defensively, he grades out as a minus but displays solid awareness and decent lateral quickness. Again, he seems to be primarily seen as a potential catch-and-shoot 3-point threat.

If the Pistons don’t bring Sirvydis over this season that means that on a night the team entered the draft with three picks, it is walking away with only one player who will see the floor in the 2019-20 season, and that player is an 18-year-old project who might not see much action.

Before the draft, senior adviser Ed Stefanski preached the need for depth, but it seems like the team’s search for depth was not outweighed by the team’s desire to draft for upside and development from young players.

Detroit leaves the night with a huge two-way potential prospect in Doumbouya, a potential 3-point sniper in Sirvydis and three future second-round picks from Cleveland (one was traded to move up and grab Deividas).

It looks like that depth will instead come via trades (Tony Snell) and, gulp, free agency.