All along, I’ve thought about the likely selection of Cade Cunningham as a way to exorcise the demons of Darko Milicic — the Detroit Pistons’ ill-fated selection the last time the team had a top-3 pick. Perhaps, instead, it is actually a way to exorcise the demons of trading Khris Middleton — famously the “other guy” in a Brandon Knight-for-Brandon Jennings swap in 2013.
Middleton, most recently one of the most dangerous clutch-time performers in NBA playoffs history with the title-winning Milwaukee Bucks was a second-round pick for Detroit in 2012 coming off an injury that limited his playing time his rookie year.