Detroit Pistons draft history
The Detroit Pistons began their history in 1937 as the Fort Wayne Zollner Pistons, a semi-professional company basketball team based in Fort Wayne, Indiana. They would turn professional in 1941 when they joined the National Basketball League. In 1948, the team was renamed the Fort Wayne Pistons and joined the Basketball Association of America, merging with the NBL to form the NBA one year later. After nine seasons in Fort Wayne, the team relocated to Detroit in 1957 to compete financially with other big city teams.
To help the Pistons acquire local players, territorial picks were instituted from 1949 until 1965. Territorial picks were used as a type of special draft choice used in the NBA draft. Prior to the league's draft, a team could forfeit its first round draft pick and select a player from within. Territorial picks were then eliminated when the draft was revamped in 1966. Before the 1989 NBA draft, the draft had more than two rounds. After 1989, the NBA agreed with the National Basketball Players' Association to limit drafts to two rounds. Teams can also trade their picks, so some years a team could have more than or less than two picks.