Is there a light at the seemingly never-ending tunnel that is the Detroit Pistons' rebuild?

It is the same question late in the fourth season of general manager Troy Weaver’s regime as it was when he took over. The Pistons are likely to finish with fewer than 25 wins for the fifth straight season — and have a chance to wind up under 20 wins for the second consecutive year and third time in franchise history.

The Pistons have amassed a collection of young talent and have oodles of cap flexibility, but it has yet to translate to success on the court. So, where does the Pistons’ rebuild rank compared to their NBA competitors?

Let’s break it down post-trade deadline 2024, first with how the Pistons ended up here.

READ MORE: Monty Williams' lineup choices are stunting Pistons development

Why are the Detroit Pistons still rebuilding?

Patience is required for a successful rebuild in the NBA, and Pistons fans are learning first-hand about how long reshaping a roster can take.

The Pistons made the pivot at the end of the 2019-20 season to commit to rebuilding with young talent through the draft, after living in the wasteland of the NBA middle for a decade.

Owner Tom Gores brought in Weaver, a first-time GM, from the Oklahoma City Thunder during the summer of 2020 to be the conductor of the process.

The results have been poor. The Pistons finished with the worst record in the NBA last season (17-65), yet struck out on the pot of gold of top prospect Victor Wembanyama after falling to fifth in the lottery. They then bungled their $30 million in cap space on expiring contracts that did not help.

The outlook seemed more rosy before the season with Cade Cunningham's return from a season-ending shin injury and the addition of Monty Williams as new head coach.

Instead, the Pistons have been historically bad and far from sniffing the play-in tournament, which was the goal before the season. Williams' bizarre on-court management hasn't helped.

The Pistons (8-46) endured an NBA record 28-game losing streak and shook up the incongruent roster ahead of the Feb. 8 trade deadline by making five trades. They dealt six players, waived five and have added seven new players since mid-January, reworking the identity of the roster outside their core.

THE FUTURE: Pistons trades should answer critical question: Can Cunningham and Ivey co-exist?

Yet there are no shortcuts in the NBA (unless you're a glamour market such as Los Angeles or New York). A team must acquire elite talent, and the Pistons' best way to do that is through collecting draft assets. They will more than likely be among the three teams with the best odds, at 14% apiece, of securing the top overall pick in the 2024 draft, which is set for June 26-27.

But the competition is fierce.

We placed the Pistons sixth of eight rebuilders last February. The Thunder, Pacers and Magic have now graduated, but other franchises have joined.

Here's our 2024 ranking of the nine teams identified through their recent actions as rebuilders, accounting for value of players moving forward, draft capital and cap flexibility.

NBA rebuild rankings 2024

Future draft picks via RealGM; salary cap estimates and contracts via The Athletic and Spotrac.

9. Washington Wizards

Most valued players: Kyle Kuzma, Bilal Coulibaly, Deni Avdija.

Draft equity: Net-even on future firsts, can swap with Suns in '24, '26, '28, '30; plus nearly a dozen second-round picks.

The case: The Wizards hit the blow-up button after the 2023 season. Washington traded Bradley Beal to Phoenix, picking up six seconds and four first-round swaps. They received Chris Paul in the deal, and subsequently flipped the future Hall of Famer to Golden State in exchange for Michigan alumnus Jordan Poole, who has struggled so far. Coulibaly, the No. 7 pick last year, has shown promise as a two-way player, while Avdija is having his best season, shooting 40.5% from 3 (2.8 attempts) and averaging 13.8 points. Washington has some money tied up in Poole and Kuzma, though the latter could be dealt for positive value. Their best bet will be hitting on future picks.

8. Charlotte Hornets

Most valued players: LaMelo Ball, Brandon Miller, Miles Bridges, Mark Williams.

Draft equity: Net-zero on future firsts; plus-one on seconds.

The case: They have only been marginally better than the Pistons this season. Ball has shown All-Star potential talent as the lead guard, which earned the 22-year-old a max contract extension at 25% of the cap (five years, $204 million), but he is hurt often. Miller looks like the right pick at No. 2 so far, averaging 22 points on 40% 3-point shooting (7.5 attempts per game) over his past 16 games since return from injury. Bridges is a volume scorer on the wing (21.5 points per game) after he missed all of last season following a domestic violence incident; he will be an unrestricted free agent this summer at age 26. The Hornets picked up role players at the deadline in Tre Mann, Grant Williams and Seth Curry — who are all under contract or have a team option for next season — and have up to $35 million in cap space. Charlotte is in the market for a new front office leader, with president of basketball operations Mitch Kupchak transitioning to an advisory role and new owners Gabe Plotkin and Rick Schnall taking over from Michael Jordan last August.

7. Brooklyn Nets

Most valued players: Mikal Bridges, Cam Thomas, Cam Johnson, Nicolas Claxton, Dorian Finney-Smith.

Draft equity: Plus-three firsts: Control Suns picks in odd years, own 76ers '27 first (top-8 protected), and Mavs '29 first; Rockets control Nets' firsts; minus-two seconds.

The case: The Nets' superteam disintegrated, leading to three trades that brought in key players such as Bridges and Johnson, as well as a bevy of picks. Bridges has been one of the best wing defenders in the league while serving as the epicenter of the Nets’ offense (21.7 points per game) but has not built on his excellent close to last season. Johnson is a sharpshooter with a 40% mark from 3 and Thomas (21.2 points per game) is a microwave scorer. The Nets are in need of a lead offensive initiator, as they sit outside the play-in tournament and are sending an unprotected lottery pick to Houston. They should have sizeable cap space in 2025.

6. Detroit Pistons

Most valued players: Cade Cunningham, Jaden Ivey, Jalen Duren, Ausar Thompson.

Draft equity: Down one first, owed to New York (protected 1-18 in '24, 1-13 in '25, 1-11 in '26, and 1-9 in '27; if not conveyed, converts to '27 second-rounder); even on future seconds, but none until '27.

The case: They are behind all teams on this list in draft assets after starting the rebuild without a star to deal. Weaver can only offer a first in '29 or '30 — or make a draft-day trade, where they agree to select for the other team with their own pick, then trade the player later — so they're at a gigantic deficit on the trade market. Pistons must figure out the upside and fit between their "core four" along with role players Isaiah Stewart, Simone Fontecchio, Quentin Grimes and Marcus Sasser. Cunningham is eligible for a contract extension this offseason. The Pistons finally added depth on the wing at the deadline to fix a main roster issue, and will have roughly $60 million in cap space to play with. However, the lack of draft capital and failures on the court this season knock the Pistons down the list.

SUMMER TIME: All signs point to Tobias Harris as Pistons big offseason prize in free agency

5. Houston Rockets

Most valued players: Alperen Sengun, Jabari Smith Jr., Amen Thompson, Jalen Green, Tari Eason, Cam Whitmore.

Draft equity: Even on future firsts, plus two swaps; net-even on seconds.

The case: The Rockets put a charge in their timeline with two expensive free-agent acquisitions in Dillon Brooks and Fred VanVleet, which has led to more success this season. Sengun has turned into an All-Star-caliber player in his third season as a do-it-all offensive big man, while Smith and Green have shown flashes of being plus options on the offensive end. Five of their top seven players in minutes are 22 or younger and contributing to a 24-30 team that is 3½ games out of the play-in. Projected to stay over the cap this offseason after trading for injured center Steven Adams.

4. Portland Trail Blazers

Most valued players: Scoot Henderson, Anfernee Simons, Shaedon Sharpe, Jerami Grant.

Draft equity: Plus-two firsts, and own pick swaps with Bucks ('28, '30); plus-one second.

The case: The Blazers lit the fuse last summer by adhering to Damian Lillard's request to be traded, and used the capital from that trade (Jrue Holiday) to facilitate a deal with Boston. The Blazers have a collection of young ballhandlers in Simons, Sharpe and Henderson, who all average at least 27 minutes per game, and primarily play with two veterans in Grant and Malcolm Brogdon. In both of their blockbusters, they picked up a young big (Robert Williams III and Deandre Ayton). Their cap is tight this offseason, so they could look to shed money. The draft capital won’t convey for a while, but they are hoping the Bucks and Celtics’ reign will be over by then, while their young core enters its prime. Figuring out the backcourt hierarchy and future at center are on the menu.

3. Toronto Raptors

Most valued players: Scottie Barnes, R.J. Barrett, Immanuel Quickley, Gradey Dick, Ochai Agbaji, Bruce Brown.

Draft equity: Plus-two firsts; down one second but own Pistons pick in 2024 (projected 31st).

The case: The Raptors finally ripped the bandage off, moving OG Anunoby and Pascal Siakam and deconstructing their team. They just acquired Agbaji and Kelly Olynyk from the Jazz to go along with Barrett and Quickley from the Knicks. Those two, along with All-Star Scottie Barnes, project to be their core while they have modest draft capital to add. They own three firsts in this year’s draft if their own pick stays top-six (owed to San Antonio if No. 7 or worse). They have a $23 million option on Brown for next season and could have more than $40 million in space if they decline it, or they could pick it up and trade him.

2. Utah Jazz

Most valued players: Lauri Markkanen, Keyonte George, Walker Kessler, Taylor Hendricks, Collin Sexton.

Draft equity: Plus-seven firsts — not including swap rights — with multiple unprotected picks and swaps from T'wolves and Cavs; minus-four seconds.

The case: They've been flirting with the play-in, but signaled they remain in asset collection-mode instead of making a push at the trade deadline. The team is led by a 2023 All-Star in Markkanen, 26, and they have young pieces at each position along with some veterans that have kept them around .500. The ability of the young core, combined with the treasure trove of picks acquired in the Donovan Mitchell and Rudy Gobert trades, has Utah well-positioned with executive Danny Ainge calling the shots.

1. San Antonio Spurs

Most valued players: Victor Wembanyama, Devin Vassell, Jeremy Sochan, Keldon Johnson.

Draft equity: Plus-six firsts, have some swaps, and own all their firsts; plus-12 seconds.

The case: They were the biggest winner last offseason by securing Wembanyama, the 7-foot-5 center who should be among the game's best few players soon. The team has been terrible, but the future is bright with pick capital from the Dejounte Murray trade to Atlanta leading the way. Vassell signed a $135 million deal and is the best of the other pieces. The Spurs project for $21 million in cap space this offseason along with two likely lottery picks (Raptors first if No. 7 or worse) and are the top rebuilding team to watch in the coming years.

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This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: NBA rebuild rankings 2024: Comparing Detroit Pistons future to others