No one knows if and when the NBA will return in 2020. But until commissioner Adam Silver and league officials figure out the logistics of playing basketball in the midst of an international health crisis, teams await guidance on the next step.

The COVID-19 pandemic has altered the Detroit Pistons’ usual preparation for the offseason. The NBA has prohibited teams from conducting in-person workouts and interviews with draft prospects. As such, teams have been limited to virtual interviews, film study and homework that has already been completed on each draft-eligible player. As of now, it’s unclear how the NBA will proceed with the draft, lottery and combine.

But in the grand scheme, Silver’s upcoming decisions likely won't change the outcome of the 2019-20 season for the Pistons. They are 20-46 overall and 10½ games behind Orlando for the eighth seed. Instead of hoping for a chance to compete in the playoffs, the front office has its sights set firmly on the offseason.

[ What we learned from Pistons' 2019-20 season and what it means for future ]

The Pistons currently have the fifth-best odds to win the No. 1 pick in the 2020 NBA draft lottery. The franchise hasn’t entered the lottery higher than seventh overall since 1994. Detroit is also projected to have more than $30 million in cap space this offseason, though the coronavirus pandemic could impact that figure. Regardless, the Pistons will be one of just five teams with significant cap space.

The Free Press caught up with Pistons senior adviser Ed Stefanski on Thursday to discuss the team’s approach to the draft, free agency and where the roster stands as the franchise continues to prepare for a rebuild.

Note: Questions and answers have been edited for clarity

Sankofa: The COVID-19 pandemic has impacted the sports world, including the NBA. To what extent has it altered the Pistons’ preparation for the draft?

Stefanski: We’re still working on everything we would do. Regardless of what’s happened, not having (the draft combine), and I’m sure we won’t, so we’ll do virtual workouts. That’s a possibility. We’ll do some phone calls with the guys, I would imagine, to interview them. All those things. I just don’t see us being normal. But again, everybody is going to be in the same situation we’re in, so we can be fine on everything that’s going to happen. We’re just like the rest of the league. We’re entrenched in video and working on that. I’m sure everybody’s getting tired of it. Who knows when the draft will be.

Ordinarily, we’d be about a month out from the lottery right now. The Pistons have the fifth-best odds, which are the highest odds the franchise has had in a long time.

That’s not good. (Laughs)

The Pistons have actually never moved up in the draft withtheir own pick. So on some level, you probably hope the team can bust that streak. But as far as planning for the pick, is there a positional need you see filling or is the approach more broad?

I think where we are, most of the time you’re always going to be going for the best possible player. So I think that’s the premise we’re using now. Could it switch? Of course. Something could switch if we see an opportunity to help ourselves. I’d say right now, the best player available regardless of the position.

[ Pistons are desperate for talent. These 2020 NBA draft top prospects may help ]

Given that this team recently parted ways with two core pieces in Andre Drummond and Reggie Jackson, is it beneficial to look at the top of the draft and see that it almost entirely consists of point guards and big men?

If we feel the best player fits one of those positions, that’s even better if you get fortunate that that happens. Right now, that won’t come into play. If the best player is the position where we have more players or have added depth, we’re going to do it. If it happens and we feel the best player on the board fits the position that we need, that’s even better.

This is a draft that doesn’t have a clear top three, or top overall guy such as last year with Zion Williamson. Does that put extra pressure on scouts and the rest of the front office to do its due diligence? Especially now, with teams being prohibited from in-person evaluations.

Any draft, you would love to have that generational player or players. The draft, right now, most people would say is there a generational player in this draft? I would say the majority of people would say no. Can you get fortunate and a guy becomes somebody like that? Possibly. As I said earlier, we’re doing all our due diligence on everybody and we just have to make a good selection for the team because we, obviously, are going into a rebuild. We gotta get the draft right.

[ If Pistons win draft lottery, which player should they take? Tankathon 2.0 ]

Beyond the draft, what would you say is the main priority of the offseason given the Pistons are one of the few teams in the league that have an excess of cap space?

I think what’s going to happen there is going to see how the free agency plays out. We’re working on different options that we think we may be able to implement. But until the free agency market opens and what happens, let’s say the ‘A’ players with the higher salaries go off the board, then we’ll be able to see what makes sense and how it all comes together. Do we use that cap space to get a player, too? That’s one option. Do we use that cap space to maybe make a trade somewhere? We could use that. Or do we just save our cap space going into the season to see if we can use it in a trade situation to either get players or to collect assets?

[ Pistons have money to spend, so what should they do this? A checklist ]

After the trade deadline in February, you said the timeline for Blake Griffin being healthy is June. Has the COVID-19 pandemic altered that timeline at all?

I don’t remember what I said, but I do know he’s progressing exactly how we wanted him to progress. Hopefully by the summer, he gets on the court and does a lot of basketball work. Right now, he’s progressing as well as we could expect. So we’re on the right path with him. The whole key with Blake is for him to get healthy. We can’t worry about anything else. Health is the whole thing for him.

This team has a handful of veteran players under contract, including Derrick Rose. You mentioned going into a rebuild, but where do you fall as far as wanting vets in the locker room versus finding opportunities to maximize their value and get something back?

It’s all going to be on how it goes. We didn’t move Derrick because we didn’t feel we got enough in return for what he does for us on the court and off the court. He’s very instrumental on these younger guys. Who he is, obviously a former MVP, he’s a great human being. Players like him, so that helps our younger guys since he can nurture the younger guys. Plus he does a terrific job on the court. He was fantastic on the court this year, and we’re going to need that at times to help our younger players perform and gain confidence. We’ll look at everything and if the opportunity arises and makes sense, we’ll pull the trigger.

Luke Kennard had some injury struggles this year with tendonitis in both knees, but he also had a strong season when he was healthy. He set career-high marks across the board. Where does he fitlong-term and where is he at right now as far as his recovery?

Luke has done well. Right before the shutdown because of the virus, he was ready to come back and play. I think he was going to play in Toronto, that next game after Philly. I believe it was then that we were going to give him some minutes. He’s very healthy right now. He’s continued to perform his lifting and is keeping his cardio up. But he feels real good and he worked extremely hard with our performance people on the strength in his knee. So far, all the reports are real positive. He’s healthy right now. If something started up, he’d be ready to go.

What’s the general approach to managing his tendonitis, something that often can’t be completely healed and has to be managed over time?

It’s something that you have to be aware of. We are. His strengthening program has been excellent. He’s gotten stronger with the knee. That's a positive thing. Yes, we’re always on top of it. I think we have a terrific medical and performance staff that is aware of all of the players and they can do and what they can’t do with them. With Luke, he’s a talent. I’ve liked him since I got here. He has gotten better every year and in the games, I don’t know how many games he played this year but in those games I felt he proved he was a legitimate starter in the NBA. He’s progressing definitely in the right way.

[ Christian Wood's breakout shouldn't be stopped by coronavirus. Here's why ]

What’s the hope with Christian Wood, who had a breakout year and will hit the open market this offseason?

Christian, we feel we made a real nice decision to pick him up off waivers. I can’t talk about him in the free agent market because he is an unrestricted free agent. We like what Christian did for us and we’ll have to see what happens when the marketplace opens up.

Contact Omari Sankofa II at osankofa@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @omarisankofa. Read more on the Detroit Pistons and sign up for our Pistons newsletter.