The Pistons are truly in a position to take the best player available, and they probably will do just that. But it would be serendipitous if the best player filled one of three needs: An athletic young big man to add to Amir Johnson and Cheick Samb to protect against aging in a frontcourt that could still include Chris Webber (34), Rasheed Wallace and Antonio McDyess (both 33 by the time next season begins.)

They could also use an athletic wing man in a draft that appears heavy in them and a backup point guard capable of giving Chauncey Billups more consistent rest, especially if Lindsey Hunter decides to retire and assume a front-office position awaiting him.

There is an absolute certainty that two players – Greg Oden and Kevin Durant – will be long gone by the 15th pick and a high probability that eight others will be off the board as well: Florida’s Al Horford, Corey Brewer and Joakim Noah; point guard Mike Conley of Ohio State; Chinese 7-footer Yi Jianlian; North Carolina power forward Brandan Wright; and wings Jeff Green of Georgetown and Julian Wright of Kansas.

Likely to be gone are Florida State wing Al Thornton and Washington center Spencer Hawes. That makes 12 players probably out of reach for the Pistons. The next group would include point guards Acie Law of Texas A&M and Javarris Crittenton of Georgia Tech; Crittenton’s freshman teammate, wing Thaddeus Young; shooting guards Nick Young of Southern Cal, Rodney Stuckey of Eastern Washington and Morris Almond of Rice; and big men Sean Williams of Boston College, Jason Smith of Colorado State, Josh McRoberts of Duke and Brazilian Tiago Splitter.

It’s possible one or more from that group could even fall to 27th, where the Pistons might be willing to gamble on a player with a high ceiling and a low floor – a boom-or-bust type.

The Pistons also have their own pick late in the second round and could end up with Minnesota’s pick early in the second round, though it’s more likely the Timberwolves – who could wait until next year to hand over that pick – will keep it for themselves.

Dale Davis is thought likely to retire, though the 16-year veteran has not indicated which way he’s leaning. Hunter has one year left on his contract but might make the move to management.

Chris Webber will be a free agent and the Pistons do not have his “Bird rights,” which means they’re in the same position as the 29 other teams with him. And because they’ll be over the salary cap, the most they could offer him would be the mid-level exception, which calls for a first-year salary of approximately $5 million. It’s not very likely that Webber, given his age and health concerns, would command more on the open market. The more plausible alternative for Webber is retirement.

Antonio McDyess can opt out of the final year of his contract, but it’s probable that he’ll return to the Pistons in any case. Either the Pistons will add another year or two to his contract or negotiate a new deal for two or three years in anticipation of McDyess opting out.

The elephant in the room, of course, is Billups’ situation. He is certain to opt out of the final year of his contract, and it remains to be seen what his market value might be. The model for Billups’ deal is likely to be the one Steve Nash signed three years ago at a similar age when he left Dallas for Phoenix. A starting salary somewhere in the $12 million range is likely with a term of four or five years probable.

If Webber retires – or even if he decides to continue playing – the Pistons would have the discretion of using their mid-level exception on another veteran free agent. And that determination possibly would be shaped by what the Pistons acquire in the draft.

It’s going to come down to one thing for Dumars: Does the current core only need augmentation to contend for future titles or does it need overhauling?

If Billups stays, Dumars might be perfectly comfortable going forward with his core – Billups, Prince, Hamilton and Wallace – and focus efforts to improve on upgrading the roster in spots five through 10.

As part of that assessment, Dumars must decide if young talent in the pipeline – Jason Maxiell, Carlos Delfino, Johnson and Samb – is ready to contribute more next season or if veteran talent must be brought in over them to bridge the gap until they are more polished.

Samb’s case bears watching. He remains under contract for one more season to his Spanish league team, but it’s at his option. After adding 30 pounds of bulk and returning with a bang from an ankle injury, Samb’s Spanish team has indicated an interest in signing him to a long-term contract. His preference, most likely, is to play in the NBA. But are the Pistons ready to bring him over now or not? That’s a decision to be made.

The Pistons are very high on Johnson, who just turned 20 and might still be growing at 6-foot-11. An instinctive shot-blocker and uncanny scorer around the rim, Johnson needs to gain consistency and range on his outside shot and add bulk to avoid constant foul trouble. How much he progresses over the summer could determine how comfortable Dumars would be with Johnson as part of the big-man rotation next season.

The other wild card is 2005 second-round draft choice Alex Acker, who the Pistons felt was one of the two best Americans in the Euroleague this year. If they have a roster spot for him, Acker would opt out of his Greek contract for next year. That determination is probably contingent on the draft.

It’s all going to make for a very hectic summer for Dumars – his busiest in five years. Here’s hoping it turns out as well as the summer of 2002.