The Detroit Pistons kicked off the trade season by sending Svi Mykhailiuk to the Oklahoma City Thunder for Hamidou Diallo, who could be a steal.
The deal was first reported by Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN:
Oklahoma City is trading guard Hamidou Diallo to Detroit for forward Svi Mykhailiuk and a 2027 second-round pick, sources tell ESPN.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) March 13, 2021
The deal will reportedly send the struggling Mykhailiuk and a 2027 second-rounder to the Thunder in exchange for Diallo.
On paper, this is not a deal that is going to shake the foundations of the league since both guys are going to be restricted free agents at the end of the season and the second-round pick is currently in the 6th grade.
But like all Troy Weaver deals, there may be more to it than meets the eye, as Diallo is an ascending player who fits the mold of what the Pistons are trying to build.
Detroit Pistons: Troy Weaver has an eye for undervalued talent
Troy Weaver has shown a sharp eye for undervalued talent since joining the Pistons as GM. He went hard after Jerami Grant which has proven to be a smart choice.
He saw value in Mason Plumlee, Delon Wright, Josh Jackson and Wayne Ellington, which has worked out so far.
He grabbed Isaiah Stewart and traded for Saddiq Bey before adding Saben Lee in the second round, all of which are looking like good choices.
In other words, I trust that Troy Weaver did his homework on Diallo and went after him for a reason.
The fact that he was able to get him for practically nothing is even better, as Svi Mykhailiuk has been largely disappointing and second-round picks in 2027 are hardly going to make or break a franchise.
Let’s take a closer look at Diallo to see what he can bring to the Detroit Pistons and if they view him as a piece of the core moving forward.