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.
Detroit Pistons: Scouting report on Hamidou Diallo
Strengths: Most fans know Diallo from winning the Slam Dunk Contest in 2019, showing his elite athleticism along the way. Remember him jumping over Shaq?
Diallo is a 6-foot-5 guard/wing with a massive wingspan, which is something that Troy Weaver clearly likes as an attribute, as he has been grabbing guys who fit this profile.
Diallo can get up and down the floor and thrives in transition, where he gets most of his buckets.
He has the tools to be an elite defender, though he still needs some improvement in that area. He gives Detroit another lengthy guy to put on the perimeter, showing that the Pistons are trying to build around defense first, which I love.
Diallo is a restricted free agent, but he is only 22-years-old, so he is a guy the Pistons might take a chance on long term. I especially love that he has improved every season he’s been in the league and his numbers are way up across the board this year as he got more minutes.
He is up to 11.9 points and 5.2 rebounds in just under 24 minutes a game, all marked improvements over last season. Grabbing guys on the end of their rookie deals who have not yet come close to their ceiling is a solid strategy for Detroit, as they can potentially get all of their prime years for cheap.
This is a guy whose best days are still ahead of him and he’ll get a chance to thrive in Detroit in an expanded role much like Grant and Jackson have.
Weaknesses: Diallo definitely won’t help Detroit’s woeful 3-point shooting as he is not much of a shooter from anywhere on the floor, including the foul line.
Diallo has never had much of an offensive game in the half court and though he is a good rebounder for his size, he is not going to blow by guys off the dribble or set up teammates much.
He is more of a slasher and rim runner, so there is some question about his offensive game and whether it will ever get there. He showed the ability to hit spot-up 3-pointers in college but it has not translated to the NBA.
The shot is often the last thing to come around and there is a long history of players improving in that area, so Diallo still has a lot of upside and could get a lot better, similar to Jerami Grant, though Grant has always been a better shooter.
How Hamidou Diallo fits on the Detroit Pistons
I love that Troy Weaver is targeting guys with big wingspans, and now has a ton of them in Bey, Grant, Jackson, Lee and now Diallo.
Diallo should be able to play and defend multiple spots, so he can fit in with a number of lineups. He could fit as a big shooting guard with Killian Hayes which would give Detroit a huge and athletic backcourt that can defend all over.
The league is trending towards position-less wings who can defend multiple spots and Detroit is starting to amass a nice collection of them.
I think Weaver has a vision for this team that includes having a lot of long, athletic and versatile players who play defense. Defense is something that doesn’t go hot and cold and is generally the foundation of all of the good teams.
If you look at all of the top teams in the standings, they are also the top teams in defensive rating and that is not a coincidence.
Good defense not only slows down the other team but creates easy shots on the other end. I see Diallo as an up and coming potentially elite defender who gives Detroit another long athlete to compete on the perimeter.
I love this trade for the Detroit Pistons and think Troy Weaver may have found another steal, especially if they can lock Diallo up to a team-friendly contract in the offseason.