Is Hamidou Diallo tradebait or part of Detroit Pistons future?

Hamidou Diallo has played well as a starter in place of Jerami Grant. Could he be making himself a valuable piece of the Detroit Pistons future, or attractive to other NBA teams for a trade?

This past summer, at the beginning of the free agent period, Hamidou Diallo was expecting a big pay day. He just turned 23-years-old,  and the 6-foot-5 swingman was a super-athletic defensive stopper. He was also coming off a good offensive season, playing for Oklahoma City and then Detroit, averaging 11.6 points a game.

Teams usually pay good money for a player like that.

However, as teams in free agency began signing players to massive contracts (deserving of it or not), that usually wiped out their remaining salary cap space. Thus, the market for Diallo shrank.

Finally, on July 27, Diallo signed back with Detroit, but on a team-friendly deal. He gets paid $5 million this year and the team has an option for the 2022-23 season for another $5 million. Considering it was projected Diallo would sign for $10-13 million at the beginning of the free agency period, it was a bit of a disappointment for him, but good news for Detroit.

Diallo had come to the Pistons last year when their playoff were gone and they were just playing the kids for experience. He did well, even shooting way above his average on three-pointers, but, at the beginning of this season, with the veterans back in the rotation, his playing time was not the same as it had been.

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He was none too pleased about it, but began seeing some time and, with the injury to Grant, is now starting.

Even though he is playing out of position most of the time at power forward, Diallo has done well. He scored 15 points and was a +16 in the win over Miami. Against the Knicks,, a good defensive squad, he scored 10 points and played excellent defense on All-Star Julius Randle.

Acting head coach Rex Kalamian praised Diallo after the Knicks game:

Since Grant is for at least another month, Diallo will be counted on to help fill the gap on a height-deprived team, even though he is just 6-5.

The question is, what happens when Grant, as well as as forward/center Kelly Olynyk, are healthy enough to return.

Other teams will be calling general manager Troy Weaver for some playoff help before the February trade deadline. The NBA is very balanced, with many teams having playoff hopes. Since the Pistons are one of the few teams looking to the future, they will be sellers on trades.

Considering Josh Jackson, who is a free agent at the end of the season, plays a similar game, Weaver could deal Diallo and re-sign Jackson, for probably a decent price. One thing is for sure, the Pistons will not carry both Jackson and Diallo next season. There is no point.

So the question is:

Should the Detroit Pistons trade Hamidou Diallo or keep him?

A. He is outta here

The case for it: Unlike other tanking teams like Houston and Oklahoma City, the Pistons do not have a large cache of draft choices. Actually, they owe Houston (since traded to OKC) a first-round pick in the near future as part of the Saddiq Bey trade, and currently have no first-rounders except their own.

If Weaver can get even like a protected 2027 first rounder for Diallo, he needs to grab it. Assets will be needed in the future to swing big trades. Detroit will have plenty of salary cap space after this season, but a choice draft pick or two will also entice clubs to send top-notch players Detroit’s way.

Now is the time to trade Diallo, the market will never be better.

B. Are you crazy, Diallo is part of the future. Keep him!

The case for it: At some point (hopefully soon), the Pistons will be shooting for the playoffs, and maybe even higher. Diallo is the type of player contending teams find useful: able to play multiple positions, a great defender, someone who can score off the ball, plus knock in the occasional three-ball.

With a bargain-basement contract, Diallo should be kept as a building block as part of the Pistons ‘restoration’.

Since he just turned 23, Diallo has a lot of years to go in his NBA career, no reason it should not be spent in the Motor City for a while. What is the point of trading him, when you will need someone just like him soon enough.

That Diallo is even be discussed as a possible trade chip is a compliment to his recent play. If he continues to do well, he will help Detroit either way, by getting some good assets for the club, or with his play now and in the future.