Did Kelly Olynyk suddenly become a valuable trade chip for Pistons?

What is Kelly Olynyk’s trade value?

The first place to look at how much you could get trading Kelly Olynyk is look aback to March 25, when Olynyk was traded by Miami to Houston.

Along with Avery Bradley, Olynyk was sent to Houston for Victor Oladipo and a first-round pick swap.

Oladipo was a star player at Indiana but has trailed off since suffering a bad leg injury. But he was still popping 18 points a game for the Rockets at the time, however.

Since Oladipo is a vet, it is not a great comparison. If Weaver wanted a veteran, he would simply keep Olynyk. And the Pistons are not looking for a pick swap, since they should have a very high draft choice this year.

A better comparison from trade deadline day 2021 is Milwaukee acquiring P.J. Tucker, a veteran forward who has a nice three-point shot.

Tucker, along with Rodions Kurucs, came to the Bucks, along with their own 2022 first-round pick, which had previously been traded away. The Rockets got D.J. Augustin, D.J. Wilson, the Bucks’ 2023 first-round pick (unprotected), and the right to swap their own 2021 second-round pick with the Bucks’ 2021 first-round pick (top-nine protected).

It was a lot of draft picks and swaps, which be just fine with Detroit, who could use more draft choices.  Augustin and Wilson were in to make the salaries match. Tucker helped Milwaukee win the NBA championship, so it worked out for them as well.

Olynyk is four years younger than Tucker, and can play center or forward, while Tucker is strictly a forward, so the Pistons should get even more in a deal for Olynyk.