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The Oklahoma City Thunder will trade Hamidou Diallo to the Detroit Pistons in exchange for Svi Mykhailiuk and a 2027 second-round pick originally owned by the Houston Rockets, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. Mykahiliuk and Diallo will both be limited free agents this offseason, and apparently neither of their teams have plans to hold them back. By swapping them, everyone will be able to audition their new young wing for a few months before deciding if it’s worth a long-term commitment.
Mykhailiuk shot over 40% from 3 points last season, but is down to 33.3% this season. Mykhailiuk is not strictly an off-the-ball shooter. He’s shown his ball-handling skills both collegially in Kansas and internationally, but in the NBA shooting is where most of his value will come from. That drop probably made it unnecessary for the Pistons.
Diallo is averaging a career record 11.9 points per game this season. Unlike Mykhailiuk, he was never an effective shooter, but makes up for it with his incredible athleticism. It gives him a lot more advantage as a defender, and Diallo has even registered 2.4 assists per game this season as well. He’s still a little raw, but the Pistons are betting they can help him develop like they did with another former Thunder forward: Jerami Grant.
The NBA trade deadline is still two weeks away, but both the Thunder and Pistons are expected to be active as sellers. They’re both low in the standings in their respective conferences, but given their build-up of draft picks and young talent, neither is particularly far from returning to respectability. This deal might not improve the raw talent of either team much, but it does give both of them a chance to see if the other’s young wing could potentially be a part of their future. Here’s how the two teams rank in the deal:
Thunder: B +
Oklahoma City is in dire need of a shoot, but more urgently, they need young shoots. The Thunder ranks fifth in the NBA in 3-point attempts, but No. 28 in 3-point percentage. Two of the five players in their roster who have made at least 50 3 points this season are Al Horford, who is 34 and not part of the team’s long-term vision, and Mike Muscala, a minimum wage player. which provides little else on the floor. Darius Bazley caught fire in the Orlando bubble, but fell to 29% from 3 this season, and Lu Dort has been extremely streaking. Having started the season shooting above 43% in his first 14 games, he has fallen to 17% in his next 10 before climbing back to 34% in his last 12. Eventually, the Thunder will have to start shooting.
Where Mykhailiuk actually lands as a shooter remains a mystery. He’s probably slightly better than this season’s 33.3% rating would suggest, but slightly worse than last season’s 40.4%. If he settles down as an above average shooter with a secondary play value, he will at least be able to stay as a rotation player. Even though Diallo ends up being better, which is not a certainty, his weakness as a shooter has made his long-term fight alongside Dort and Bazley untenable. The Thunder just weren’t going to hold him back in the offseason, so returning him for a better fit was a good move. Oklahoma City now has two months to determine if Mykhailiuk is part of its future, and if not? They are essentially collecting a second round pick for Diallo rather than losing him for nothing in free will.
Pistons: B
The Pistons don’t exactly have excess fire. They placed 25th with a 3-point percentage and 2020 lottery pick Killian Hayes fell to 7th largely due to his questionable shot. Diallo won’t help on that front, but the Pistons don’t have the luxury of being tough as the Thunder. Oklahoma City can afford to throw away lottery tickets due to its huge surplus in the draw over the next few seasons. The Pistons, devoid of guaranteed future All-Stars, must take swings where they present themselves.
That’s what Diallo is in Detroit: a shot at a nuclear athlete becoming the player he will someday be. The Thunder tend to be pretty good at identifying such players, and the Pistons have already managed to drag one of them. Three seasons ago, Grant was a 29% 3-point shooter who made a living defending with the Thunder. Now he’s a borderline All-Star. If Detroit hopes to be able to guide Diallo through similar growth, it’s an interesting bet.
Even though Diallo is already in his prime, it’s not like Mykhailiuk is irreplaceable. Detroit will have something close to two maximum pay slots in the summer of 2022, assuming they don’t make any more commitments by then. Detroit can use that space to add shots if needed, and keeping Diallo won’t do it too deep. Mykahiliuk is the best fit right now, but the Pistons don’t need to think about it right now. They plan ahead. Mykahiliuk’s skill set is replaceable. Diallo’s talent might not be. In their eyes, this makes it the best investment in the long term.
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