The Oklahoma City Thunder will swap Hamidou Diallo for the Detroit Pistons in exchange for Svi Mykhailiuk and a second round in 2027 that originally belonged to the Houston Rockets, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. Both Mykahiliuk and Diallo will be restricted free agents during the season, and apparently neither of their teams intended to retain them. By swapping them, everyone will audition for their new young wing for a few months before deciding if they are worth a long-term commitment.
Mykhailiuk shot more than 40 percent on three points last season, but dropped back to 33.3 percent this season. Mykhailiuk is not an off-ball shooter. He has shown his spot handling in Kansas as well as internationally, but in the NBA, most of his value is in shooting. That decline probably spent him on the Pistons.
Diallo scored a career-best 11.9 points per game this season. Unlike Mykhailiuk, he has never been an effective shooter, but he compensates for that with his incredible athletics. It gives him a lot more head as a defender, and Diallo has even posted a surprising 2.4 assists per game this season. He’s still a bit raw, but the Pistons bet they can help his development like another former Thunder forward: Jerami Grant.
The NBA trade deadline is still two weeks away, but the Thunder and Pistons must both be active as sellers. They are both at the bottom of the list in their respective conferences, but given their build-up of concepts and young talent, it is also not far from returning to respect. This agreement may not greatly improve one or another team’s raw talent, but it does give both a chance to see if the other’s young wing could possibly be a part of their future. Here’s how both teams will rate in the agreement:
Thunder: B +
Oklahoma City need a lot of shooting, but more urgently they need to shoot young. The Thunder are fifth in the NBA in three-point attempts, but no. 28 in 3-point percentage. Two of the five players on their rankings who have scored at least 50 three-pointers this season are Al Horford, 34, who is not part of the team’s long-term vision, and Mike Muscala, a minimum-wage player who offers little. . otherwise on the floor. Darius Bazley caught fire in the Orlando bubble, but is down 29 percent versus 3 this season, and Lu Dort was very streaky. After starting the season by shooting above 43 percent in his first 14 games, he fell in his next ten to 17 percent before rising in his last 12 to 34 percent. Eventually, the Thunder will actually have to start shooting.
Where Mykhailiuk actually ends up as a shooter is still something of a mystery. He is probably slightly better than the 33.3 percent this season would suggest, but slightly worse than the 40.4 percent from last season. If he identifies himself as an above-average shooter with a secondary value of playmaking, he will at least be able to remain as a rotation player. Even as Diallo gets better, which is no certainty, his weakness as a shooter has made his long-term pace at Dort and Bazley untenable. The Thunder simply would not keep him this season, so it was a good decision to fit him better. Oklahoma City now has two months to determine whether or not Mykhailiuk is part of his future? They essentially win a second round for Diallo instead of losing him for free in the free agency.
Pistons: B
The Pistons do not exactly have a shooting surplus. They finished 25th in a 3-point percentage, and the Killian Hayes lottery in 2020 falls primarily at number 7 because of his dubious shooting. Diallo is not going to help on that front, but the Pistons do not have the luxury of pickiness that the Thunder do. Oklahoma City can afford to throw away lottery tickets because of its overwhelming draft surplus over the next few seasons. The Pistons, who have no guaranteed future All-Stars, have to swing where they pose.
This is what Diallo is for Detroit: a shot at a core athlete who continues to grow into the player he will one day be. The Thunder tend to identify such players, and the Pistons have already wiped out one of them successfully. Three seasons ago, Grant was a 29 percent three-point shooter who earned his defense with the Thunder. Now he’s a Border All-Star. If Detroit trusts it can lead Diallo through similar growth, it’s worth the risk.
Even if Diallo has already reached a peak, it is not as if Mykhailiuk is irreplaceable. Detroit will have approximately two maximum salary gaps in the summer of 2022, assuming they make no further commitments. Detroit can use the space to add shooting if necessary, and keeping Diallo will not cut too deep into it. Mykahiliuk fits better at the moment, but the Pistons do not have to think about this moment. They plan ahead. Mykahiliuk’s skill set is replaceable. Diallo’s talent may not be. In their eyes, it makes him the wiser investment in the long run.