DETROIT — Pistons general manager Troy Weaver began to put his stamp on remaking the roster on Wednesday with his first NBA draft since coming over from the Oklahoma City Thunder.
Weaver already had the No. 7 pick in the draft, but he didn't waste time in jump-starting the rebuild. He negotiated a pair of trades to bolster the cache of assets, adding the No. 16 and No. 19 pick as well.
With the seventh pick, the Pistons selected Killian Hayes, a 6-foot-5 point guard who played at Ulm in Germany. Hayes, 19, has been projected in the top 10 during most of the lead-up to the draft and Weaver pounced on the opportunity to get the franchise's point guard of the future.
Hayes pairs well with last year's first-round pick, 19-year-old Sekou Doumbouya, who is also from France. Hayes was born in Lakeland, Fla., but moved back to France with his family, where he has been playing professionally since early in his teenage years.
With the rookie-contract slots, Hayes is in line for a four-year deal worth $24.1 million, with $10.9 million guaranteed.
The first three picks in the draft went as projected, with Anthony Edwards, James Wiseman and LaMelo Ball. The next three picks were a surprise, with Patrick Williams, Isaac Okoro and Onyeka Okongwu, setting the Pistons up to have several players they prized available. That included another highly regarded point guard, Tyrese Haliburton, who was projected to be gone before the seventh pick.
Weaver stuck to the draft board and set the Pistons up at a needed position. With Derrick Rose as the only experienced point guard on the roster, Hayes doesn't have to step into the starting lineup immediately and can learn the ropes.
"I think his size his passing ability and his craft in the paint are all things that that really stand out, and he's been scouted as much as any international prospect in this draft, not just in Germany, but he's been on the radar for so long," ESPN draft analyst Mike Schmitz said this week. "He's kind of a known commodity around the NBA."
Hayes has extensive international experience and is known for his pick-and-roll ability. With his 6-8 wingspan, he can become a solid defender for the Pistons on the perimeter.
Before the draft, the Pistons acquired veteran forward Trevor Ariza and the No. 16 pick from the Houston Rockets in exchange for a future first-round pick, according to ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski.
With the 16th pick, the Pistons selected center Isaiah Stewart, who played at Washington. Stewart (6-9, 250 pounds) has a 7-foot-4 wingspan. He could fit into the Pistons' plans as a small-ball center and is noted for his ability to set screens and defend in the post.
The Pistons also traded Luke Kennard to the Clippers for the No. 19 pick, which they had received from the Brooklyn Nets for Landry Shamet. With that choice, the Pistons took wing Saddiq Bey.
Bey, a 6-foot-8 combo forward, has a 6-11 wingspan and played two seasons at Villanova. He shot 45% on 3-pointers (on 6.7 attempts) last season. His versatility will be a valuable addition to the roster, fitting with Weaver's philosophy of lengthy wings who can switch defensively.
Ariza, 35, is a solid forward who averaged eight points and 4.6 rebounds and shot 37% on 3-pointers with the Portland Trail Blazers and Sacramento Kings last season. Ariza was dealt to the Rockets this week as part of a trade for Robert Covington.
The move is partly a salary dump for the Pistons, as Ariza is entering the final year of his contract and is due $12.8 million. Previously, only $1.8 million of it the contract was guaranteed, but in matching salaries in the Covington trade, the guarantee could be about $7.1 million.
Yahoo Sports' Vincent Goodwill reported that the future first-round pick the Pistons are sending is protected 1-16 in the first four years, 1-10 in the next two and top nine in year seven and then to a second-round pick if it's not conveyed by then.
Wojnarowski added that the move will allow the Rockets, who are hard-capped, to use their midlevel exception during free agency.
Additionally, Wojnarowski reported that the Rockets are purchasing the Pistons' 2021 second-round pick, acquired from the Los Angeles Lakers, for $4.6 million.
