The Oklahoma City Thunder have traded guard Hamidou Diallo to the Detroit Pistons for forward Svi Mykhailiuk and a 2027 second-round draft pick via the Houston Rockets, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.
Diallo had been having the best season of his career for the Thunder. Primarily coming off the bench, he averaged 11.9 points, 5.2 rebounds and 2.4 assists in 23.8 minutes per game.
With Diallo’s impending restricted free agency approaching, the Thunder would have had to issue him a qualifying offer and may have had to fight for his rights this offseason.
He is traded to the Pistons and general manager Troy Weaver, who was an assistant general manager for the Thunder from 2008-2019 and then president of basketball operations in 2020 before accepting the Detroit GM job.
In return, the Thunder acquire Mykhailiuk, a 23-year-old small forward who is now entering his third NBA team in as many seasons. The No. 47 overall pick in 2018, Mykhailiuk played 42 games for the Lakers as a rookie before being traded to the Pistons.
Over 56 games last year with Detroit, Mykhailiuk shot 40.4% from 3 on 5.1 attempts per game. He averaged 9.0 points, 1.9 rebounds and 1.9 assists and started 27 games.
He has not played nearly as well this season, averaging 6.9 points on 33.3% 3-point shooting. His minutes have dropped to just 17.6 per game.
Mykhailiuk will also be a restricted free agent this offseason.
In making this trade, Oklahoma City’s guards next to Shai Gilgeous-Alexander will be Theo Maledon and Ty Jerome. Wings including Lu Dort, Kenrich Williams and Justin Jackson can also play the 2, as can the 6-foot-7 Mykhailiuk.
The second-round pick via Houston originates from the sign-and-trade in which the Rockets acquired Christian Wood from Detroit this offseason.
It adds onto general manger Sam Presti’s stockpile of draft picks. The Thunder now have three 2027 second-round picks — their own, the Rockets’ and one from the Indiana Pacers.
This post originally appeared on OKCThunderWire. Follow us on Facebook!
