Hamidou Diallo

Now in his third season in the NBA, Hamidou Diallo is in the final year of his contract with the Oklahoma City Thunder and is likely playing for a roster spot for next year. Outside of Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Darius Bazley and Luguentz Dort, nobody’s future in OKC is certain, especially given their willingness to trade players for first-round picks. 

Who knows what GM Sam Presti and the Thunder’s front-office have planned moving forward, but if they can get another first-round pick and a possible young talent in Talen Horton-Tucker in exchange for a guy like Hamidou Diallo, they would likely pounce on the opportunity. 

So far this season, Hamidou Diallo is averaging 11.1 points, 4.7 rebounds, 1.0 steal and is shooting 52.9% from the floor off-the-bench. The high-flying, athletic guard has a lot of potential to grow into a really solid player in the NBA for years to come, which is why the Lakers should act on him now. 

Talen Horton-Tucker and Kostas Antetokounmpo are the only players on the Lakers roster under the age of 25, as they are 20 and 23 respectively, which is why adding the 22-year old Diallo makes a lot of sense. He can contribute immediately off-the-bench in their title defense season and moving forward could be an affordable option for the Lakers to re-sign in the offseason, giving them a young player to develop and play around with moving forward. 

Given his upside and his current production, Hamidou Diallo is a very affordable and real trade target for the Los Angeles Lakers. They should have no problem striking a deal with the Thunder to acquire him, giving them yet another reliable wing on their guard/wing on their bench.