Detroit Pistons Waive 2020 Top-Ten Pick Killian Hayes

Detroit Pistons Waive 2020 Top-Ten Pick Killian Hayes

The Detroit Pistons have waived point guard Killian Hayes. The Pistons were far over the NBA roster limit after a handful of trades and Hayes was one of the players waived to get to 15 players.

The Athletic Pistons beat reporter James L. Edwards III was among the first to break the news.

Sources tell me and @ShamsCharania that The Pistons are waiving Killian Hayes, the No. 7 pick in 2020.

— James L. Edwards III (@JLEdwardsIII) February 8, 2024

The Pistons made four trades before the NBA trade deadline. The four deals lead to the Pistons having 19 players under contract. The Pistons waived Hayes, Joe Harris, Danuel House Jr., and Ryan Arcidiacono to cut the roster down to 15 players.

Hayes’ release comes days after his camp requested a trade. The fact the Pistons released him likely signals the team was unable to find a trade for the 22-year-old.

The Pistons selected Hayes with the No. 7 pick in the 2020 NBA Draft. In his time as a Piston, Hayes did not live up to the expectation that comes with a top-ten selection.

Hayes currently has the lowest +/- since the start of the decade. At -1240, he did not contribute much to winning basketball. In fairness, the Pistons’ team struggles did not help Hayes’ numbers.

Fun fact: Killian Hayes has the lowest +/- of any player in the 2020s. pic.twitter.com/8dLjeeKG4W

— StatMuse (@statmuse) February 8, 2024

Hayes finished his Pistons’ career averaging 8.1 points, 5.2 assists, and 2.9 rebounds while shooting 38.2 percent from the field and 27.7 percent from deep. The porous shooting numbers are reflective of Hayes’ biggest problem in Detroit. In simplest terms, he significantly struggled to put that ball in the basket. That is not ideal for a ball-centric point guard.

Hayes had highs and lows throughout his career. At his peak, he seemed like a viable rotational option that could provide defense and passing off the bench. The issue was that Hayes did not look like an NBA-caliber player at his low points.

2023-24 NBA Trade Deadline Tracker

Hayes may have potential suitors as a free agent. It certainly will not be a free agent; however, a bottom-tier team may take a flyer for the remainder of the season.

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