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Pistons draft trio in first round

This April 22, 2017 file photo shows Cholet's Killian Hayes shooting during the French Cup under-17 final between Cholet and Chalon-sur-Saone in Paris. Hayes was drafted by the Detroit Pistons in the first round of the NBA Draft, Wednesday night. (AP Photo, File)

DETROIT (AP) — If there were any doubt that new general manager Troy Weaver would be willing to shake up the Detroit Pistons, it’s obvious now.

Detroit agreed to trade guard Luke Kennard to the Los Angeles Clippers in a deal that brought the No. 19 pick in Wednesday night’s draft to the Pistons.

The trade gave Detroit a third first-round pick. The Pistons took point guard Killian Hayes at No. 7 and ended up with Isaiah Stewart from Washington at No. 16 after agreeing to a trade for that pick. Saddiq Bey from Villanova was the selection at No. 19.

This is Detroit’s first offseason under Weaver, who was hired this year. The Pistons still have Blake Griffin, but they traded big man Andre Drummond last season and bought out point guard Reggie Jackson. Detroit has not won a playoff game since 2008 and went 20-46 last season.

Now Kennard — who averaged 15.8 points a game last season — is on the way out, and the Pistons have a trio of first-round picks who might help them rebuild.

In addition to the trade with the Clippers, Detroit also agreed to a deal with Houston. The Pistons acquired the 16th pick and Trevor Ariza for a future first-round selection.

The 6-foot-5 Hayes was one of the draft’s top international prospects. He was born in Florida but grew up in western France.

Hayes, a 19-year-old lefty who has played in France and Germany, has good size for his position. He averaged 11.6 points and 5.3 assists per game in 2019-20 in Germany’s top league. The 6-foot-9 Stewart averaged 17 points last season as a freshman at Washington. He had 14 double-doubles, tied for the most in the Pac-12.

The 6-foot-8 Bey averaged 16.1 points as a sophomore at Villanova.

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