The Detroit Pistons dealt away Isaiah Stewart to the Memphis Grizzlies for a collection of future draft picks
During the first day of the 2026 NBA Draft, the Detroit Pistons dealt three second-rounders as well as their first round selection (No. 21 overall) to the Grizzlies for the chance to move up to 17th overall in order to snag Stanford Ebuka Okorie in round one. But just one day later, the Pistons re-acquired three future second-rounders from the Grizzlies in exchange for Isaiah Stewart, an elite rim protector who found himself embroiled in trade talks over the last month.
Clearly, Pistons President of Basketball Operations Trajan Langdon is just beginning what should be an incredibly active offseason for Detroit. Heading into the summer, the Pistons were rumored to be shopping Stewart around in order to bring some three-point shooting talent into the Motor City. This trade, however, only clears cap space heading into free agency, so it does give the organization a bit more wiggle room when negotiating contracts, such as the restricted free agent deal that Jalen Duren will be receiving.
Last season, Stewart averaged 10 points and five rebounds per game, but his primary contributions came on the defensive side of the ball. Stewart posted the top defensive rim percentage in the league (47% allowed), which was good enough for first place by a wide margin. In fact, Stewart was in the discussion for Defensive Player of the Year in the first half of the season, and he seemed like a quality choice for the All-Defensive team if not for his inability to hit the league’s 65-game requirement for awards.
With regards to this deal, it is interesting that the Pistons parted ways with a trio of second-rounders yesterday only to gain three more second-rounders on day two of the draft. In essence, Detroit traded Beef Stew (and his $15 million salary) and the No. 21 overall pick for Okorie, which speaks to how much the Pistons valued the Stanford guard in this cycle.
Last year, the Pistons regularly utilized Paul Reed as part of a three-man center rotation, and B-Ball Paul stepped up mightily in the playoffs when All-Star Jalen Duren began to struggle. With Duren’s postseason effectiveness dropping, Reed picked up the slack and delivered a series of impactful performances that actually begged the question as to whether he should start one (or more) games against the Cleveland Cavs in the Eastern Conference Semifinals.
Given that playoff performance, Reed likely made it a bit easier for the Pistons to trade Stewart to another squad. It’s difficult for any team to balance three quality centers on their roster, and head coach J.B. Bickerstaff clearly does not have interest in trying out Stewart or Reed at the four.
Free agency in the NBA opens up on June 30, so the Pistons will have a little less than a week to devise a strategy as to which players and what traits they will be targeting during July and August. So far, Detroit has added a point guard who is elite in terms of self-creation while remaining clever and crafty enough to involve his teammates in the half-court as well, so the Pistons should still be in the market for three-point shooting and a long-term answer at the four with Tobias Harris entering unrestricted free agency as well.
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