After spending the last four seasons with the Oklahoma City Thunder, sharp-shooting guard Isaiah Joe is officially going to continue his career with the Detroit Pistons
Although the news has been out for a few days now, the Detroit Pistons officially confirmed that they’ve traded for former Oklahoma City Thunder guard Isaiah Joe earlier today. In order to get the deal done, the Pistons only had to fork over a pair of future second round draft picks, so the price tag for Joe was actually relatively inexpensive considering the perimeter gravity that he will bring to the Motor City.
As an Arkansas product who spent the first two years of his career with the Philadelphia 76ers, Joe developed into a player deserving of regular playing time over the last four seasons with the Thunder. During that timeframe, Joe knocked down triples at a 40% rate every year he was with the Thunder while floating around 20 minutes per game while in the Western Conference, so the former NBA Champions clearly saw value in having the 6-4 shooting guard on the court.
Last season, Joe’s three-point clip increased to 42.3% on six attempts from beyond the arc per game, which is a rate that ranked among the league’s best. And considering the Pistons struggled in that particular facet for all of the 2025-26 campaign (outside of Duncan Robinson), adding Joe for just a pair of second-rounders down the line is a low-risk, high-reward type of move that can pay immense dividends for Detroit moving forward.
According to the Pistons’ press release, Joe ranked fifth among all bench players last season with 157 three-pointers during the regular season as a reserve, which is a testament to his status as a microwave-sequence player who can fill the bucket without requiring an exorbitant amount of playing time. When the Pistons need Joe to deliver off the bench, he’s shown that he will be ready when his number is called.
And speaking of having his number called, Joe is reportedly going to wear No. 17 while in the Pistons’ red, white and blue for those that are already anxious to pick up a jersey for the team’s newest trade acquisition.
In addition to announcing Joe’s arrival, the Pistons also confirmed that they’ve signed first round draft pick Ebuka Okorie and second round selection Ogunna Onyenso to rookie contract as well, so it’s been a busy day for the Detroit brass. Okorie is obviously on a guaranteed deal since he was chosen at No. 17 overall after the Pistons traded up in the draft with the Memphis Grizzlies, whereas Onyenso inked a two-way deal that will give Detroit the opportunity to play the shot-swatting center in the G-League if they so choose.
In total, these three moves each address a different need that the Pistons had entering the offseason. Okorie is a self-creation merchant in the best way possible after averaging over 23 points per game as a freshman at Stanford, and Onyenso also eclipsed two blocks per game while suiting up for Virginia last season. Joe, on the other hand, is a three-point sniper who can space the floor on offense for a Detroit squad that struggled with that aspect of the game during the postseason.
Now, the Pistons are expected to remain active during the summer as they continue to fill out their roster with the requisite pieces in order to compete for the Eastern Conference crown, so keep checking Pistons Roundtable throughout the offseason for more updates on Detroit’s progression.
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