The Pistons and Grizzlies have reached an agreement on a trade that will send big man Isaiah Stewart from Detroit to Memphis in exchange for three future second-round picks, sources tell Shams Charania of ESPN (Twitter link).
The draft choices are the same three that were sent from Detroit to Memphis on Tuesday in a trade involving the No. 17 pick, according to Omari Sankofa II of The Detroit Free Press (Twitter link). That deal has been finalized already, so they will have to be recorded as two separate trades, but the Pistons and Grizzlies essentially swapped the 17th pick for the 21st pick and Stewart.
On ESPN’s draft coverage, Brian Windhorst stated that Detroit is preparing to go “big-game hunting” after clearing Stewart’s salary. The Pistons, who need to upgrade their shooting and play-making, reportedly have interest in Tyler Herro, who’s being shipped from Miami to Milwaukee in the Giannis Antetokounmpo trade. After parting with Stewart, they could have the flexibility to pursue a free agent like Norman Powell, or possibly target an even bigger name through the trade market.
Yossi Gozlan of The Third Apron points out (via Twitter) that Detroit could reach $20.6MM in cap space by renouncing all its free agents except for Jalen Duren, who has a $19.4MM cap hold. That figure could rise to about $33MM if they waive Duncan Robinson, who has a $2MM guarantee on his $16MM salary for next season.
The Pistons also have the option of trying to expand the Stewart trade and proceeding as an over-the-cap team, Gozlan adds (Twitter link). They can take back up to $24MM in the deal, which would allow them to keep Robinson and Tobias Harris while having the $15MM MLE still available.
The deal doesn’t come as a surprise, as a report last week stated that Detroit was making Stewart available in trade talks and he was “bracing” for a potential move to another team. That story also stated that the Pistons were planning a “significant move,” so this could be a precursor to something bigger. The team is reportedly anticipating having Paul Reed take on a bigger role after he outperformed Stewart in the second round of the playoffs vs. Cleveland.
Stewart was Detroit’s longest-tenured player after being selected with the 16th pick in the 2020 draft. He’ll make $15MM next season and has a $15MM team option for 2027/28.
Stewart will most likely be absorbed into Memphis’ non-taxpayer mid-level exception, or possibly into the $28.8MM traded player exception that was created in the Jaren Jackson Jr. deal, according to Keith Smith of Sportrac (Twitter link).
A key reserve for the 60-win club in 2025/26, Stewart averaged 10.0 points, 5.0 rebounds, and 1.6 blocks in 22.7 minutes per game across 58 appearances (13 starts). The 25-year-old held opponents to 43.8% shooting at the rim, easily the best mark in the NBA among the players who appeared in at least 50 games and faced four or more attempts per game. He finished seventh in Sixth Man of the Year voting.
In Memphis, Stewart will join an increasingly intriguing frontcourt that also features Zach Edey, Santi Aldama, this year’s No. 3 overall pick Cameron Boozer and No. 21 pick Karim Lopez.
