The Detroit Pistons have spent the days before the June 23 draft signaling that one of their longest-tenured players could be on the move. Isaiah Stewart, the bruising center drafted by Detroit in 2020, has been made available as the front office hunts for shooting and playmaking to surround its young core.
The Athletic's Sam Amick first reported the team's thinking. "The Pistons are making center Isaiah Stewart available in a potential trade for a shooter or playmaker, or to create space to accommodate one," Amick wrote. He added that Detroit, "in search of additional shooting and playmakers, appears ready to rely on seventh-year big man Paul Reed in an increased role," noting Stewart "has two years and a combined $30 million left on his deal" with a team option in the second season.
The logic is straightforward. Stewart is a defensive presence who averaged roughly 10 points, five rebounds and 1.6 blocks on 55 percent shooting last season, but he is not the floor-spacer Detroit covets next to its guards. His outside shot has slipped to around 32 percent from three over the past two seasons after he hit 38 percent on nearly four attempts a year earlier. With Reed ready for a larger role, the Pistons see Stewart's contract as a tool rather than a centerpiece.
Marc Stein, of The Stein Line, laid out exactly who Detroit is chasing. "Miami Heat guard Tyler Herro, Dallas Mavericks guard Kyrie Irving, New Orleans Pelicans wing Trey Murphy III, Charlotte Hornets guard Coby White, Oklahoma City Thunder guard Isaiah Joe and Sacramento Kings guard Zach LaVine are among the players on Detroit's radar," Stein reported. By his read, prying Irving or Murphy loose would be tougher than landing Herro, while White, Joe and LaVine register as more realistic targets.
There is a free-agency thread too. Amick reported that if Stewart is dealt, the Pistons are expected to pursue Lakers guard Austin Reaves once the market opens, a move that would lean Detroit further toward perimeter creation.
Stewart's availability is not purely about fit. He served a seven-game suspension in February for leaving the bench during an on-court altercation, and his minutes shrank in the postseason. A team trying to take a leap may simply value the flexibility his deal provides more than the toughness he brings.
For now, Stewart sits at the center of Detroit's draft-week calculus: a respected, physical big who has become trade currency in a summer the Pistons hope ends with more shooting on the floor.
