The NBA offseason is officially begun, and there has already been a lot of movement. The Detroit Pistons are very certain to be involved at some time, having previously made measures to purge their front office and coaching staff.
Trajan Langdon has a lot on his plate with a coaching search and the NBA Draft less than a week away, especially now that agreements are already being cut around the league.
According to Jake Fischer of Yahoo Sports, the Pistons are “evaluating the market” for Isaiah Stewart, who has previously been the target of trade speculations.
Detroit’s willingness to split ways with Beef Stew could indicate a few things.
There’s a trade market for Isaiah Stewart
Stewart has missed a lot of games, but he’s gotten better every year he’s been in the league, increasing his 3-point shooting along the way. He’d be an ideal backup big man for a team that already possessed a center, which is where the Pistons should use him if he isn’t dealt.
Teams are increasingly looking for defensively adaptable big men, particularly during the playoffs, when traditional centers who cannot move on the perimeter are targeted.
Stewart is young, on a modest contract, and is tied in for the next four seasons. He’s a Naz Reid-lite and would be a nice fit for several clubs, including the Pistons, unless they have other ideas.
Trading Stewart could mean a center is coming in free agency for the Pistons
If the Pistons are willing to trade Stewart, it could be part of a larger strategy. They’ve been linked to free-agent centers Nic Claxton and Isaiah Hartenstein, and if they sign one of those players, you have to wonder where Stewart will go.
If Stewart comes off the bench as a stretch-five, that’s one thing. If you’re going to pigeonhole him as a power forward with a non-shooting big (maybe Jalen Duren coming off the bench), he makes less sense, as we’ve seen the outcomes of that experiment.
If the Pistons believe they have a chance to find a starter center who can force Duren to the bench, Stewart may be the odd man out.
“Evaluating the market” doesn’t indicate a deal is imminent, but it wouldn’t be unexpected to see the Pistons mix up their big man rotation through a trade.
