Isaiah Stewart trade grades: Pistons get important cap space, Grizzlies get valuable backup big
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- Isaiah Stewart was traded from the Detroit Pistons to the Memphis Grizzlies during the 2026 NBA Draft — the only veteran player deal of Tuesday night — with Detroit receiving three second-round picks (2029, 2031, 2032), the very same picks it had sent Memphis earlier to move up from No. 21 to No. 17.
- Memphis acquired Stewart for front-court depth behind Zach Edey (who played only 11 games last season and averaged 22.1 minutes across 66 career NBA appearances) and alongside new draftees Cameron Boozer (No. 3) and Karim Lopez (No. 21), in a system where coach Tuomas Iisalo rotates players in short bursts.
- Stewart was one of the NBA's best rim-protecting backups last season, ranking in the 93rd percentile at the rim per Synergy Sports and allowing opponents just 49.6% shooting within six feet as the primary defender on Detroit's No. 2-ranked defense.
- Detroit shed Stewart's $15 million team option for 2027-28, opening roughly $33 million in cap space this summer per Yossi Gozlan, and chose Paul Reed over Stewart as backup center for offensive reliability after the Pistons scored just 90.5 points per play in the half-court during the playoffs.
- The Pistons plan to be "big-game hunting" with their new flexibility, per ESPN's Brian Windhorst, who mentioned LeBron James and Kawhi Leonard as possible targets, while the team has also been linked to guards like Norman Powell, Tyler Herro, and Zach LaVine.
Why it matters: Detroit gains ~$33M in cap space to pursue stars like LeBron or Kawhi after its playoff offensive struggles, while Memphis gets a top-tier rim protector (93rd percentile) on a manageable $15M option behind injury-prone Zach Edey — a low-risk depth move for three second-rounders.
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