The Detroit Pistons are trading backup center Isaiah Stewart, their longest-tenured player, to the Memphis Grizzlies for three future second-round picks, the Detroit Free Press confirmed with a person with knowledge of the deal.
News broke in the middle of the second round of the 2026 NBA Draft on Wednesday night.
The three picks the Pistons are getting back are the three they traded Tuesday night to Memphis to move up four spots in the first round: A 2029 second that’s the second-best of the Pistons, New York Knicks and Milwaukee Bucks, a 2031 Dallas Mavericks second and 2032 Pistons second.
The Pistons on Tuesday night selected Stanford freshman guard Ebuka Okorie, trading up to No. 17 overall with the Grizzlies in the first round.
It’s a table-setting move for the Pistons, who could be clearing cap space for a big acquisition in free agency, which starts next week.
Stewart, 25, has two years left on his contract: He is due $15 million in 2026-27 with a $15 million team option in 2027-28. He’ll fit right in with the Grizzlies’ grit-and-grind mantra, joining 2026 No. 2 overall pick Cam Boozer and third-year center Zach Edey.
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Stewart has been a key part of the Pistons’ stunning two-year turnaround from 14 wins to 60, and was a fan favorite. But his name was circulating in trade talks all month – one report said he was “outright bracing for a trade.” He has been suspended five times by the NBA in his six-year career.
The heart of the Pistons, “Beef Stew” had a historic eight blocks in 17 minutes in Game 4 of the first round of the 2026 NBA playoffs against the Orlando Magic.
Then, over the final 10 playoff games, he blocked two shots total.
His production off the bench behind the also-struggling Jalen Duren sunk to such a low that third-stringer Paul Reed eventually became the more trusted center option as the playoffs progressed. Stewart looked diminished, but he, coach J.B. Bickerstaff and president of basketball operations Trajan Langdon said he was not injured.
Postseason performance aside, Stewart is a coveted player. This past season was his best, setting a new career high in blocks per game (1.6) while averaging under 23 minutes anchoring the No. 2 defense in the league. His 3-point shooting, while not as prevalent the past two seasons, is still an asset to his game (34.3% for his career on a minimal 1.8 attempts per game).
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Stewart was drafted in 2020 by general manager Troy Weaver with the No. 16 pick.
The Pistons finished 60-22 last season – the third-best record in franchise history and their best since 2005-06, and fell to the Cleveland Cavaliers in seven games in their deepest postseason run in 18 years. Game 7 was a 125-94 embarrassment at home, concluding a blown 2-0 series lead.
Langdon said the team is building around their core three – Cade Cunningham, Jalen Duren and Ausar Thompson – this summer, with an emphasis on adding more shooting and ball-handling.
The Pistons were in on Tyler Herro, who will be traded to Milwaukee (though the Pistons could still get involved), and Austin Reaves, who will re-sign with the Los Angeles Lakers.
Duren, 22, is a restricted free agent but expected to re-sign on a deal worth in the $35-40 million range annually. Reed, 26, is on a nonguaranteed $5.6 million deal and slides up to the backup role for now.
This breaking news story will be updated.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Detroit Pistons trade Isaiah Stewart to Memphis Grizzlies in salary dump
Reporting by Omari Sankofa II and Marlowe Alter, Detroit Free Press / Detroit Free Press
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By Omari Sankofa II and Marlowe Alter, Detroit Free Press | USA TODAY Network
