Pistons news: Isaiah Stewart trade rumors going nowhere

The Detroit Pistons have been laying low for the past few weeks of the offseason, but are still getting mentioned in trade rumors.

One of the most frequent names mentioned is Isaiah Stewart, which is funny, as it appears that other teams may value Beef Stew more than some Pistons fans.

The logic is there, as the Detroit Pistons have an extra big, so trading one of them makes sense, though if they do, it’s very unlikely that Stewart will be the one shipped out, especially after inking a new extension and considering he is the only one of the four who might be able to space the floor.

But that hasn’t stopped teams from trying as The Athletic (SUBSCRIPTION) recently reported that the New Orleans Pelicans had made inquiries about trading for Stewart.

But this is a trade idea that was dead on arrival for a couple of reasons.

Pistons news: Isaiah Stewart trade rumors going nowhere

The Pelicans need a center who can play with Zion Williamson and the Pistons need more forward depth (which New Orleans has), so on paper, this makes some sense. But the Pels aren’t going to trade Trey Murphy, Herbert Jones or Dyson Daniels for Stewart, so it’s pretty much a non-starter, as they don’t have anyone else who matches.

It’s possible the Pels could try to bribe the Pistons to take on Kira Lewis Jr., but they need to trade Lewis to get out of the luxury tax, so trading for a player who makes way more won’t work. The Pistons would love to get one of New Orleans’ many first-round picks (which they will need if they want to trade for a star) but are unlikely to take on yet another bust point guard to get it, especially if Stewart is involved.

That brings us to the second reason this isn’t happening: Stewart just signed a contract extension. That means he can’t be traded for at least three months from his signing date, by which time the new season will already be nearly underway.

There’s also the fact that the Detroit Pistons like Stewart, see him as an important part of their future, and that two-way bigs who can shoot (we’ll see) are a valuable commodity in the NBA.

So the Pelicans are going to have to look elsewhere for their center, and if the Pistons do end up moving one of them, it’s probably not going to be Isaiah Stewart.