Pistons cap space after Isaiah Stewart trade allows Detroit best of both worlds

The Detroit Pistons traded Isaiah Stewart last night in an apparent salary dump that sets up additional moves. It didn’t appear the Pistons would operate as a cap space team this summer, but after the Stewart deal, that possibility is now in play. 

As cap guru Yossi Gozlan broke down, the Pistons could have as much as $20 million in cap space even without renouncing Jalen Duren’s cap hold and could get to as much as $33 million if they waive Duncan Robinson. 

The Pistons were unlikely to be a cap space team just because of the painful cuts it would have taken to get there, but with Stewart’s money off the books, they have several options to have their cake and eat it too. 

The $24 million option for the Pistons

The Pistons can also take back up to $24 million in a trade, including sign-and-trades, so we could see the Stewart trade folded into a bigger deal. 

The early speculation is that the Pistons will use this space to sign veteran free agent Normal Powell (more on that in a minute), but there are surely other players on the Pistons' radar. 

It’s likely Detroit already knows what they are going to do, as they wouldn’t have dealt Stewart without a plan in place. 

Going this route would allow them to keep veterans Duncan Robinson and Tobias Harris by being an over the cap team that would then have the full $15 million mid-level trade exception at their disposal to add more talent. 

Keeping their veterans while adding a scorer and another piece could allow the Pistons the upgrades they need without dipping much into their depth. 

Of course, this also has a familiar smell. 

Norman Powell can’t be the big move 

I like Powell and have lobbied the Pistons to trade for him in the past, but if they just gave up Stewart to get Powell, that would be a disappointing exchange. 

Powell answers a more immediate need for the Pistons with his scoring, but he is 33 years old, and even though he’s fresh off his first All-Star season, he’s likely to get overpaid this summer. 

In a vacuum, Powell would be fine, but does anyone view him as the second scoring option? Is he a real star? Is he even a starter? In my mind, the answer to all of these is no, so he does not get the Pistons much closer to their goal of finding Cade Cunningham a true second fiddle. 

Luckily, I do think the Pistons are hunting bigger names, and we’ve heard some ridiculous ones thrown out already (LeBron? Sure.), so I am hoping Detroit has bigger plans than adding another mid veteran who fits a disappointing theme. 

For those panicking right now, you can relax, as the summer is far from over and the Pistons clearly have an aggressive plan, but after trading a fan favorite, Trajan Langdon is officially on notice to make something big happen. 

Add us as a preferred source on Google

Follow