There has been endless talk about the Detroit Pistons’ “young core” and which players they should ultimately build around.
Cade Cunningham and Ausar Thompson are the no-brainers, but you can also add a surging Jalen Duren to that duo, as he added another 22 points and 22 rebounds last night as the Pistons won their 4th straight and moved into the 2nd seed in a wide-open Eastern Conference.
Fans will generally include Jaden Ivey as part of the core (more on that in a second) and Ron Holland is working his way there, but there is a name that clearly needs to be part of the discussion and that’s Isaiah Stewart.
Stewart is often left off this list of the guys the Pistons are building around, but he’s as important as anyone not named Cade. He’s the Pistons’ best rim protector, and his offensive game is evolving to include more 3-point shots again, which could make him the long-term starter next to Jalen Duren.
The Pistons also have Stewart locked into a contract that extends for two more seasons beyond this one and will pay him just over $15 million per season, which now looks like a bargain for a guy who could make the All-Defensive team this season.
When you are talking about the Pistons’ future, Isaiah Stewart has to be involved and any trade that includes his name should be an immediate non-starter.
You may have noticed a couple of names missing from this list, but given the context, it’s more of a fluid situation than the four names mentioned above.
Jaden Ivey may be the odd man out for the Detroit Pistons
Many fans would include Ivey when talking about the Pistons’ foundation, but given his contract situation and injury status, his situation is far less clear.
Ivey will be a restricted free agent after this season, and his contract year hasn’t started off well, as he has yet to play and could still be out for several more weeks. Just like last season, the Pistons have gotten along just fine without him, which could push Ivey to the top of the list of tradable players at the deadline if the Pistons want to make an impact move.
It’s not likely the Pistons can pay all of these guys and right now, it looks like Ivey would be the odd man out.
You also have second-year man Ron Holland, who I’d say is right on the fringes of the core. The Pistons love him, and he’s shown positive growth already this season, so it’s not like they are thinking about trading Holland, but if it took him to get a big trade done, he’s not untouchable, at least not yet.
The Pistons have four very good young players to build around and two more trying to work their way in, so the future is bright in Detroit regardless of how things shake out.