Isaiah Stewart's next home is getting more obvious by the day

The Detroit Pistons may have to do the thing no one wants and trade Isaiah Stewart this summer. 

I broke down all of the reasons back in May, namely that his salary and production make him one of the Pistons’ most attractive trade assets. They will need both in any big trade they make, as Caris LeVert’s expiring contract isn’t going to move the needle for most teams as anything other than salary filler. 

The Pistons are also about to splash out on Jalen Duren, and have a reliable alternative in Paul Reed, who was far more effective in the playoffs than Stewart for two seasons in a row (Stewart was hurt for the first one to be fair). 

With Duren likely to get a big raise, it’s fair to ask how much the Pistons should have invested in the center position, especially since none of them can space the floor. As painful as it is, Stewart may have to go, and there’s an obvious home. 

Isaiah Stewart may be headed to New Orleans 

The Pistons have gotten calls on Stewart for the last few seasons, as he’s an elite rim protector on a team-friendly deal. The New Orleans Pelicans happen to be looking for a center, and happen to have the GM that drafted and extended Stewart in Troy Weaver. 

Detroit has also been attached to Trey Murphy III in trade speculation, and any trade would almost certainly include Isaiah Stewart as part of it. 

The Pelicans also have players like Herb Jones, Saddiq Bey and Dejounte Murray that could interest the Pistons, though I’m not sure they’d be willing to deal Stew for any of those guys. 

The Trey Murphy trade may not happen, but any player of his talent will almost certainly require Beef Stew as a piece of the deal. The Pelicans are a team to watch, but there are others. 

The Pistons could flip Isaiah Stewart for a different kind of role player 

Stewart certainly isn’t going to net the Pistons a star on his own, but he may be able to get them a different type of role player. 

Max Strus is a name I’ve heard floated around, and though I wouldn’t want to trade Stewart within the division, that’s the type of trade the Pistons could look for to diversify their bench and add some scoring. 

The Pistons could flip Stewart to a team in need of center depth for a role player that offers a set of skills that is more needed in Detroit. 

It would be tough to see Stewart go, as he is a fan favorite and has been a huge part of the culture the Pistons have built, but if they want to improve via trade, it might be inevitable. 

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