It only took five days for the Detroit Pistons to have every reason to regret trading backup center Isaiah Stewart. Detroit sent Stewart to the Memphis Grizzlies in exchange for three future second-round draft picks, and many thus jumped to the conclusion that they were clearing space to re-sign Jalen Duren and maintain the flexibility to add another impact player.
Unfortunately, just five days after Stewart was traded, Duren has made it clear that he intends to pursue a sign-and-trade with the Sacramento Kings.
Duren, 22, has become arguably the most polarizing player in the 2026 period of free agency. He turned in a tremendous 2025-26 regular season, but fell well short of expectations in the playoffs. Negotiations over his next contract have thus been all but impossible to work out as Detroit attempts to balance what he can be against what he currently is.
NBA insider Chris Haynes delivered a potentially fatal blow to the negotiating process when he reported that Duren will be pursuing a sign-and-trade with the Sacramento Kings.
BREAKING: Due to sizable distance apart in negotiations, Detroit Pistons restricted free agent center Jalen Duren will meet with the Sacramento Kings at the start of free agency with the intentions of structuring a sign-&-trade out of Detroit. pic.twitter.com/rzUZWy2iJF
— Chris Haynes (@ChrisBHaynes) June 29, 2026
It's an unfortunate turn of events that makes the decision to trade Stewart even more difficult to stomach knowing what type of void there could be on defense in 2026-27 unless another move is made.
Pistons need Isaiah Stewart more than ever as Jalen Duren pursues trade
Sam Amick of The Athletic reported that the Pistons would likely get All-NBA center Domantas Sabonis in a trade with the Kings. In that scenario, Detroit would instantly land an offensive upgrade who can take pressure off of All-NBA point guard Cade Cunningham.
Sabonis is regarded as a flawed defender, however, which means trading for him would leave the Pistons without the interior anchor they had in 2025-26.
Had Detroit not traded Stewart, he could've played either behind or alongside Sabonis to help rectify the issue. In 2025-26, Stewart ranked in the 99th percentile in rim protection, the 99th percentile in screener mobile defense, and the 93rd percentile in screener rim defense, per Basketball Index.
An elite rim protector and pick-and-roll disruptor, Stewart's exact skill set would've proven invaluable alongside Sabonis' offensively-inclined tendencies.
Unfortunately, Stewart has been sent to the Grizzlies, and the Pistons will now need to resolve an unexpected defensive issue. They thankfully have a defensive-minded culture and an abundance of great individual and team defenders, but a new challenge seemingly awaits them.
Perhaps there's still a chance that the Pistons can work things out with Duren, but if not, they'll come to regret trading Stewart rather quickly.
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