Proposed trade with Lakers would shake up Pistons core

Pistons trade Stewart to Lakers in proposed deal 

B/R didn’t give a specific trade and this is where things get tricky, as the Pistons are not interested in taking any long-term money and would probably be more interested in draft compensation than players. 

Also, players like D’Angelo Russel and Rui Hachimura, who are the best matches financially, are arguably better than Stewart, so it wouldn’t make much sense for LA. 

The only way this works is if Detroit is willing to take on contracts they don’t want in exchange for a future draft pick. 

Is a guy who only played 96 games in two seasons really worth a 1st-round pick? Stewart’s durability issues always get overlooked because he has this “tough guy” image but he has missed a ton of games. 

The Lakers would love to jettison Vincent and Vanderbilt, who are mostly dead weight at this point, and in the case of Vanderbilt, one of the worst contracts the Lakers have. His deal goes from $10-13 million over the next four seasons and the last one is a player option. 

Vanderbilt must have the best agent in the league, as he is terrible, so this deal isn’t just about Stewart, it’s about getting off that awful contract, which is certainly worth a 1st-round pick. 

Detroit would also take back Gabe Vincent, who has two years left on his deal at $10-11 million. 

It’s questionable whether the Lakers would give up one of their only real assets (the 2029 pick) just for Stewart, even if they are clearing some bad money. 

But what about the Pistons?