Thunder's biggest problem could hand Pistons the perfect Isaiah Stewart trade

The Detroit Pistons have an abundance of big men but need scoring, while the OKC Thunder have a surplus of shooting and need physicality. Could there be a deal for Isaiah Stewart? 

No one in Detroit wants to trade Stewart, but he might be their best trade asset if they want to add scoring via trade this summer. 

The Thunder are a second apron team that will have to cut money. They have plenty of ways to do it, including dealing from their vast surplus of talented guards. The Thunder have the deepest guard rotation in the league by far with eight players under contract for next season, plus a team option on Lu Dort. 

With Ajay Mitchell and Jared McCain primed to take on bigger roles and making less money than their counterparts, it’s likely OKC will deal from their largesse. 

They could use a physical big man to try and deal with Wembanyama, and Stewart would be an ideal choice who would complement their other bigs and give OKC more size in the frontcourt. 

The question is whether the Pistons might be able to squeeze more than one player out of the Thunder. 

Trading Isaiah Stewart to the OKC Thunder makes sense for the Pistons 

The Pistons may be able to send OKC the center they need while also solving their money problems for them, but the Thunder would have to send two players to Detroit in exchange. 

Trading Stewart for someone like Isaiah Joe straight up doesn’t work, as Joe doesn’t make enough money, so the Thunder would be going even deeper into the tax. But they could send both Joe and Wiggins, with the Pistons sending back Stewart and a second-round pick, which would get OKC some much-needed size and cut money out of their payroll. 

A second star is not the Pistons’ only issue, as they need quality depth off the bench, so if they could get two guards who can shoot and score for Stewart, it would be an upgrade. 

But there is a problem. 

OKC can’t aggregate players right now, and It's always buyer beware with Presti 

Because they are currently a second apron team, the Thunder can’t aggregate players in a trade, so they can’t send out two guys for one. They would have to get under the second apron before a trade like this could happen, but they can get close just by walking away from Dort and Kenrich Williams. 

There is also the issue of dealing with Sam Presti, which rarely works out well for the other team, so the Pistons would have to tread carefully to avoid getting grifted. 

The talent match on paper seems to be there, but whether OKC could work out the financial issues is another story. Detroit will explore all options for scoring this summer, and OKC’s endless supply of guards is a good place to start. 

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