NEW YORK – The Detroit Pistons are sending center-forward Isaiah Stewart to the Memphis Grizzlies in exchange for three future second-round draft picks.
The move gives Detroit additional draft capital while creating salary-cap flexibility as the franchise continues to reshape its roster following its return to the NBA playoffs, per ESPN Senior NBA Insider Shams Charania on X.
Recommended Videos
Just in: The Detroit Pistons are trading C/F Isaiah Stewart to the Memphis Grizzlies for three future second-round picks, sources tell ESPN. Pistons clear Stewart's salary and pick up assets while Grizzlies acquire a 25-year-old as a rugged frontcourt piece. pic.twitter.com/V8zbaI5OXr
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) June 25, 2026
Stewart, 25, spent the first six seasons of his NBA career with the Pistons after being selected in the first round of the 2020 NBA Draft.
Update: Detroit Pistons acquire No. 53 pick Ugonna Onyenso from Knicks after Isaiah Stewart trade
The rugged big man known as “Beef Stew” became one of the team’s defensive anchors and its longest-tenured player during Detroit’s rebuilding years.
Last season, Stewart appeared in 46 games, making 45 starts, and averaged 10.9 points, 6.6 rebounds, 1.6 assists, and 0.8 blocks in 30.9 minutes per game.
He also posted career-best shooting numbers, connecting on 38.3% of his three-point attempts and averaging a career-high 1.5 made three-pointers per game.
Before injuries limited his season, Stewart ranked among the NBA’s top defensive frontcourt players and was regarded as the team’s enforcer.
His .430 defended field-goal percentage ranked fifth in the league, and he recorded five double-doubles while scoring in double figures 32 times.
He also produced the first 20-point, five-rebound, five-assist game of his career in a Dec. 23 victory over the Brooklyn Nets.
Stewart’s season was interrupted by several injuries, including shoulder, toe, ankle, and hamstring ailments, as well as a three-game league suspension.
He played in a career-low 46 games.
For Memphis, the acquisition adds a physical, versatile frontcourt player who can defend multiple positions and stretch the floor offensively.
Stewart’s toughness and rebounding ability are expected to bolster the Grizzlies’ interior depth as the team looks to remain among the Western Conference contenders.
The reported deal sends three future second-round picks to Detroit, though the specific years and any protections attached to the selections were not immediately available.
Neither team had officially announced the trade as of Wednesday (June 24) afternoon.
Pistons trade up, land Stanford’s Okorie at No. 17
Detroit’s activity extended beyond the Stewart deal.
The Pistons traded up four spots Tuesday night, acquiring the No. 17 overall pick from the Memphis Grizzlies in exchange for the No. 21 selection and three second-round picks, landing Stanford guard Ebuka Okorie, one of college basketball’s most explosive scorers.
Memphis had acquired the No. 16 pick from Oklahoma City in exchange for the No. 17 pick, then traded down to No. 21 with Detroit.
--> ‘The work pays off’: Ebuka Okorie ready to prove himself after joining Detroit Pistons