The Beef Stew era in Detroit is officially over.
The Detroit Pistons have traded controversial big man Isaiah Stewart to the Memphis Grizzlies, Shams Charania of ESPN reported on Wednesday. Charania adds that the Pistons will be getting three second-round picks back from the Grizzlies in exchange for Stewart.
Originally a Detroit first-round pick in 2020 (No. 16 overall), Stewart slowly made a name for himself with his physicality and his rambunctiousness on the court. Stewart, 25, became widely known as perhaps the single most confrontational player in the NBA and did everything from trying to fight LeBron James to getting arrested for punching an opponent in the arena tunnels before a game.
This past season for the No. 1 seed Pistons, Stewart played a meaningful role off the bench, averaging 10.0 points, 5.0 rebounds, and 1.5 blocks in only 22.7 minutes per game. But Stewart’s tendencies still managed to get the best of him at times, most notably when he was suspended for punching an opponent from a headlock position during a wild February melee.
Undersized for a big man at 6-foot-8, Stewart is making $15 million next season and has a $15 million team option for 2027-28 as well. Thus, this looks like a pure salary dump move by the Pistons and could also signal a strong commitment to bringing back restricted free agent center Jalen Duren later this summer.
As for the Grizzlies, they are looking for a new identity down low, especially after trading away former Defensive Player of the Year Jaren Jackson Jr. a few months ago. While he may be a little bit rough around the edges, Stewart will now be getting a chance to bring Memphis back to their “Grit N Grind” culture of old.
