The Detroit Pistons entered this offseason with a ton of open cap space, but ended up being very quiet on the free agent market. Instead, they used that space to acquire veterans on expiring deals in trades from other teams, with Joe Harris and Monte Morris joining the Detroit backcourt for next season.
It’s a patient approach from a franchise that just bottomed out this past year and is looking to make some strides next year, but also provide an environment for their young players to grow as players (just with some better veteran talent around them). For a team like the Pistons, seeing what they have is important, as they have some decisions to make going forward regarding who to pay and extend.
On Monday, they made the first of those decisions, agreeing to a 4-year, $64 million extension with big man Isaiah Stewart.
Detroit Pistons F/C Isaiah Stewart has agreed on a four-year, $64 million rookie contract extension, his agent Drew Gross of @RocNationSports tells ESPN. Stewart gets the first non-maximum extension for the 2020 draft class. pic.twitter.com/9a2W7tLj23
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) July 11, 2023
Stewart averaged 11.3 points and 8.1 rebounds per game in 50 appearances last season for the Pistons, putting forth his most productive season, even if his efficiency waned as he learned how to split time between center and power forward (something he hadn’t had to do previously). It’s clear Detroit believes in Stewart as part of their frontcourt of the future, but it is an interesting extension given there’s a bit of a logjam inside for the Pistons. Marvin Bagley III has two years and $25 million left on his deal, while James Wiseman and Jalen Duren are both still on their rookie deals. How those pieces all fit together is a big question for next year in Detroit, but Stewart’s position seems pretty assured long-term.
Helping Stewart’s cause is that he’s the beneficiary of a very light payroll in Detroit next year ($71 million committed prior to this extension). They’ll need to hit the salary floor next year somehow, and Stewart bumping up to $16 million per year will help. We’ll have to wait to see if there are any options or non-guarantees, but for now it seems like a full 4/64, per Woj’s full story on the deal.
Source: https://uproxx.com/dimemag/isaiah-stewart-detroit-pistons-contract-extension-details/