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A former Washington basketball star is on the move in the NBA.
Big man Isaiah Stewart, who finished seventh in Sixth Man of the Year voting for the Detroit Pistons last season, was traded to the Memphis Grizzlies on Wednesday for three second-round picks. Stewart averaged 10 points, 5 rebounds, and 1.6 blocks per game on 55 percent from the field for the Eastern Conference's No. 1 seed, who won 60 games for the first time in 20 years but exited in the second round of the playoffs after a loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers.
The three second rounders sent to Detroit had been acquired by the Grizzlies in a trade on Tuesday from the Pistons, who sent the picks to Memphis to move up from No. 21 to No. 17 and select Stanford guard Ebuka Okorie.
For Detroit, moving Stewart, who has 2 years and $30 million remaining on his contract, the trade gives them flexibility to retain pending free agents Jalen Duran, Tobias Harris, and Kevin Huerter, all of whom were rotation pieces for the Pistons this season. On the Grizzlies side, Stewart joins a frontcourt that added No. 3 pick Cameron Boozer out of Duke and Mexican big man Karim Lopez, drafted with the No. 21 pick, on Tuesday. Those three will join center Zach Edey, who was limited to 11 games last season with ankle issues.
Detroit now also has the cap space to pursue a major trade, such as acquiring forward Kawhi Leonard from the Los Angeles Clippers or even checking in on the availability of Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James.
A consensus five-star recruit who chose Washington out of Rochester, New York, Stewart averaged 17 points, 8.8 rebounds, and 2.1 blocks per game in his only season on Montlake. He's earned a reputation in Detroit as a hard-nosed, physical player willing to serve as an enforcer for his teammates, picking up multiple flagrant fouls throughout his career. That mentality will mesh well in Memphis, where the notorious Grit N' Grind Grizzlies of the early 2010s flourished with forward Zach Randolph and guard Tony Allen establishing one of the best defensive squads in the league.
Stewart will likely come off the bench behind Edey and Boozer, who are expected to form a dynamic young frontcourt, in Memphis. He could start as a smaller center if Edey requires more time to get healthy or at power forward if Memphis wants to bring Boozer along slowly.
This article originally appeared on Huskies Wire: Former Washington men's basketball star traded to Memphis Grizzlies
Continue reading...
Big man Isaiah Stewart, who finished seventh in Sixth Man of the Year voting for the Detroit Pistons last season, was traded to the Memphis Grizzlies on Wednesday for three second-round picks. Stewart averaged 10 points, 5 rebounds, and 1.6 blocks per game on 55 percent from the field for the Eastern Conference's No. 1 seed, who won 60 games for the first time in 20 years but exited in the second round of the playoffs after a loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers.
The three second rounders sent to Detroit had been acquired by the Grizzlies in a trade on Tuesday from the Pistons, who sent the picks to Memphis to move up from No. 21 to No. 17 and select Stanford guard Ebuka Okorie.
For Detroit, moving Stewart, who has 2 years and $30 million remaining on his contract, the trade gives them flexibility to retain pending free agents Jalen Duran, Tobias Harris, and Kevin Huerter, all of whom were rotation pieces for the Pistons this season. On the Grizzlies side, Stewart joins a frontcourt that added No. 3 pick Cameron Boozer out of Duke and Mexican big man Karim Lopez, drafted with the No. 21 pick, on Tuesday. Those three will join center Zach Edey, who was limited to 11 games last season with ankle issues.
Detroit now also has the cap space to pursue a major trade, such as acquiring forward Kawhi Leonard from the Los Angeles Clippers or even checking in on the availability of Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James.
A consensus five-star recruit who chose Washington out of Rochester, New York, Stewart averaged 17 points, 8.8 rebounds, and 2.1 blocks per game in his only season on Montlake. He's earned a reputation in Detroit as a hard-nosed, physical player willing to serve as an enforcer for his teammates, picking up multiple flagrant fouls throughout his career. That mentality will mesh well in Memphis, where the notorious Grit N' Grind Grizzlies of the early 2010s flourished with forward Zach Randolph and guard Tony Allen establishing one of the best defensive squads in the league.
Stewart will likely come off the bench behind Edey and Boozer, who are expected to form a dynamic young frontcourt, in Memphis. He could start as a smaller center if Edey requires more time to get healthy or at power forward if Memphis wants to bring Boozer along slowly.
This article originally appeared on Huskies Wire: Former Washington men's basketball star traded to Memphis Grizzlies
Continue reading...
