Isaiah Stewart's postseason doomed his future with Pistons

The Detroit Pistons couldn't rely on backup center Isaiah Stewart during their playoff run. Now they're cutting him loose entirely.

On Wednesday, the Pistons traded Stewart to the Memphis Grizzlies for three future second-round picks. That closes the "Beef Stew" era in Detroit and sets up the Pistons for more moves to bolster their 60-win team.

Isaiah Stewart disappeared in the playoffs

During the regular season, Stewart was one of the best backups in the NBA, averaging 10 points, five rebounds and 1.6 blocks and finishing 7th in the Sixth Man of the Year voting. In the playoffs, his production crashed, dropping to four points and 2.4 rebounds while committing a foul every 4.5 minutes. By the end of the Pistons' second-round playoff loss, Stewart had been supplanted in the rotation by Paul Reed.

Stewart provides a great deal of toughness and shot-blocking, perhaps too much toughness at times. He's been suspended on four separate occasions for fighting, once for punching an opposing player near a loading dock hours before a game. Perhaps that volatility contributed to the Pistons moving on as well.

The Pistons may have concluded their newly competitive team can't afford to pay $15M for a player who can no longer stretch the floor with his shot, nor stay on the floor. They have Reed available to back up Jalen Duren, then drafted shot-blocking specialist Ugonna Onyenso in the second round of the draft on Wednesday.

Trading Isaiah Stewart helps set up Detroit Pistons for trades

Not only did the Pistons get Stewart's salary off the books, but they picked up a valuable $15M trade exception, since the Grizzlies didn't send back any salary. That could help the Pistons with their rumored pursuit of guard Tyler Herro, recently traded to the Milwaukee Bucks. Any move for Herro could be folded into the not-yet-finalized Giannis Antetokounmpo trade between the Bucks and Miami Heat.

The Pistons also picked up a few extra draft picks, replacing ones they used to move up from No. 21 to No. 17 to select scoring guard Ebuka Okorie. But the main benefit is salary flexibility.

Stewart was very valuable in giving the rebuilding Pistons toughness and leadership. Now that they're contenders, Detroit needs to prioritize someone who can contribute on the floor in the playoffs, without getting sidelined by foul trouble and fighting.