New Orleans Pelicans should look into trading for Pistons' Isaiah Stewart

It's been well-established that the New Orleans Pelicans are a title-contending hopeful with a massive hole in their roster: a lack of reliable center play. With training camp less than two weeks away now, they're getting ready to begin their calendar season with a center rotation featuring German veteran Daniel Theis, rookie Yves Missi, and former second-round pick Karlo Matkovic.

None of those players screams solid starter for a team with title aspirations. It's nearly impossible to envision a future in which the Pelicans are raising the Larry O'Brien at the end of the season with a 33-year-old career backup and two first-year NBA players anchoring their defense, especially since the rest of the roster is severely short on defensive juggernauts altogether.

Now, the pressure is on Vice President David Griffin and the rest of the Pelicans brass to find a way to upgrade their center rotation. Since the free agent market isn't exactly crawling with viable two-way big men, New Orleans is going to have to swing a trade if they want to add a reliable center this season. There are quite a few attainable options throughout the league, and the Detroit Pistons might have the perfect target for the Pelicans in Isaiah Stewart.

Isaiah Stewart could be an ideal fit next to Zion Williamson and the New Orleans Pelicans

There are a few things that the Pelicans should be looking for in a possible trade target for their center spot: paint protection, athleticism, and floor spacing. It's always been clear that New Orleans needs to surround Zion Williamson with as much shooting as possible to open up the paint for their undeniable steamroller of a point forward. So far, the Pelicans haven't been able to find a true stretch-five who can also protect the rim to complement Zion.

Isaiah Stewart could come in and do that from day one. He's up to 35 percent from beyond the arc on over five attempts per game for his career, after a revelatory campaign last season in which he stroked over 38 percent of his triples.

He's far from a perfect player — otherwise, he wouldn't be a realistic trade option for the Pelicans — but he's still young, growing, and within the realm of possibility for New Orleans. He hasn't been a transformative defensive anchor so far in his career, but the Pistons were notably better on that end of the court when he was on the floor last season. When he was in the lineup, Detroit gave up 116.5 points per 100 possessions, which doesn't sound very good but looks amazing when compared to their 120.8 defensive rating when he was on the pine.

On top of being a capable positional defender, he has the athleticism and bulk to match up against most opposing centers in the league, at least more so than an aged and injury-riddled Theis and the Pelicans' two rookie centers. His physical gifts will also add to New Orleans's offense. Griffin has gone on record to say that they'd like to find a lob threat at center to add a new wrinkly to their attack. Stewart has the verticality to fulfill that need.

The Pistons have seemingly found their center of the future in Jalen Duren and also added another young promising big in Paul Reed this past offseason. Detroit doesn't seem to be prioritizing "Beef Stew" as a core piece of their future, which leaves the door open for another team, like the Pelicans, to capitalize. He's locked in through the 2027-28 season for an average of $15 million per year, a deal that will likely look like a bargain in this new league economy so long as Stewart either maintains or improves his play. Between his performance, potential, and price tag, Isaiah Stewart might just be the perfect trade target at center for the New Orleans Pelicans.