Pistons Make Uncanny Move With Rare Rookie Contract Extension On Big Man

The Detroit Pistons have reportedly re-signed big man Isaiah Stewart to a rookie contract extension, a rare move for the NBA franchise dating back to 2008.

The 22-year-old cager, who was originally drafted by the Portland Trail Blazers before ending up with the Pistons, has reportedly been re-signed to a four-year deal worth $64 million according to Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN.

It was also added that the fourth year of the Stewart deal is a team option. There are also incentives allegedly included in the new pact.

This development also makes Stewart the first player to sign a rookie extension since 2008.

The last cager that Detroit signed at the time was Jason Maxiell, who was signed to a second contract.

Moreover, Stewart is not the only athlete to have been kept by the Pistons in that span. There was also the case of Andre Drummond, who re-signed as a restricted free agent.

This also breaks the spell of players who joined the Motor City squad as rookies but never got an extension. Among the names that come to mind include Brandon Knight, Khris Middleton, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Luke Kennard and Bruce Brown.

However, the difference at the moment with the Pistons is that they have a young and talented core led by the likes of Cade Cunningham, Jaden Ivey and Killian Hayes.

There is also incoming rookie Ausar Thompson to watch out for.

In the case of Stewart, he will need to continue proving his place in the Pistons’ roster.

He will have to contend with several big men for playing time such as James Wiseman, Marvin Bagley and Jalen Duren.

Looking at his stat line, the 6-foot-8 center-forward averaged 11.3 points, 8.1 rebounds, and 1.4 assists in 50 games last season.

In the three seasons he has had with the Pistons, the former Washington Huskie has normed 9.0 points, 7.8 rebounds, and 1.1 assists.

There is a chance that Stewart could be utilized more as a forward considering the team has multiple big men who can man the paint.

Hence, one department that the 16th overall pick of the 2020 NBA Draft may want to work on is his three-point shooting.

Stewart worked on that and took more treys last season. Unfortunately, he made less than 33% of them–a sign that he may want to polish that if he wants more time on the floor this coming NBA season.