It's that time of the offseason. The NBA Draft has come and gone, and the always-sizzling free agency moratorium period has been lifted. Move aside, Summer League, onto the hypotheticals we go!
Considering the ever-impending trade rumors surrounding Chicago Bulls' veteran center Nikola Vučević, the 34-year-old won't depart the rumor mill anytime soon. A proposed trade on X added fuel to the fire, while not being overly brash.
A Stewart for Vučević swap makes sense for both parties involved
The trade idea sends Vučević to the Detroit Pistons in exchange for 24-year-old big man Isaiah Stewart. Jake Weinbach, the brains behind the hypothetical, wrote, "Detroit would value an experienced stretch five of Vučević’s skill set, and the 2x All-Star would be capable of playing alongside Jalen Duren in potential double big lineups."
Not a bad pitch for the Pistons to take the veteran big man off the Bulls' hands. Moreover, Weinbech brought up Vučević’s most appealing attribute—his expiring pact. The NBA pundit penned, "Vučević will be entering next season on a $21.4M expiring contract, which means swapping Stewart for the veteran big man in this scenario could create cap flexibility for Detroit in 2026 as well."
Although Vučević is 10 years Stewart's senior, his contract expires at the end of next season, while the 24-year-old is under contract for three more years and $45 million. Three seasons just above the non-tax mid-level exception isn't anywhere near binding, yet Stewart's production took a hit in a different, and decreased role in 2024-25.
Stewart completely abandoned his three-point shot last season, instead favoring an interior-oriented game. His field goal percentage spiked, but his offensive versatility took a hit. Nearly 80 percent of Stewart's looks came within 10 feet of the rim as opposed to 51.3 percent a year prior.
However, completely abandoning a three-point shot wasn't the best idea. Stewart shot a respectable 38.3 percent on 3.8 attempts per game in 2023-24. As a result, his points per 36 minutes reached a new nadir, declining from 12.7 to 10.9 in back-to-back campaigns.
Stewart would bring elite interior defense to the Bulls
Not to say Stewart is a distressed offensive asset, he just needs to find the right mix of inside-outside shotmaking. Nevertheless, offense isn't Stewart's calling card. He's made a living bringing toughness, energy, and surprisingly elite rim protection.
At 6-foot-8, Stewart isn't the size of a center. Yet, his 7-foot-4 wingspan and instincts make up for what he lacks in height. Beef Stew averaged 1.4 rejections in only 19.4 minutes per game. Stewart was one of five players to average more than a block per game in less than 20 minutes.
Upon dissecting his defensive impact, his rim protection only gets more tantalizing. Stewart's opponents shot 10.7 percent worse within six feet of the basket when he was the primary defender. Overall, he held his opponents to a 5.3 field goal percent differential.
Stewart would add an entirely different dimension to the Bulls with his vaunted interior defense. Losing the 24-year-old big man would sting in Detroit, but the Pistons field the 10th-best defense in the league; offense is a more dire need in Motor City, which is what Vučević offers.