Inside The Thunder

OKC Thunder Reportedly Interested in Pistons Forward

In a recent story about potential trades for the Detroit Pistons, the Athletic reported that Oklahoma City has expressed interest in one of the Monty Williams' most physical players.
Randall Sweet|
OKC Thunder Reportedly Interested in Pistons Forward
OKC Thunder Reportedly Interested in Pistons Forward

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Oklahoma City ThunderDetroit Pistons

With the NBA trade deadline less than two months away, teams have started to consider what pieces they should move on from and who they need to add.

As the Detroit Pistons continue to struggle, sitting at 2-24 and 15th in the Eastern Conference, The Athletic wrote an article exploring potential trades that Monty Williams and company should consider in the wake of their disastrous season.

One of the players that James Edwards III mentioned in his piece was fourth-year forward Isaiah Stewart. In the portion of the article discussing Stewart, Edwards mentioned that the Celtics, Thunder and Mavericks have all shown interest in the former Washington Husky.

Stewart seems like he would be a good fit in Oklahoma City on the court, as he is a physical player who can compete in the paint and could help the Thunder solve some of their rebounding issues.

Additionally, Stewart adds a blend of strength, physicality and size that OKC doesn't have on their roster at the moment. Even if Stewart didn't crack the starting lineup in the Modern Frontier, playing him next to Chet Holmgren could add another element to Mark Daigneault's offense.

This season, the 22-year-old forward is averaging 10.2 points, 6.8 rebounds, and 1.4 assists per game while shooting 45.5% from the field and 36.7% from beyond the arc. In 2022-23, Stewart put up slightly better numbers, tallying 11.3 points and 8.1 rebounds per contest. 

Listed at 6-foot-8 and 250 pounds, Stewart's numbers would likely improve if he were to end up in OKC, sharing the court with a more talented group of players in a more productive offense.

While there is no report of any real trade talks between the Pistons and Thunder, Sam Presti and company expressing interest in Stewart indicates that as the trade deadline draws closer, Oklahoma City may become more interested in Stewart. 

If OKC's rebounding struggles continue, it would not be surprising to see the team gauge what it would take to land the Pistons forward in a trade.

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Randall Sweet
RANDALL SWEET

Randall Sweet is a 2022 Oklahoma University graduate who has formerly written for the Norman Transcript and OU Daily. Randall also serves as the Communications Coordinator at Visit OKC.

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