Report: Celtics have shown ‘great interest' in Pistons' Isaiah Stewart

Report: Celtics have shown ‘great interest' in Pistons' Isaiah Stewart originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston

The NBA trade market could ramp up soon, and one player expected to feature prominently in the rumor mill is Detroit Pistons center Isaiah Stewart.

The Pistons sit at the bottom of the league standings with a 2-24 record. They have lost 23 consecutive games entering Monday night.

The Athletic's James L. Edwards III reported Monday morning that the Pistons are "expected to be active in trade discussions leading up to the February deadline."

He also reports that "contending teams like Boston, Oklahoma City and Dallas have shown great interest in Isaiah Stewart."

Stewart was a first-round pick (No. 16 overall) of the Portland Trail Blazers in 2020 and was traded to the Pistons less than a week later. He is averaging 10.2 points and 6.8 rebounds per game this season after averaging 11.3 points and 8.1 rebounds in 2022-23. Stewart is a little undersized for a center at 6-foot-8, but he does play a physical brand of basketball and rebounds well.

The Celtics would be wise to upgrade their depth at center. They currently have a nice 1-2 punch at the position with Kristaps Porzingis and Al Horford. However, Porzingis has a lengthy injury history and Horford is in Year 17 of his career at 37 years old. Adding another big man who can play in the playoffs at center or power forward would be an excellent move for Boston.

But how realistic of a target is Stewart?

As Spotrac's Keith Smith points out, Stewart's contract could make it difficult for the Celtics to acquire him. They'd have to match up around $13 million in salary, and that would be tough for Boston considering it has just two players (Al Horford and Payton Pritchard) making between $3 million and $18 million. They don't have many mid-tier salaries.

Stewart's name is worth monitoring as the trade market develops in the coming weeks and months.

The Celtics have the most talented roster in the league, but it's still worth adding a little bit more depth for the playoffs.