Not long after the Detroit Pistons traded away the veteran center Isaiah Stewart, they managed to acquire a young center entering the league.
Although the Pistons didn’t possess a second-round pick in the 2026 NBA Draft, Trajan Langdon’s front office traded with the New York Knicks in order to land another rookie.
Detroit Pistons Trade With Knicks For New Big Man After Isaiah Stewart Exit
According to HoopsHype’s Michael Scotto, the New York Knicks selected Ugonna Onyenso with the 53rd overall pick.
The draft rights to the rookie center were immediately sent to the Pistons in exchange for cash.
Ugonna Onyenso’s NCAA Run
The 21-year-old center is a seven-footer, who had runs at three different schools since 2022.
Throughout his first two seasons, Onyenso played a limited role at Kentucky. After averaging 14.0 minutes of action throughout his first two seasons, Onyenso moved to Kansas State for a season.
There, he appeared in 24 games. In a bench role, he averaged 2.8 points and 2.4 rebounds per game in 11.0 minutes of action on average.
Lastly, Onyenso played at Virginia. During the 2025-2026 NCAA season, Onyenso cae off the bench for 18.6 minutes per game. In 36 games of action, he averaged 6.5 points, 4.9 rebounds, and 2.9 blocks per game, which led the ACC.
The Isaiah Stewart Exit
In the days leading up to the draft, an Isaiah Stewart trade out of Detroit was becoming inevitable.
Following the Pistons’ disappointing 2026 playoff run after an impressive regular season, it was clear that Detroit’s front office had to make some big moves.
Moving Stewart’s contract will be helpful. The Pistons sent the 25-year-old center to the Memphis Grizzlies in exchange for multiple second-round picks for the future.
Stewart parts ways with Detroit after seeing the court for 365 games. He averaged 8.8 points, 6.8 rebounds, and 1.2 blocks over six seasons.