The Detroit Pistons are still awaiting potential suspensions to be handed down from the NBA after a fight broke out in their game on Monday against the Charlotte Hornets.
It’s likely Isaiah Stewart and Jalen Duren of the Pistons will receive punishment alongside Charlotte’s Moussa Diabate and Miles Bridges after all four were ejected from the game in the third quarter following the fight.
The league has been quiet as of Wednesday morning about any penalties, which has Pistons president of basketball operations Trajan Langdon and everyone else sitting and waiting.
In an interview on 97.1 The Ticket on Wednesday, Langdon spoke on Stewart and the situation, saying there’s communication with the league as they do their due diligence on the incident, but they’re bracing for suspensions to be handed down.
“We know where his heart is. I don’t think anybody doubts why he did what he did,” Langdon said of Stewart. “He saw two players coming at one of his teammates. One of his teammates that they’re very, very close. Right or wrong, he felt like he needed to defend him at that point when it felt like his teammate got somewhat sucker punched by a guy.
“But the professional side of it is if you do that you’re going to miss games and you’re going to hurt the team. He also cares a ton about the team so this is going to hurt him in that way because he’s not going to be able to help his teammates here in a while.”
Stewart likely stands to receive the harshest penalty of the group as he came off the bench to get involved in the scuffle at Spectrum Center in Charlotte, North Carolina. Fighting typically carries at least a one-game suspension, as does coming off the bench during a game.
The Pistons’ longest-tenured player has also been suspended multiple times in the past for fighting, including a 2021 incident with LeBron James and a 2024 fight with Drew Eubanks that saw Stewart suspended three games.
The NBA will likely take the fact that Stewart is a repeat offender into account when dolling out punishments.
Coach J.B. Bickerstaff backed Stewart’s actions to defend Duren, who had already been separated from Diabate when Bridges escalated matters again, following the game.
Even so, the Langdon said conversations were being had about avoiding a situation like this in the future with Stewart.
“I think he’s a guy that everybody on our teams knows he has everybody’s back and they have his back on the floor,” Langdon said. “I think his reaction in the game was one of trying to come to the defense of one of his teammates. but he knows going forward that’s not something that can happen again because it can set the team back.”
The Pistons are set to face the Toronto Raptors at 7:30 p.m. on Wednesday and at this point there’s no certainty whether Stewart and Duren will be available for Detroit.
Malik Beasley investigation ongoing
During the interview, Langdon also shared his latest understanding of former Pistons guard Malik Beasley’s status.
After a standout season with Detroit last year where he was runner up for Sixth Man of the Year, Beasley was in line to sign a multi-year contract with the Pistons. However, a federal gambling probe that involved Beasley ceased negotiations and he’s sat in limbo since.
While he’s no longer a target of the probe, the NBA is still conducting an ongoing investigation into Beasley, according to Langdon.
“Malik is still under investigation by the league right now, so that’s the clarity,” Langdon said. ”In terms of when that will end, I have no idea. They don’t really give any clarity on that.”
Beasley was a huge part of Detroit’s success and run to the playoffs last season, finishing second in the NBA in made three-pointers behind Minnesota’s Anthony Edwards.
Since, Beasley’s expressed his desire to get back on the court and said on social media that if he was going back to the NBA soon it would be back to the Pistons. As long as he’s still under active league investigation, any sort of return wouldn’t be imminent.