Blazers pick Isaiah Stewart out of Washington for Pistons

The Trail Blazers selected Isaiah Stewart out of Washington with the 16th pick in the NBA draft on Wednesday night.

But the 6-foot-9, 250-pound Stewart wasn't expected to be heading to Portland.

The Trail Blazers reportedly traded the pick to Houston along with forward Trevor Ariza on Monday for veteran Robert Covington, according to a report by ESPN. The deal could not be formally announced by the Blazers until after the draft.

A person with knowledge of the deal told The Associated Press that the Rockets agreed to trade Ariza and the 16th pick to the Detroit Pistons for a future first-round pick. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because the trade had not been announced. Detroit already had the seventh pick in this year’s draft.

Stewart, 19, averaged 17 points and 8.8 rebounds with the Huskies last season as a freshman and was named to the All-Pac-12 First Team.

Covington, who averaged 12.4 points and 6.6 rebounds, will be a key addition for Portland, which finished the coronavirus-shortened regular season 35-39.

Among the teams invited to play in the bubble in Florida, the Trail Blazers made it to the NBA playoffs for the seventh straight season but they were knocked out in the first round by the top-seeded Los Angeles Lakers in five games.