While the Detroit Pistons saw their season come to an end at the hands of the New York Knicks in the first round of the NBA Playoffs, the season should be viewed as a success. Not only did they turn their team around to the tune of 30 wins, but they also earned their first playoff win since 2008.
The league took notice of their success, as multiple members of the Pistons were named finalists for regular-season awards, including Cade Cunningham for Most Improved Player, Malik Beasley for Sixth Man of the Year, and head coach J.B. Bickerstaff for Coach of the Year. While none of them took their respective award, it was a nice reminder of how much they had turned things around.
Detroit Pistons guard Jaden Ivey (23).
Detroit Pistons guard Jaden Ivey (23).
Lon Horwedel-Imagn Images
Pistons predicted to swap Jaden Ivey for this Boston Celtics champion
The Pistons were able to accomplish all of that largely without guard Jaden Ivey, who suffered a broken left fibula on January 1. At the time of his injury, Ivey was averaging a career-high 17.6 points per game on 40.9% from deep and 46% from the field. Detroit will likely be active this summer to bring in players that can help improve upon the season they just concluded.
In a recent article by Bleacher Report's Andy Bailey, he suggests that the Pistons could consider a trade with their longtime Eastern Conference rival.
In the mock trade, he has the Boston Celtics sending Derrick White and Baylor Scheierman for Jaden Ivey, a top-10 protected first-round pick in 2027 and a top-5 protected first-round pick in 2029.
The trade would give the Pistons an elite defender and a great ball handler, while giving the Celtics another young player to pair with Jaylen Brown, with Jayson Tatum likely slated to miss most of, if not all, of next season.
Considering the longstanding rivalry between the two teams, it's unlikely one team will look to help out the other. But if the price is right, even the biggest of enemies can do business together.