The Detroit Pistons have stepped into the NBA trade market ahead of Thursday’s deadline, moving on from former lottery pick Jaden Ivey as part of a three-team deal, according to ESPN’s Shams Charania.
In exchange for Ivey, the Pistons will receive impact wing Kevin Huerter, veteran big Dario Saric and a protected 2026 first-round pick swap with the Minnesota Timberwolves. Ivey and Mike Conley Jr. will join the Chicago Bulls.
The trade marks the end of Ivey’s run with the Pistons since being drafted fifth overall in 2022 by Detroit. He was looking like a breakout star in 2024 before suffering a season-ending leg injury on New Year’s Day last year and hasn’t looked the same upon return.
An extra surgery just ahead of the regular season required him to miss more time and Ivey hasn’t received much playing time, while experiencing a dip in his numbers. Before the deal, Ivey was averaging a career-low 8.2 points, 2.2 rebounds and 1.6 assists on less than 17 minutes per game.
With Ivey set to become a restricted free agent at the end of the year, the Pistons were able to net Huerter, who has proven to be a helpful floor spacer every where he’s been since being selected 19th overall in 2018 out of Maryland.
The 27-year-old, whose contract expires at the end of the season, is having a bit of a down year shooting from beyond the arc, currently at a career-low 31.4%, but his overall shooting has seen a surge with the Bulls, averaging 10.9 points on 46% from the field.
The Pistons are off to a huge 36-12 start for the season, sitting atop the Eastern Conference, but certainly entered deadline week needing some help on offense.
Huerter gives them another possible sharp-shooting option to rotate in when Duncan Robinson is on the bench.
Saric, 31, only spent a few days with the Bulls, being part of a trade on Sunday that sent him from the Sacramento Kings to Chicago. Since being the Rookie of the Year runner-up in 2017, Saric has bounced around teams and played sporadically depending on the roster.
He played 64 games for the Golden State Warriors in 2023-24, averaging 8 points and 4.4 rebounds per game, but he’s played just 21 games over the last two seasons.
It’s unlikely he’s going to have a major role with a Pistons team that has a deep rotation. Detroit will also need to sort out a roster spot for him — assuming he remains with the team — as the Pistons were at the maximum 15 active spots before the trade.