The dust is settling on the NBA trade deadline and the Detroit Pistons had one of the more straight-forward weeks.
They made a lone deal on Tuesday, acquiring wing Kevin Huerter, big man Dario Saric and a 2026 first-round pick swap with the Minnesota Timberwolves in exchange for Jaden Ivey.
The East-leading Pistons have had an incredibly successful first 50 games of the season, exceeding just about every expectation from the beginning of the year and are on the fast track to a second straight postseason appearance.
There were some clear gaps in a young squad the Pistons attempted to address that by trading Ivey, who’s struggled since his return from a major leg injury, for a veteran shot-taker in Huerter.
While there was some clamor for president of basketball operations Trajan Langdon to seize Detroit’s high standing in the East and make a major trade, the Pistons stuck to their long-term plan and added around the margin to remain flexible for some important contract decisions coming up on the likes of Jalen Duren and Ausar Thompson.
Even if the Pistons didn’t make a splash, analysts around the league praised the move for filling a need in Detroit and making a simple, but effective trade to help space the floor for Cade Cunningham at times and run with the second team as a scoring threat.
“They definitely improved,” Hall of Famer and former teammate of Huerter’s, Vince Carter, said during NBA on NBC. “They’re letting everybody in the East know we’re not playing, we’re going for it right now. Their goal is to make it into the finals and this is the way to go about it.”
Here’s a look at some of the grades given to the Pistons for the trade by NBA analysts around the league.
Yahoo!Sports: B+
“Detroit added a floor-spacing element in Huerter, and even received a protected 2026 first-round pick swap from Minnesota in a deep draft. It did cost them a pretty penny, but seeing as Ivey never really got a chance in Detroit, this seemed inevitable.”
ESPN: B
“I’m not sure the Pistons maximized what they could do by adding $13 million in salary, but they’re a better playoff team after this deal. They also upgraded their 2026 draft pick, potentially significantly. We haven’t yet seen details on the swap protections, but if the season ended today, Detroit would jump up from No. 29 to No. 23. Given ESPN’s Basketball Power Index rates the Timberwolves’ remaining schedule as fourth-hardest in the NBA, there’s some upside for the Pistons to move higher than that.”
The Athletic: B-
“Giving up on Ivey’s potential is tough, but this team is looking to win now. Ivey wasn’t helping with that. Making a play for someone like Malik Monk would’ve made more sense to round out the offensive attack, but the Pistons went with a lower-stakes move by trying to bring in Huerter as a potential rental. He’ll be an unrestricted free agent this summer.”
Sporting News: B
“Ivey wasn’t fitting into a very successful team, and Detroit couldn’t agree to terms on an extension with him. It made sense to trade him for win-now help.
Huerter can be that guy. He’s a streaky 3-point shooter who hasn’t been able to hit them this year but is at 37 percent for his career. The Pistons need that type of shooting. Huerter is also a decent playmaker and a high feel player who should be able to contribute to the back end of a playoff rotation."
For The Win: B
“Ivey has lost minutes in the Pistons’ rotation, playing just 16.8 mpg this season in 33 games. So the Bulls might roll the dice on the young guard getting back to the 40.9 percent he shot from three last year. But we’re here to talk about Huerter -- he’s bringing spacing and shot-making to a contender. Is that worth giving up a really young guard who could blossom elsewhere? Let’s see if Huerter can find his touch again on a better team."
SB Nation: A
“The Pistons still need another ball handler and probably need another forward to really secure favorite status in the East. Ivey’s value likely wasn’t that high coming off the injury, and this is a solid return for him even if it doesn’t answer all of the Pistons’ questions. The Pistons should think about swinging bigger before the deadline is over, but as a first move, this is a good one for Detroit.”