The Jaden Ivey trade is not some lingering nightmare for the Detroit Pistons.
That was the gist of a recent Bleacher Report piece, which framed the deal as something that still “haunts” Detroit. But that feels like a stretch. If anything, the Pistons squeezed real value out of a situation that didn’t offer much upside in the first place.
Last season, there just wasn’t a strong market for Ivey. After an injury setback in the preseason, he started slowly and never really found his rhythm. He was the kind of player who could have benefited from a change of scenery or a “second draft,” but his play at the time didn’t exactly create a bidding war.
It’s hard to see how Trajan Langdon could have landed much more than what Detroit got. A rotation player and a pick swap already feels like a solid outcome when no one was likely to hand over a first-round pick for a player who never looked fully healthy.
And in the end, the Pistons were the only team in the deal that came away with anything meaningful. The Bulls got Ivey, who they almost immediately cut, and veteran Mike Conley. Ivey is out of the league, and Conley is in Boston.
Minnesota was mainly looking to dump Conley’s salary, and to make that happen, it had to give Detroit a swap. That left the Pistons as the clear winners in the deal.
Detroit also kept Kevin Huerter, a move that was controversial then and still is now, since the value is still being sorted out. Huerter hasn’t shot the ball well, but he has defended adequately and has been a useful connector on offense. He’s in the rotation, which is more than can be said for any of the other players involved.
The swap also helped Detroit move up enough to draft Ebuka Okorie, who at least brings intrigue and should have a chance to work his way into the rotation at some point this season. On paper, he’s already a better ball handler than Ivey ever was and looks like a better fit next to Cade Cunningham. He still has to prove it, but there’s clearly some optimism there.
So no, this doesn’t look like a trade that should be haunting the Pistons. They didn’t leave much on the table, and they came away with assets that are actually helping them right now.
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For Detroit, it is the kind of name that naturally gets attention because the Pistons are still looking to accelerate their rise and add proven talent to the mix. The Mavericks, meanwhile, continue to value Irvings leadership and influence, even as the speculation around his availability keeps building without any confirmation from the team that he is actually on the market. [Read more 🡒]