This post was originally published on this site.
Detroit — The Detroit Pistons are sending guard Jaden Ivey to the Chicago Bulls as part of a three-team trade, a source confirmed to The Detroit News on Tuesday.
Ivey is part of a deal that lands the Pistons guard Kevin Huerter, forward Dario Saric and a 2026 first-round protected swap from the Minnesota Timberwolves, according to ESPN. Joining Ivey with the Bulls is veteran point guard Mike Conley Jr., who was sent by the Timberwolves. Ivey ends his four-year tenure in Detroit, having played 214 career games and averaging 14.9 points and 4.0 assists.
“It’s tough. This is where the building of relationships matters,” Pistons coach J.B. Bickerstaff said. “Trying to build relationships with people and trying to communicate with people all throughout the season and the summer, it makes times like this a little less difficult.”
The Pistons originally selected Ivey with the No. 5 pick in the 2022 NBA Draft. Through the first two and a half seasons, it appeared Ivey would be a part of the Pistons’ core roster for the long term, given that he had averaged 16.1 points and 4.4 assists through his first 181 career games, with 164 starts.
His best moment with the Pistons came during the first 30 games of the 2024-25 season, where he averaged career highs of 17.6 points on 40.9% shooting from behind the arc, 4.1 rebounds and 4.0 assists. Ivey had taken the lead as Detroit’s second-best player and was playing at a near All-Star level.
While connecting on game-winning baskets against the Toronto Raptors and Sacramento Kings, Ivey was quickly establishing himself as the Pistons’ go-to player down the stretch, averaging a team-best 2.5 points in clutch moments. However, he broke his left fibula on New Year’s Day 2025, halting his breakout campaign.
“My mind was so focused on winning, but I was enjoying every second of playing, leading up to the injury. I was in so much enjoyment that I did not think that could actually happen to me,” Ivey told The Detroit News in December.
After missing the rest of last season, Ivey was anticipated to regain his role with the team at the beginning of this season. However, he suffered a knee injury during training camp that delayed his return. Ivey made his season debut against the Milwaukee Bucks on Nov. 22, but never regained the role he held before his injuries. He appeared in 33 games with two starts this season, averaging career lows of 8.2 points in 16.8 minutes.
“I don’t think a lot of times, people on the outside looking in see the real world implications of what it means to guys at this time of the year,” Bickerstaff said. “It is one thing if you are asking to be moved. But, when it happens, you normally like where you are … It’s not an easy time of the year. We understand that and try to be sensitive to that. Try to create a place where guys feel comfortable expressing their feelings and having conversations.”
The addition of Huerter helps the Pistons’ need for a 3-point shooter. He has been one of the most respected shooters since entering the league in 2018, averaging 11.6 points on 37.1% shooting from behind the arc during his career. However, this season has been a bit of a down year for him. In 44 games with the Bulls, including 11 starts, he has shot a career-low 31.4% from 3-point range.
Huerter, 27, is averaging 10.9 points per game this season. The Pistons are his fourth NBA team, after the Atlanta Hawks selected him with the No. 19 overall pick in the 2018 NBA Draft out of Maryland.
As of now, Saric adds to Detroit’s frontcourt as a 6-foot-10 center who has averaged 10.3 points and 5.3 rebounds through 498 career games. Given the number of big men the Pistons currently have, it is uncertain whether the Pistons intend to use Saric in a different deal to facilitate another trade.
Saric, 31, has appeared in just five games this season for the Sacramento Kings, averaging just 8.2 minutes a game. He was part of a three-team trade over the weekend that included DeAndre Hunter heading to the Kings and former Piston Dennis Schröder heading to the Cleveland Cavaliers.
coty.davis@detroitnews.com
@cotydavis_24
Want to comment on this story? Become a subscriber today. Click here.