Jaden Ivey Urged to Bet on Himself Amid Crucial Season for Pistons

Over the past few years, the Detroit Pistons have had the luxury of testing out young talent with minimal financial commitment. However, that window is slowly closing for them. Trajan Langdon will soon find himself in a tough position, and he'll be tasked with making multiple long-term decisions.

Last offseason, the Pistons capped up the summer by giving former No. 1 pick Cade Cunningham a max contract extension. He quickly proved that this was a smart decision, elevating into an All-NBA-level talent.

Coming down the pike, multiple members of Detroit's core are due for new contracts. First up are Jaden Ivey and Jalen Duren.

Pistons Jaden Ive — Sep 29, 2025; Detroit, MI, USA; Detroit Pistons guard Jaden Ivey (23) poses for his official head shot for the 2025-26 season at the Detroit Pistons Performance Center. Mandatory Credit: David Reginek-Imagn Images | David Reginek-Imagn Images

Alongside Cunningham, Ivey looked to be having a career year of his own in 2025. He was putting up the best numbers of his career, most notably shooting 40% from beyond the arc. Unfortunately, things went off the rails for the former No. 5 pick when he suffered a season-ending leg injury in January.

Following an extended recovery period, Ivey is back in the mix with no restraints for the Pistons. While many are excited to see him back in action, his contract situation is a main storyline.

With the October 20th deadline rapidly approaching, the Pistons have limited time to try and work things out with Ivey. Given how things played out last season, one analyst thinks he should take a big gamble on himself.

In a recent column for The Athletic, Zach Harper touched on the members of the 2022 draft class who still don't have an extension lined up. When it comes to Ivey, he thinks the Pistons guard is better off riding out this season before negotiating a new contract.

"If they’re not going to give him a minimum of $125 million over five years, he should bet on himself and ball out this season," Harper wrote.

First bucket for Jaden Ivey is a threeeee pic.twitter.com/BQc3gbLnvH
— Pistons Jack (@pistons_jack) October 7, 2025

There are some risks with this approach, but it's likely the best course of action for Ivey to maximize his earning potential. While he showed a lot of promise last season, it was still a small sample size. This would certainly impact Detroit's offers in any talks with Ivey.

In the event that Ivey can return to the player he was last year, the Pistons will have to be prepared to offer him a lucrative deal in the summer of 2026.

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