Grading The Jaden Ivey To Chicago Bulls Trade For Detroit Pistons

The Detroit Pistons cut ties with their former No. 5 overall pick in exchange for Kevin Huerter.

Jan 7, 2026; Detroit, Michigan, USA; Detroit Pistons guard Jaden Ivey (23) guards Chicago Bulls guard Kevin Huerter (13) in the first quarter at Little Caesars Arena. Mandatory Credit: Lon Horwedel-Imagn Images | Lon Horwedel-Imagn Images

Jaden Ivey is no longer a Detroit Piston after 3.5 seasons.

After a three-team deal Tuesday afternoon, Pistons guard Jaden Ivey was sent to the Chicago Bulls in exchange for guard Kevin Huerter. The Minnesota Timberwolves were the third team that sent Mike Conley to Chicago and received cash considerations.

The Pistons were reportedly not expected to be super active at the trade deadline, but the holes in their game were too glaring not to address. Detroit currently holds a comfortable lead over the rest of the Eastern conference. They sit at the top with a win-loss record of 37-12. The move to send Ivey out of Detroit is a move that President of Basketball Operations Trajan Langdon believes brings them closer to a Larry O'Brien trophy than before.

Jan 17, 2024; Detroit, Michigan, USA; Detroit Pistons guard Jaden Ivey (23) dribbles defended by Minnesota Timberwolves guard Mike Conley (10) in the second half at Little Caesars Arena. Mandatory Credit: Rick Osentoski-Imagn Images | Rick Osentoski-Imagn Images

Detroit needed shooting, they found shooting

Kevin Huerter is having the worst shooting year of his career from three-point range. Huerter is currently shooting 31.4% from behind the arc, but if you look at Huerter's entire career, his efficiency should balance out by the end of the season. Huerter has done this before.

In 2024, Huerter was shooting a career-worst 30.2% from three-point range for the first half of the season. He was traded to the Chicago Bulls after 43 regular season games with the Kings for guard Zach LaVine. In the second half of the season with Chicago, he shot 37.6% through 26 games. When Huerter realizes his role with Detroit, expect better than 31% from three-point range.

While similar to Duncan Robinson from a scoring perspective, Huerter is much more of a ball handler and facilitator than Robinson. Huerter is capable of running pick-and-rolls with bigs and finding other perimeter shooters on drives.

Huerter is averaging 23.6 minutes, 10.9 points, 3.8 rebounds, 2.6 assists, 0.8 steals, and 0.6 blocks while shooting 45.5% from the field this season. Detroit is second in points in the paint with the tenth best offense in terms of offensive rating. Head coach JB Bickerstaff and Langdon likely feel they can move up from No. 10 to inside the top-five with better efficiency and volume from three-point range.

Trade summary:

Bulls get - Jaden Ivey, Mike Conley
Pistons get - Kevin Huerter, Dario Saric, Wolves' first-round pick swap

— Underdog NBA (@UnderdogNBA) February 3, 2026

The Pistons have improved gradually, but the team still sits at No. 20 in three-point efficiency.

The acquisition of Dario Saric will fly under the radar across mainstream media, but Saric is great fit for what Detroit needs right now. All of Detroit's big men are athletic, tough, defensive-minded big men who focus on controlling the area of the floor people attack most, which is the paint. Saric is a true five that can stretch the floor, hit three-point shots consistently, and make life for all the slashing guards on Detroit's roster much easier.

What losing Jaden Ivey means

Detroit gave up one player averaging 16.8 minutes this season for two solid contributors and a 2026 first-round protected pick swap. The deal has some context of course but this is a great return for a contending team with a player who simply wasn't contributing much to their championship ambitions.

The Pistons saw a bright future for Ivey when he was drafted to Detroit with the No. 5 overall pick in 2022. Bickerstaff and Langdon both arrived in the summer of 2024. Ivey wasn't someone this regime drafted. A major injury at the beginning of 2025 made it harder for Langdon not to include him in trade deals here at the deadline.

At his peak, Ivey is a shifty combo guard who isn't afraid to play scrappy defense and can hit an open jump shot when the point guard feeds it to him. He can play smoothly in transition and is constantly looking to pick pockets and intercept passing lanes. Last season was Ivey's best statistical season. Ivey averaged 29.9 minutes, 17.6 points, 4.1 rebounds, four assists, and 0.9 steals while shooting 46% from the field and 40.9% from behind the three-point line.

At just 23-years-old, Ivey has the rest of this season to prove why he should command more money as a restricted free agent this summer.

The contending Pistons gave up very little for two players that fit exactly what they need on often while a rebuilding Chicago received a 23-year-old former top-five NBA draft pick who averaged 17 points while shooting 40% from behind the three-point line last season for two low-impact veterans.

Final Grade for Pistons: A