DETROIT, MI - FEBRUARY 5: Kevin Huerter #27 of the Detroit Pistons listens to the national anthem before the game against the Washington Wizards on February 5, 2026 at Little Caesars Arena in Detroit, Michigan. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2026 NBAE (Photo by Chris Schwegler/NBAE via Getty Images) | NBAE via Getty Images
Well, the trade deadline is in the books.
The Detroit Pistons, sitting first in the East even after an ugly loss to the Washington Wizards on Thursday, opted to take a more measured approach to the deadline with just one minor deal. Whether that was the right or wrong move is yet to be seen, but the squad took time to break down the deadline from a Pistons’ POV.
1. The Pistons made a relatively minor trade, acquiring Kevin Huerter and Dario Saric + a pick swap with the Wolves for Jaden Ivey. What are your thoughts on the players and assets Detroit acquired?
Brady Fredericksen: I think Huerter is… fine? I don’t think he’s as bad a shooter as he’s shown this season, and I think if you had faith that Fred Vinson could fix the Pistons’ shooting when he got here, you gotta have that same feeling for fixing whatever is off mechanically with Kevin Huerter’s jumper. There’s too big a sample size of good there for me to be convinced he just sucks now. Plus, he’s still shooting 43% on corner 3s over his last 70 games. He’ll get a healthy diet of that in Detroit. The pick swap is whatever, I liked that more when I thought they were going to trade that pick. Dario Saric would have been a cool Pistons addition sometime in 2019.
Wes Davenport: Kevin Huerter might be a great fit. It just comes down to his ability to shoot the basketball. His 3pt% has fallen precipitously since his first season with the Kings, bottoming out this year at 31% so far. But he has history as a very good shooter, even going back to his college days. Huerter is more than a shooter, he can handle and create out of the P&R as well. Good finisher, can hit a pull-up jumper. There’s a lot to like… if that 3pt shot comes back around. The pick swap is nice enough. The team could conceivably move up a few slots to the mid-20s on draft night which might not be a massive swing but is helpful. Saric hasn’t been impactful for some time now. Overall, Huerter does a lot of the stuff Ivey did but adds the ability to shoot off of movement, which they very much needed. Assuming that shot is what is was, not what is has been, of course.
Robbie Bettelon: I don’t think Saric will be here long, and moving up a handful of picks is nice, but I have some excitement about Kevin Huerter. He should at least provide additional gravity around screens as a movement shooter, similar to what Duncan does. Playing with Cade Cunningham should only help his three-point percentage.
Brennan Sims: I like Huerter as a spacer and finisher. Don’t think you need Šarić. I’m hopeful that Huerter will shoot better playing off Cade. He’s another handoff threat who can finish at the cup. The pick is another bonus. It never hurts to have a chance to move up when a class is this loaded.
Max Sturm: I think this all comes down to what they get out of the pick swap. Will it be used to sweeten a future bigger trade, or do the Pistons like someone that a potential move up via the Wolves pick could offer in this summer’s draft? To me, the answers to those questions down the road will say the most about this trade. Huerter can shoot it-despite a down year from three, and has surprisingly good finishing numbers at the rim. But I do wonder if he will play good enough defense to be on the floor consistently come playoff time. In that sense, I’m not sure if he is more than a regular season innings eater, but I hope I’m proven wrong.
2. What will Jaden Ivey be remembered for from his time in Detroit? What’s his “legacy” here, if you will.
Brady Fredericksen: I’ll always remember Jaden Ivey as a guy who worked hard to find his place but never quite found it. He was born into a horrific situation during the Weaver years. He spent a year in Point Guard 101 with Dwane Casey when Cade Cunningham missed the season. He had a disappointing sophomore season under Monty Williams and a really strong 30 games under JB Bickerstaff before the injury. I was never keen on Ivey’s game or fit, but I always appreciated his attitude and work ethic. He never mailed it in, even amidst some bullshit seasons and situations. I’ll always give the guy credit for that, even if I’m left disappointed that all of his never came together in a real way here.
Wes Davenport: Frankly, I don’t think a player who spent only a few seasons’ worth of games with a team earns much of a legacy one way or another. Obviously there is unmet potential, and the personal connections to Detroit make this all the more of a bummer. But legacies are made of more than that, either negative or positive.
Robbie Bettelon: I’ll always remember Jaden Ivey as a player that embraced Detroit and its history as soon as he was drafted. It’s not his fault that the timeline of the team fell this way, but they couldn’t afford to wait to figure out what he was on this roster.
Brennan Sims: It sucks how Ivey’s Pistons tenure turned out. I thought he was one of the steals of the draft when he fell to five. The unfortunate kept happening. He showed promise then 2024 happened. When Ivey was playing the best ball as a pro, more unfortunate stuff. The Pistons went on a run and Jalen Duren and Ausar Thompson clearly became 2 and 3 on the team’s young core list. Ron Holland passed him too. Detroit got off to this hot start and haven’t looked back. It’s nobody’s fault it didn’t work out. Hopefully he recaptures that magic from last season.
Max Sturm: I held more Jaden Ivey stock than most, so selfishly this deal was tough on me. For me, it is two things: his emotional reaction to being selected by Detroit on draft night. It felt like an important statement for the organization that a prospect of his caliber wanted to be here during some of its bleakest times. Secondly, I remember a meaningless late season game against the Heat in his rookie year in which he caused so much havoc on their defense that they resorted to blitzing him. Of course, he had the ball in his hands this much because Cade Cunningham was out for the season. Which is pretty much how things went for the two of them, as they never seemed to fully get on the same page (or the same court for that matter). But back to that night against the Heat, while watching paint touch after paint touch by Ivey in which was a much closer game than expected, I remember fantasizing about how tough to guard two creators like him and Cunningham could be on the court together at the same time. We saw
glimpses of it but never fully got to see the finished product. And that is a shame.
3. What grade would you give the Pistons at the deadline? Additionally, what is your confidence level on a scale of 1-10 that they can turn this magical regular season into an NBA Finals berth?
Brady Fredericksen: D+. The Pistons needed shooting, but their lack of secondary ball handling still terrifies me come playoff time. I would have liked a more reliable guard option than Caris LeVert and Daniss Jenkins. Maybe Huerter is that. It’s all comes down to this: If Red Velvet plays like he did when he had a real point guard on a playoff team (De’Aaron Fox and the 2022-23 Kings), the Pistons will have a shot to make a run. If he plays like the guy stuck in dysfunction (Kings) and purgatory (Bulls), we’re in trouble. I’ve had questions about the ultimate ceiling of this team all year, and I don’t know if that has changed today, either. I’ll say 5/10.
Wes Davenport: B. They did what we expected them to do — complete a minor trade that improves the roster on the margins. I admit I was surprised to see Ivey go, but after Kyle Metz explained some of the salary implications for the offseason in our Pindown trade deadline primer, it made all the sense in the world. As for the finals? 3/10. Nothing they could have realistically done would have changed that, though. Yeah, they have holes, but who doesn’t? My 3/10 is just out of respect for the amount of injury luck and all the other things that have to fall your way to make a finals run. It’s hard! Not guaranteed for anybody.
Robbie Bettelon: A solid B – nothing fancy, but I do think they’re better now than they were before the deadline. This team needed more shooting, and I believe Cade and Vinson will get Huerter right. My confidence level is at a 6, up from a 5 previously.
Brennan Sims: I’d give them a B+. Ivey’s value was shot but they still got a floor spacer and a pick swap. Pick swap might not do much but this is a stacked draft so why not. Detroit is in the mix with the Knicks, Cavs, Celtics, and maybe the 76ers. Detroit has been the best of that group but their playoff offense could hurt. Their defense will travel and there’s a pathway where that steers them to the Finals. I’d give it a 6.5/10. The Knicks are formidable. Harden + Mitchell could be something, time will tell.
Max Sturm: Also a solid B. The pick swap could come in handy down the line. Maybe Huerter will be a guy. I understand why they wanted to avoid an Ivey extension with it’s embarrassment of riches and a suddenly growing payroll. Not to mention, we did not see the same burst from Ivey post injuries, and it’s fair to wonder if they did in fact maximize the return for him when factoring that in. While not detrimental, it was uninspiring which is understandably hard to sell to fans of Detroit sports these days. Make no mistake, however, the championship hopes remain very real. They have the best defense, an abundance of playmakers, depth, and an immaculate culture on their side. Cade is capable of taking this team the distance in the east, and I believe the right supporting cast is there to help him along. It will, however, come down to shooting and halfcourt efficiency when the game slows down in the playoffs. If the Pistons have enough of that remains to be seen. I’m at a solid 8 level of confidence.
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What do you guys think? Let us know in the comments!
1. The Pistons made a relatively minor trade, acquiring Kevin Huerter and Dario Saric + a pick swap with the Wolves for Jaden Ivey. What are your thoughts on the players and assets Detroit acquired?
2. What will Jaden Ivey be remembered for from his time in Detroit? What’s his “legacy” here, if you will.
3. What grade would you give the Pistons at the deadline? Additionally, what is your confidence level on a scale of 1-10 that they can turn this magical regular season into an NBA Finals berth?
