No way Detroit Pistons would part with Jaden Ivey in a deadline trade

The Detroit Pistons have been mentioned in so many trade deadline rumors that it is hard to keep track.

Of the many I have seen, the range goes from intriguing to garbage, as fans from other teams conjure up scenarios in which they can land Bojan Bogdanovic for a “crap pick” (to quote NBA guru Zach Lowe).

For their part, the Detroit Pistons have mostly stood their ground on not trading either of their valuable veterans, though we’ll see if that is just posturing as the deadline gets nearer and teams up their offers.

Everyone from the Lakers, to the Cavs, Mavs, Suns, Bucks and Pelicans have been connected to the Pistons in trade rumors, but so far there is a lot of smoke with little fire.

Recently, Dan Favale of Bleacher Report speculated on each team’s best asset for a potential blockbuster at the 2023 trade deadline. This was an enjoyable article and Favale admitted that many of these potential pieces are not on the trading block nor likely to be moved.

That is especially true of the player he chose for the Detroit Pistons.

Detroit Pistons: Jaden Ivey is not getting traded at the deadline

Jaden Ivey was named as the best blockbuster trade asset for the Detroit Pistons, though the writer admitted that there weren’t many realistic options to choose from.

Ivey has had an up and down season for Detroit, which you would expect from a rookie guard who has had to take on more responsibility with Cade Cunningham out for the season.

This really isn’t the role Ivey was supposed to be playing, but even under less-than-ideal circumstances he is at or near the top of several rookie categories and has a great chance to make the 1st-team All-Rookie.

The Pistons haven’t even really gotten the chance to see how he looks with Cunningham, Ivey has flashed signs of future stardom, and he is on a rookie deal that has him locked up through the 2025-26 season, all things that would make him an extremely unlikely inclusion in any trade at the deadline.

You’d be hard pressed to find a deal where the Detroit Pistons could take back equal talent at that salary, and adding another draft pick makes no sense considering Ivey is just 20-years-old himself and ranked higher than most of the guys in the 2023 NBA Draft.

There is really only one hypothetical in which the Pistons would entertain trading Ivey, and that wouldn’t come until after the draft.

"“The Pistons aren’t in nuclear-buy mode and almost assuredly aren’t thinking of Ivey as anything less than a building block. Could that change if they land Victor Wembanyama, Scoot Henderson or Amen Thompson in the draft and create a logjam of offensive primaries? Quite possibly.”"

If the Pistons were to land the 2nd pick, there would be a number of options on the table, including trading Ivey in part of a blockbuster deal, but I don’t think Ivey would be on trade block if they got #1 or anything above #2, as they can take a player who would be a great fit with what they already have and that includes Jaden Ivey.

This is a roundabout way of saying the Detroit Pistons are not going to be trading Jaden Ivey anytime soon, and probably never, so while he may be their best asset, he’s likely staying put in the Motor City.