Summer League interactions have spawned a lot of rumors regarding the Detroit Pistons’ future plans, including for some of their key players.
For some reason, Jaden Ivey was a hotly debated topic among executives of other teams and many of them are allegedly monitoring his situation to see if the Pistons will look to move him soon.
However, a quote posted by Keith Smith of Spotrac from an anonymous Pistons executive seems to push back on this idea. This shows that when it comes to summer gossip, smoke doesn't always mean there is fire.
The Detroit Pistons are clear where they stand on Jaden Ivey
Smith quotes the executive as saying “Look, if we had Jaden last year, we win our first playoff series in forever. We believe that 100%.”
It’s clear this executive believes that Ivey is not only a key part of the Pistons’ future (he also spoke about wanting to get an extension done quickly) but also ready to help the Pistons take the next step right now.
Some fans have made a big deal of the Pistons’ record with and without Ivey last season (14-16 with him, 30-22 without) but I think this had a lot more to do with Ausar Thompson’s return to full health than anything Ivey did wrong. Ivey was the second-best player on the team in those first 30 games and they would have had an even worse record without him.
Ivey was a rising star last year and especially improved his 3-point shooting, which will allow him to be a key piece in a young core that is lacking in shooting otherwise. His freak injury last season came at a terrible time and he didn’t get a fair chance to showcase how his talents fit into a winning Pistons team.
But he’ll certainly have the chance to do that this upcoming season and the team will expect him to take on an even bigger role with the departure of veteran guards.
I wouldn’t be surprised to see Ivey be a top candidate for Most Improved Player this upcoming season. And I’m certainly glad that the Pistons front office doesn’t seem on board with making a rash move to ship him out for another player before he’s even had a real shot to show his fit alongside the rest of the young core in a winning environment.
Detroit doesn't have to be in a hurry, as they have Ivey under contract for one more season (if they don't extend him) and would still control his fate in restricted free agency.