Heading into next season, the Detroit Pistons have to worry about extending Jaden Ivey, and if things go awry, they could run into a disastrous trade scenario. Ivey was hurt for most of last season, leaving his contract situation in a state of disarray, as he will be entering next year, the final year of his rookie deal, without an extension.
As was the case with guys like Josh Giddey and Cam Thomas, if Ivey does not sign an extension before the start of the season, he will simply enter restricted free agency next summer. At that point, it could be as simple as the Pistons matching any offer that comes his way. But in the midst of all that, feelings could be hurt.
And that wouldn’t be good for anyone involved.
Why would Pistons trade Jaden Ivey?
In an ideal world, the Pistons wouldn’t trade Ivey (obviously). If he plays as well as he did before getting hurt last year, then everything will be fine. He could be a perfect backcourt partner for Cade Cunningham.
However, if the Pistons don’t extend him before the start of next season, perhaps there’s a chance Ivey takes offense. If he wants to sign a deal but the Pistons are either lowballing him or don’t want to agree to terms just yet, what if he gets upset?
What if Ivey grows disgruntled with the situation in Detroit and how things played out, and eventually asks to be traded? Could his situation with the Pistons quickly mirror the one the Golden State Warriors have on their hands with Jonathan Kuminga? It seems unlikely, but it’s certainly not impossible.
If that situation does end up happening, then it would put the Pistons in a completely disastrous trade situation. Not only would they have to trade a guy who isn’t making much money, but everyone around the league would know Ivey wanted to be moved, too, inherently tanking his value.
On top of that, if they let the situation fall until next summer and Ivey doesn’t want to be in Detroit anymore, getting a sign-and-trade to work could be a messy problem to solve, too.
Most of the Pistons’ Ivey issues would be solved by simply coming to an agreement this summer before the start of the 2025-26 campaign. If that happens, all would be well and good in Detroit.
But if the two sides can’t come to an agreement, the Pistons could end up playing a risky game. And if that game ends in Ivey being upset, everything could take a turn for the worse very, very quickly.