Final piece of the Jaden Ivey trade is all but locked in

The Detroit Pistons are very close to securing the pick swap they conditionally received from the Timberwolves as part of the Jaden Ivey trade, but it's not a certainty just yet. 

The trade hasn’t been a roaring success for any of the teams involved, as Kevin Huerter has been up and down for the Pistons, the T’Wolves are likely moving back in the draft and Jaden Ivey was unceremoniously cut from the Bulls over off-the-court drama. 

But if you had to declare a winner, it’s obviously the Pistons, who have gotten much more out of Huerter than originally expected and still have one more asset to claim. They will just need a little help. 

The Detroit Pistons are likely to have the 21st pick 

The Pistons currently sit at pick #21, so they would move up seven spots in the 2026 draft if the season were to end today. That’s not a bad payoff in this draft, and there are already indications that the Pistons may be able to find an impact player in that range. 

It’s likely this will be the final result, as the T’Wolves have two games between them, the Hawks and Raptors and four between them and the Lakers. Minnesota can’t catch LA, so the pick will be 19-21. 

Any combination of a T’Wolves win or a loss from either the Raptors or Hawks would ensure that the Pistons get the pick swap. 

However, the pick is top 19 protected, so there are still scenarios in which the T’Wolves could end up in a three-way tie that was ultimately decided by a couple of coin flips. 

It would require Minnesota to lose their two remaining games and for both the Hawks and Raptors to win both of theirs.  

It’s not an impossible scenario, as Minnesota will close out against the Rockets and Pelicans. The Hawks have the Cavs and Heat and the Raptors the Knicks and Nets, so each team has one game against a tough opponent and one against a team that is either tanking or just bad. 

This may come down to the final day 

For all of the whining and endless insufferable moaning about tanking this year (my god), the NBA season will have plenty at stake on the final day.

Not only do you have this Pistons swap, but myriad other scenarios that could affect seeding for the playoffs. 

Seeds 2-10 are still unsettled after the Knicks beat the Celtics last night, and you have five teams in the Eastern Conference within two games of each other between seeds five through nine.  

There are three seeds still up for grabs in the West, so we are set up for an exciting finish with every team in the league playing its final games on Sunday.