The Pistons have continued their dominant season since trading away Jaden Ivey, but their return in the trade hasn't contributed much. Kevin Huerter has not played in the last two games for the Pistons, despite both being comfortable wins. At the same time, Ivey just logged a DNP of his own in Chicago due to injury concerns. The more we see this trade's fallout, the more it looks like there might not be any true winners.
The Pistons are getting nothing from Kevin Huerter
Huerter was supposed to be an instrumental piece in fixing the Pistons' shooting woes. Luckily, Detroit has been able to bounce back for better production from behind the arc, but not thanks to Huerter. He didn't contribute much in four appearances for the Pistons before the All-Star break, and has done even less sitting on the bench in two games since.
For a player making roughly $18 million this season, Pistons fans had hoped to see more minutes and production. It's true that Huerter hasn't had a ton of time to get comfortable with the Pistons' system yet, but seeing him play zero minutes is shocking. The Pistons' most recent victory over the lowly Chicago Bulls, ironically Huerter's old team, would have been a great opportunity to get him some run and either test out his shooting stroke or other parts of his game.
The other side of the trade isn't looking too hot for the Bulls either. Ivey was forced to miss what would've been his revenge game against the Pistons with lingering knee soreness. This continues the trend of lower body injuries that have plagued him and his athleticism all season long, ultimately leading to the trade in the first place.
Unfortunately for Ivey, he might have a longer road to recovery before solidifying his spot in any NBA rotation. It's terrible timing for him ahead of his restricted free agency this summer. He was buried in the Pistons' deep rotation and now won't get a great chance to show his skills on the Bulls before hitting the market. The most likely outcome for him will be signing a team-friendly extension with Chicago.
Perhaps the most impactful portion of the Ivey-Huerter trade for either the Bulls or Pistons could end up being the pick swap that Detroit picked up. It's with Minnesota, and would allow them to jump from 30th in the draft to 21st if standings remain the same as today. That could potentially be a major shift for a title contender in a supposedly stacked draft.
However, the current ramifications of the trade have been disastrous for all parties involved. Pistons fans have been disappointed by Huerter's absence and perhaps even more saddened by Ivey's continued string of bad injury luck.