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The 2024-25 season has to count as a rousing success for the Detroit Pistons; they went all the way from winning 14 games to mounting a great challenge to the New York Knicks before falling in six games in the first round of the 2025 NBA playoffs. And with a bright young core led by Cade Cunningham still on the rise, the Pistons have plenty of staying power, especially in the weaker Eastern Conference.
This is not to say, however, that the Pistons should simply bank on internal improvements to power the leap they will be expecting out of themselves come next season. Cunningham's brilliance should have them compete for a top-four spot in the East, but for them to cement themselves as more than just first-round fodder, they will have to make some moves to upgrade the roster.
Re-signing Malik Beasley could end up being the Pistons' number one priority this offseason considering how well he played for the team after signing a one-year, $6 million deal last year. Dennis Schroder and Tim Hardaway Jr. are savvy vets who should still have a place on this team next season.
It's looking like the team's role player core is intact. But for the Pistons to take the next step as a contending team, they may have to shoot for the stars and trade for an All-Star co-star to help Cunningham out.
To that end, here's the player the Pistons must trade to pursue a new co-star for Cunningham.
To trade or not to trade Jaden Ivey, that is the question for the Pistons
Jaden Ivey was having such an excellent 2024-25 season for the Pistons before he went down with a gruesome broken fibula on New Year's Day. Ivey was taking the leap from an efficiency standpoint while scoring the most number of points per game he has in his career (he posted a career-best 17.6 points on a career-high 56.9 percent true shooting).
Ivey won't be turning 24 years of age until February of next year, and when healthy, he should slot in as the Pistons' starter at the two and perhaps the co-star Cade Cunningham needs. In fact, the chemistry between Cunningham and Ivey has only been growing, and with JB Bickerstaff at the helm, Ivey's confidence has come all the way back from a disastrous start during the 2023-24 season when Monty Williams couldn't find a solid role for him.
With him still being young, Ivey should recover back to full strength in no time, so there should be no worries regarding his long-term health. But with the Pistons being very competitive in the playoffs even without Ivey and the title race being as wide open as it's been in recent years, the window might be there for Detroit to expedite their contending timeline starting next season.
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Any trade involving Ivey would have to be for an All-Star player for it to be worth the Pistons' while. Perhaps adding an All-Star on the wing who can defend, shoot threes, and make plays would be ideal, especially with Ausar Thompson and Jalen Duren locked into huge starting roles moving forward.
The biggest fish that the Pistons could perhaps try to catch is Kevin Durant, but Durant will be turning 37 this September, has had his fair share of injury problems in recent years, and would not fit the team's timeline. Another Phoenix Suns star the Pistons could target is Devin Booker; giving up Ivey in a potential Booker trade would be worth it, but it's rather unlikely for the Suns to do so.
Would Jaylen Brown be a realistic trade target for the Pistons? Many believe that the Boston Celtics could be ripe for a cost-cutting trade in the near future, and Brown, who's set to make around $236 million over the next four seasons, could be made available. But would Ivey be enough as the centerpiece for such a trade?
What else can Detroit do?
There isn't much else the Pistons can do on the trade market; it's unlikely that they trade any other member of their young core (Cunningham, Duren, Thompson, Ron Holland), while the likes of Simone Fontecchio and Marcus Sasser will not fetch them much. If they were to be serious about pursuing an upgrade via trade, dangling Ivey is their best bet at getting a deal done.
This is not to say that the Pistons should go out of their way and trade Ivey; he fits the team's young core, is beloved in the locker room, and was growing at a rapid rate before an unfortunate injury derailed his season. But given the right available All-Star talent, the Pistons should have no qualms with parting ways with the 23-year-old combo guard.
