DETROIT – Ex-Detroit Pistons guard Jaden Ivey was involved in a three-team trade with the Chicago Bulls and the Minnesota Timberwolves, sending the former first-round pick to the Windy City.
The trade, which occurred on Tuesday, Feb. 3, 2026, sent Ivey and Mike Conley Jr. to the Bulls, while the Timberwolves sent a 2026 first-round protected pick swap to Detroit, which also received Dario Saric and Kevin Huerter.
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Ivey, who wore the No. 23 for the Pistons, will have to find another number in the Windy City, as the number is already hanging in the rafters inside the United Center thanks to a guy named Michael Jordan.
It’s tough to trade a young talent in the same division, but the Pistons made off with two expiring contracts that could help them advance in the playoffs with Huerter and Saric.
Huerter is a 6′7″ shooting guard who can defend and put the ball on the floor while also having the ability to shoot, which is a plus for the Pistons.
When two-time All-Star guard Cade Cunningham drives to the paint, he now has the lob threat with fellow All-Star Jalen Duren, or he can kick out the ball to former Michigan Wolverines sharpshooter Duncan Robinson or Huerter for the wide-open three-pointer as the defense collapses.
Huerter, for his career, shoots 37.1% from beyond the arc.
He is having a fantastic season, averaging 10.9 points, 3.8 rebounds, and 2.6 assists in 44 games for the Bulls.
The addition of Saric adds more depth and shooting as he is a 6′10″, 225-pound forward who spent nine seasons in the association.
Detroit, prior to their home matchup against the Denver Nuggets on Tuesday, was last in the NBA in three-pointers made with 531 on the season and 27th in three-pointers attempted with 1,524.
Love story to the city
The former Purdue Boilermaker standout averaged 17.3 points per game and 4.9 rebounds per game on 46% shooting from the field during the 2021-22 season.
Those numbers earned him 2022 Consensus 2nd Team All-American honors.
Combined with his toughness and tenacity, led the Pistons to select him with the No. 5 overall pick in the 2022 NBA draft.
Ivey has family ties to the city, as his mother, Niele Ivey, played for the Detroit Shock in 2005.
Jaden’s father, Javin Edward, was born in Detroit and attended Detroit Country Day High School before playing wide receiver in the NFL for the Baltimore Ravens and San Francisco 49ers in the 2000s.
His late grandfather, James Hunter, played at Grambling State under coach Eddie Robinson, who developed him into the 10th pick of the 1976 NFL draft by the Detroit Lions.
But Ivey’s time, although a love story to the city, was filled with ebbs and flows.
The 23-year-old dealt with an injury to his knee and a significant injury to a broken left fibula on Jan. 1, 2025.
The injury kept him out of the Playoffs last season as he continued to work his way back into the lineup, but with Cunningham breaking out and fellow draft-mate Duren becoming an All-Star, Ivey couldn’t quite find his footing on the best team in the Eastern Conference.
He also had a slow return to the season, not debuting until late November.
The slow start and the development of point guard Daniss Jenkins made Ivey expendable as he is due for an extension this offseason.
Ivey averaged 8.2 points per game, 2.2 rebounds per game, and 1.6 assists per game this season with the Pistons.
He showed flashes at times, including his rookie season, when Cunningham went down with an injury.
He was balling during the 2024-25 season before breaking his fibula after just 30 games.
As the Pistons’ primary ball handler, Ivey showed star potential, averaging 22.2 points, 6.2 assists, and 5.3 rebounds while shooting 45.5% from the field.
With the ball in his hands in the house that Jordan built, Ivey, along with his new jersey number, will look to shine in his new role with a fresh start.