Former No. 5 overall pick Jaden Ivey underwent an arthroscopic procedure on his right knee on Thursday to relieve discomfort, the Pistons announced in a press release. The team says the former Purdue star will be out at least four weeks, which is when he’ll be reevaluated.
According to Detroit, Ivey’s surgery and knee discomfort are not related to the fractured left fibula which ended his 2024/25 season after just 30 games. Following an arduous rehabilitation process, 23-year-old guard said he was 100 percent healthy entering training camp.
It’s unfortunate news for Ivey, who is eligible for a rookie scale extension until October 20, the day before the ’25/26 campaign begins.
It’s also a tough blow for the Pistons, who were hoping to see Ivey take a step forward in his fourth year. Now his season debut will be delayed until at least mid-November.
In 30 appearances last season, Ivey averaged 17.6 points, 4.1 rebounds and 4.0 assists in 29.9 minutes per contest, posting a shooting slash line of .460/.409/.733. The .409 mark from long distance was a career-best percentage by a significant margin.
The Kings recently showed with Keegan Murray (thumb surgery) that teams aren’t necessarily afraid to make long-term investments in players who are injured. But for a variety of reasons, Ivey’s situation is a bit more complicated, and the procedure seemingly decreases the odds of an extension being reached in the next few days.
Ivey will earn about $10.1MM in the final year of his rookie scale contract. If he doesn’t sign an extension, he would be eligible for restricted free agency next summer.
With Ivey out, Ausar Thompson, Marcus Sasser, and Caris LeVert are among the players who could have more ball-handling responsibilities for Detroit. Duncan Robinson is also a crafty play-maker who can orchestrate a pick-and-roll, though he isn’t a primary initiator.
Dame I like him on this team. Hopefully you can get healthy young fella. Detroit is heading in the right direction!
I thought he was on the mend… hopefully this surgery goes well and he’s back on the court in a month or two.
This is turning out to be a sad story, hopefully he can stay healthy after this