Jaden Ivey

Pistons Notes: Cunningham, Langdon, Ivey, Trade Assets

May 11th, 2025 at 12:00pm CST by Arthur Hill

Now that Cade Cunningham has established himself as one of the NBA’s best guards, Pistons president of basketball operations Trajan Langdon believes he’ll become a target for other players, writes Coty M. Davis of The Detroit News. Cunningham earned his first All-Star appearance this year, averaging 26.1 points, 6.1 rebounds and 9.1 assists in 70 games, and is considered a strong candidate for All-NBA honors.

“He was looking at other players and had a target on their backs, and now, he is going to have a target on his,” Langdon said. “Players are going to be like, ‘Man, I am going against Cade Cunningham tonight. I’m going to get my rest because people are going to be watching.'”

Davis adds that Cunningham’s exit interview with Langdon and coach J.B. Bickerstaff focused on the increased attention he’s likely to get from opposing defenses. He got a taste of that in the playoffs as New York took a physical approach with Cunningham and utilized multiple coverages, limiting him to 42.6% from the field in the six-game series.

“The big thing for him, and we talked to him about it, get into elite shape,” Langdon added. “He is incredibly skilled and talented. He understands the leadership of it. He now has a little bit of late-season and playoff experience, he knows how it feels. So, now, he has an understanding of what he is training for in the summer. If you have never experienced playoff basketball, you don’t understand the level you have to go to. He should be training for the first and second rounds of the playoffs. Not just Game 45 (of the regular season) anymore.”

There’s more from Detroit:

Jaden Ivey is looking forward to a fresh start after missing most of the season with a broken left fibula he suffered in a New Year’s Day game, Davis adds in a separate story. There was some optimism that Ivey could return by the end of the season, but the Pistons decided not to take that risk. “This has been painful for him,” Langdon said. “He is an incredible human being, teammate; he has been supportive. But it has been hard for him to watch our run.”
Omari Sankofa II of The Detroit Free Press doesn’t expect the Pistons to pursue a star this offseason, but he notes that the organization has the assets to consider that route. The team is finally free from the restrictions of the Ted Stepien rule and can freely part with multiple future first-round picks in a trade for the first time in five years. Sankofa states that Langdon could offer up to four first-round selections and three first-round swaps if he decides to chase an elite player.
Unless they can somehow land Giannis Antetokounmpo or Devin Booker this summer, the Pistons’ best strategy is to keep their young core intact, contends Shawn Windsor of The Detroit Free Press.

Pistons GM Trajan Langdon Talks Free Agents, Extensions, More

May 7th, 2025 at 9:15pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

Pistons veterans Malik Beasley, Tim Hardaway Jr., Paul Reed and Dennis Schröder will all be unrestricted free agents this summer. The additions of Beasley, Hardaway, Schröder and forward Tobias Harris; the growth of Detroit’s young core; and the hiring of new head coach J.B. Bickerstaff sparked a 30-win improvement between 2023/24 and 2024/25, and saw Detroit return to the playoffs for the first time in five years.

The Pistons gave the higher-seeded Knicks all they could handle in a hard-fought first round playoff series, but were ultimately defeated in six games and now face a summer full of possibilities.

Pistons team president Trajan Langdon seemed to be relatively open-minded about the aforementioned free agent quartet’s future in town during his end-of-season press conference on Wednesday, writes Omari Sankofa II Detroit Free Press.

“Maybe some of them don’t want to come back, maybe some of them get bigger offers elsewhere,” Langdon said. “It takes two to tango with our free agents and they have decisions to make. All of them were great for us. I think they’d all be great for us coming back here in terms of what they did for us and how they fit the roster that we have. I can’t give you an answer of which ones because again, it takes both sides to come together on a deal.”

Will the Pistons seek to upgrade the club’s roster around All-Star Cade Cunningham via trades? Langdon seemed to suggest that he would be receptive to trade proposals, but wasn’t looking to muck up his club’s developmental timeline after the first round playoff exit, per Keith Langlois of Pistons.com.

“I’ve always said ‘stay patient’ and I’m not going to change in that regard,” Langdon said. “We’re going to listen to calls, we’re going to see opportunities. We’re always going to look at avenues to get better that we think make sense for us to improve. A big thing for us this summer is going to be to develop the guys we have – the young guys we have that are 19 to 22, 23 years old and have them continue to grow. If those guys take steps, we get better. That’s what we’ve focused on and putting people with those guys that can make them better. It was a pretty good formula this year, so we’ll look at everything out there.”

Here are a few more of Langdon’s notable comments from Wednesday’s press conference, via Sankofa and Langlois.

On the team’s massive single-season turnaround:

“After a couple days [to] reflect, hell of a season for us… I don’t know another way to put it. Surprising, gratifying. Guess it creates different expectations going into next year for us. We can see that both ways, positively and negatively. But I think there’s way more positives.”

On emphasizing offseason continuity with the club’s youth movement:

“All these guys will come back and that continuity with this, not only the roster but the coaching staff and his philosophy that this group has never had before… That will be a positive through the summer and through next season as well. The questions will be there, about what we do. Do we add another person or do we just build from within? Like I said before, we’ll look at all avenues and decide what the best avenue is for us.”

On wing Ausar Thompson‘s development in two abridged seasons:

“Ausar – it’s his second season and he had a shortened first season and a shortened second season because it didn’t start on time and he really didn’t have a summer, either, because of his blood clots. It’s exciting for us that he’ll have a full summer to train as a professional that he hasn’t had yet. To have the season he had without a full summer or training camp is incredible.”

On guard Jaden Ivey‘s possible rookie scale extension:

“He had an incredible first two months of the season and he helped this turnaround… I’m excited to see what his summer looks like and what he’s gonna look like coming back in the fall as well. He’s a guy that impacts the game on both ends of the floor and in-between and in transition. Adding him to the roster we have, I think, will create an even more explosive dynamic and something else that our coaches and players can use to help us win games and have even more success. I think he’s going to come back a better version than he was last to year.”

On Jalen Duren‘s midseason growth and his own potential extension:

“JD took a huge step after the first 25 games…. He was a different player the last 50, 60 games of the season. He got off to a slow start. We’re hoping we’re going to push him this summer as well and I think he’s willing to take that up to another level. If those guys take steps, we get better.”

Pistons Notes: Cunningham, Bickerstaff, Gores, Beasley

May 2nd, 2025 at 12:57pm CST by Arthur Hill

The Pistons didn’t advance past the first round, but they’ve revived the culture of Detroit basketball and figure to be a playoff contender for many years to come, writes Eric Woodyard of ESPN. This season marked a 30-game improvement over last year, when they were a league-worst 14-68. They proved they belong in the postseason by playing six competitive games against New York before bowing out due to Jalen Brunson‘s heroic performance.

“We felt good about this series,” Cade Cunningham said after Thursday’s loss. “So to not pull it out hurts, but that feeling will stick with us throughout the summer in our workouts, conversations and everything. We will be back and better.”

The turnaround was orchestrated by J.B. Bickerstaff, who took over as head coach last summer shortly after being dismissed by Cleveland. Bickerstaff, who was named as a finalist for Coach of the Year honors, was invigorated by the opportunity to guide a talented young roster, saying it gave him a “renewed sense of purpose in this profession.”

“It’s great experience,” he added. “You don’t get playoff experience until you get playoff experience, but I thought the guys did a tremendous job of learning from moment to moment, game to game and trying to figure out how you can have an impact on winning.”

There’s more from Detroit:

In a session with the media before Game 6, owner Tom Gores admitted that the Pistons exceeded his expectations for this season, Woodyard adds. Gores said the future looks promising and thanked Detroit fans for their support. “How they’ve been able to get through adversity is so impressive. I don’t get inspired by a lot, I’m really inspired by them,” Gores said. “They have excited the city. I’ve done everything I could for this city. We buy hospitals, we try to make sure kids are OK. We do all the things that we do. I’ve never got the city that excited before this team showed up and they’re just showing it on the floor. I’m sure a lot of people still are not going to predict us to get anywhere, but we’re here.”
Malik Beasley, who was a finalist for the Sixth Man of the Year Award in his first season with the Pistons, expressed interest in re-signing with the team in free agency. The 28-year-old shooting guard came to Detroit on a one-year, $6MM contract last summer, and the Pistons only hold his Non-Bird rights. “In my whole nine years in the NBA, I never had this much fun coming to the gym,” Beasley said (Twitter video link from Michael Scotto of HoopsHype). “I’ve been through a lot of stuff just this year alone. Every day coming in was probably the best thing that happened to me. … It’s definitely a place I want to be.”
Cunningham and Isaiah Stewart are the only Pistons currently with non-rookie deals that stretch past the 2025/26 season, but that figures to change soon, per Christian Romo of The Detroit Free Press. Tim Hardaway Jr. and Dennis Schröder are also headed for free agency this summer, while Jaden Ivey and Jalen Duren will both be eligible for rookie scale extensions.

Pistons Notes: Schröder, Beasley, Stewart, Ivey, Game 3

April 27th, 2025 at 10:59am CST by Rory Maher

Veteran guard Dennis Schröder struggled with his shot after the Pistons traded for him in February, averaging 10.8 points on .378/.302/.833 shooting in 28 regular season games (25.2 minutes per contest).

However, as Omari Sankofa II of The Detroit Free Press writes, the 31-year-old has played a critical role for the Pistons in the playoffs, making timely shots and serving as a secondary ball-handler alongside All-Star Cade Cunningham. Through three playoff games (28.3 MPG), Schröder is averaging 15.3 points, 2.7 assists and 2.3 rebounds on .556/.615/.800 shooting.

“He’s played in so many big games, and when you go back and watch his history, he’s clutch in big games,” head coach J.B. Bickerstaff said after Game 2, when Schröder made the winning basket, securing Detroit’s first playoff victory in 17 years. “We talked about it early on when he got here, he’s just fearless. There’s no moment, there’s no crowd, there’s no noise that’s too big or that’s gonna rattle him. Works his tail off on his game, but a lot of people in that situation don’t have the courage and he’s got the courage to take big shots.”

Schröder will be an unrestricted free agent this summer, Sankofa notes.

Here’s more on the Pistons:

While Schröder has caught fire in the playoffs, the opposite has been true for Malik Beasley, another impending free agent. After averaging 16.3 points and converting 41.6% of his three-point tries in the regular season, the Sixth Man of the Year runner-up has posted 13.7 PPG while shooting 30.0% from long distance thus far in Detroit’s first-round series vs. New York. “I think he’s getting his looks. They just haven’t fallen for him … we know he’s capable of making those shots,” Bickerstaff said of Beasley (Twitter link via Sankofa).
Big man Isaiah Stewart battled through a right knee injury in Game 1 and missed the second and third games of the series. He’ll also be sidelined for Sunday’s Game 4 due to ongoing right knee inflammation, as Hunter Patterson of The Athletic relays (via Twitter).
Although the Pistons technically didn’t rule out Jaden Ivey for the remainder of the postseason when they provided an update on his status last night, Bickerstaff sounded skeptical about the third-year guard’s chances of playing again in ’24/25, per Patterson (Twitter video link). “Our aim will always be to protect our guys,” Bickerstaff said. “This would just be a very difficult situation for a guy to come back into after dealing with the injury. … The more he progresses, we’ll take a look.” Ivey is recovering from a broken fibula in his left leg.
Both the Pistons and Knicks were frustrated by the officiating following a controversial ending to Game 3, writes Chris Herring of ESPN. Detroit was livid that Jalen Brunson wasn’t called for a backcourt violation in the closing seconds, though the NBA supported that non-call, notes Jared Schwartz of The New York Post. The Knicks, meanwhile, were angered that Detroit got possession of the ball after Brunson intentionally missed a free throw with 0.5 seconds left.
Despite finding themselves in a 1-2 hole, the Pistons remained positive after the Game 3 loss, as Patterson writes for The Athletic. “We won’t be deflated,” Bickerstaff said when asked about the mood in the Pistons locker room. “Our guys are too committed to one another. We’re not results-driven. We’ll show up Sunday and we’re going to lay it on the line. We’re going to fight like hell and see what happens.”

Pistons Provide Medical Update On Jaden Ivey

April 26th, 2025 at 9:00pm CST by Arthur Hill

Jaden Ivey, who has been sidelined since January 1 with a broken left fibula, is taking part in “a progression of basketball shooting and skill work” in addition to ongoing reconditioning and strength exercises, the Pistons announced (Twitter link). The team stated that another update will be provided in two weeks.

The third-year shooting guard was in the midst of his best NBA season when he suffered the injury during a New Year’s Day game against Orlando as Cole Anthony landed on his leg while they were chasing a loose ball. Ivey underwent surgery on January 2.

Ivey seemed to regain his confidence under new coach J.B. Bickerstaff after struggling last season when Monty Williams tried to adjust his role. In the 30 games he played this season, Ivey averaged career highs with 17.6 points and 4.1 rebounds while posting career-best shooting numbers of 46% from the field and 40.9% from three-point range. He regained his status as a full-time starter and logged 29.9 minutes per night.

Ivey was ruled out for the rest of the regular season in mid-March, but the Pistons haven’t confirmed that he won’t be able to return at some point in the playoffs. However, it appears that it will take a long postseason run for that to be considered, and Detroit is currently trailing 2-1 in its series with New York.

Ivey is a solid foundation piece for the improving Pistons, who went 44-38 after winning just 14 games last season. The fifth pick in the 2022 draft, Ivey will be eligible for a rookie scale extension this summer that could ensure his long-term future in Detroit.

Injury Notes: Ivey, Ingram, Wells, T. Jones

April 10th, 2025 at 12:58pm CST by Luke Adams

Jaden Ivey continues to progress in his recovery from the broken left fibula he suffered on New Year’s Day, according to the Pistons, who announced on Thursday (via Twitter) that the third-year guard has been cleared for basketball activities.

Ivey is entering the initial phase of his reconditioning program and will continue to progress in his on-court work, the team stated, adding that he’ll be reevaluated in two weeks.

While Ivey obviously won’t make it back during the regular season, it’s worth noting that the Pistons have yet to formally rule him out for the postseason. Detroit has clinched a playoff spot and will be in the midst of the conference quarterfinals in two weeks.

Of course, there’s still no guarantee that Ivey will be able to return and contribute in the playoffs, but the longer the Pistons can stay alive, the better the odds are that he’ll have a chance to play again this spring.

Here are a few more injury updates from around the NBA:

Raptors forward Brandon Ingram has been shut down for the rest of the 2024/25 season after receiving a platelet-rich plasma (PRP) injection in his injured left ankle this week, head coach Darko Rajakovic told reporters on Wednesday (story via Ian Harrison of The Associated Press). Ingram, acquired from New Orleans at the trade deadline, has yet to make his Raptors debut, having been out with his ankle injury since early December. “It’s what he needs,” Rajakovic said of the injection, adding that Ingram is expected to be good to go for training camp in the fall. “He’s been recovering really well.”
After being discharged from the hospital on Wednesday, Grizzlies rookie Jaylen Wells was in attendance at the team’s shootaround on Thursday, writes Damichael Cole of The Memphis Commercial Appeal. Wells, who fractured his wrist and sustained a facial laceration as a result of the hard fall he took in Tuesday’s game, won’t be able to return to action anytime soon, but was “in decent spirits” on Thursday, according to Grizzlies wing Vince Williams.
Bulls point guard Tre Jones, who sprained his left foot last month, still doesn’t appear close to returning to action. According to K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Sports Network (Twitter link), Jones was still wearing a walking boot as of Wednesday night. While the team hasn’t provided an official update recently, it seems increasingly unlikely that the veteran guard will have a chance to return this season unless the Bulls advance beyond the play-in tournament.

Pistons Notes: Bickerstaff, THJ, Thompson, Offseason, Cunningham

March 30th, 2025 at 6:58pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The Pistons have become the first team in NBA history to triple their win total in back-to-back 82-game seasons. Head coach J.B. Bickerstaff is one of the league’s top candidates for Coach of the Year with his main competition being his successor with the Cavaliers, Kenny Atkinson.

After going 14-68 last season, Detroit swept a three-game homestand to reach the 42-win total despite the absence of star Cade Cunningham. That should bolster Bickerstaff’s candidacy, Hunter Patterson of The Athletic notes.

“The way we play is his style, brand of basketball and his attitude,” Tim Hardaway Jr. said. “He’s done an amazing job of giving guys that confidence, giving guys that ability to go out there and compete on both ends of the floor. No matter if you make a mistake here or there or multiple mistakes in a row, as long as you’re competing and moving on to the next play, that’s all he cares about.

“And when you have a coach like that, and a coach that also communicates to each one of his players like he does — goes up to each one of them before practice, after practice just to ask how your day is going — that goes a long way. We want to go to battle for him. We want to go to war for him, and I feel like that’s what makes him the Coach of the Year.”

We have more on the Pistons:

Ausar Thompson‘s rookie season ended abruptly due to blood clotting issues. In his second season, the 2023 lottery pick has emerged as a defensive stopper and steady contributor for the league’s most surprising club. Thompson told Grant Afseth of RG.org that physicality is the key to his defensive approach. “I think being physical off-ball,” Thompson said. “When they pass the ball — if they cut, hit ’em a little bit because then it’s gonna slow down the cut. They might try and talk to you. So yeah, just be physical with them, not let them be comfortable and slow ‘em down.”
Keith Langlois of Pistons.com doubts the front office will pursue an in-his-prime star this offseason to pair with Cunningham. Langlois anticipates the Pistons will be focused on ensuring there are enough solid veterans around Cunningham, since Malik Beasley and Hardaway will be free agents. Langlois also notes that Jaden Ivey, Jalen Duren and Ausar Thompson all have a chance to blossom into legitimate No. 2 options alongside Cunningham.
Cunningham missed his fourth straight game on Sunday due to a left calf contusion. Bickerstaff feels as though the point guard’s teammates have embraced the challenge of playing without him, Omari Sankofa II of the Detroit Free Press tweets. “He’s earned so much of their respect in putting this team together and helping it evolve and grow …they’ve individually gone out and tried to be the best version of themselves,” he said.
Tobias Harris was a late scratch on Sunday, the team’s PR department tweets. He’s dealing with an Achilles injury and also missed Friday’s win over Cleveland.

Pistons Notes: Thompson, Stewart, Ivey, Bickerstaff

March 15th, 2025 at 6:27pm CST by Arthur Hill

The Pistons‘ defense had an off night in Thursday’s loss to Washington, so it was odd that Ausar Thompson didn’t get more playing time, writes Hunter Patterson of The Athletic. While Detroit was giving up 129 points to the worst team in the East, Thompson was limited to 19 minutes and saw just two seconds of action in the fourth quarter.

Patterson notes that Thompson was effective when he was on the court, finishing with 10 points, four rebounds, an assist and a block. He swatted away a three-point attempt by the Wizards’ 7’0″ rookie Alex Sarr.

Coach J.B. Bickerstaff only took three questions after the loss and didn’t explain Thompson’s reduced playing time, Patterson adds. However, he did address it before Saturday’s game, telling reporters, “It was my decision down the stretch … nothing that he did. He’ll definitely get an opportunity to play more tonight.” (Twitter link from Omari Sankofa II of The Detroit Free Press)

There’s more from Detroit:

Following the embarrassing loss, several players talked about the need to stay focused every night, per Coty M. Davis of The Detroit News. They understand that each game is important as they try to move into fourth place and secure home court advantage for the first round of the playoffs. “Pretty much everybody (spoke up). We knew we didn’t do our job tonight. We knew we didn’t handle business, so everybody was disappointed,” Isaiah Stewart said. “I would just say it’s a lesson for us. We want to hang our hat on playing Detroit basketball every night and being consistent with that. We just didn’t do that tonight, and hopefully, we learn from that.”
In a separate story, Jaden Ivey talks to Davis about the collision in a New Year’s Day game that resulted in his broken fibula. Orlando’s Cole Anthony made contact with Ivey’s left leg while diving for the ball, effectively ending Ivey’s season. The Pistons announced on Thursday that the next update on Ivey’s condition will be four weeks away. “I’ve watched the clip; it’s just a basketball play,” Ivey said. “You are diving on the floor and playing hard for your team; I get it. I am not too over the situation of how I got hurt. But I am just taking things day by day.”
Pistons players are crediting Bickerstaff’s increased expectations for helping them quickly develop into a successful team, Patterson adds in another story for The Athletic. Bickerstaff was brought in to turn things around after a 14-win season. “Obviously, we’ve had a lot of changes, from front office to different personnel and lineups,” Jalen Duren said. “But I think overall, I want to give credit to J.B. and what he’s brought to the team in terms of a seriousness and an approach to the game, if that makes sense. He kind of keeps us on track and lets us know how, since day one, we’re not just out here to do this. We’re trying to make some noise, we’re trying to become a better team and he’s carried that all season. He’s the guy who’s set the tone for the culture.”

Injury Notes: Mavericks, Doncic, Lonzo, Ivey

March 14th, 2025 at 6:05pm CST by Luke Adams

The Mavericks will once again have just nine players available on Friday in Houston. Forward P.J. Washington, who is dealing with a right ankle sprain, was originally listed as questionable, but he has been ruled out and will miss a seventh consecutive game, according to Danielle Lerner of The Houston Chronicle (Twitter link).

Head coach Jason Kidd explained that with the Mavericks scheduled to play an early-afternoon game against Philadelphia on Sunday, Washington was unlikely to be available for that contest if he plays tonight. So, as Brad Townsend of The Dallas Morning relays (via Twitter), the decision was made to hold the forward out of Friday’s game, but it sounds like he should be ready to return in a couple days.

There has been no indication that any other injured Maverick is on the verge of being activated. Kidd did say that Anthony Davis (adductor strain) “continues to trend in the right direction,” but there’s no timeline for his return, tweets Townsend.

Besides only having nine players available, Kidd is also limited in how much he can use several of those players. Dante Exum is on a minutes limit of about 20-to-25 per game, while Dwight Powell, Caleb Martin, and Brandon Williams all remain on minutes restrictions too, per Townsend (Twitter link).

Here are a few more injury-related notes from across the NBA:

Already missing LeBron James, the Lakers will be without their other star on Friday in Denver. They’ve ruled out Luka Doncic, who is managing a left calf issue as well as a right ankle sprain, per ESPN’s Dave McMenamin. The Lakers have lost three games in a row and will face long odds to snap that streak on Friday with their top two players inactive.
Bulls guard Lonzo Ball, who has been sidelined for the past six games due to a sprained right wrist, told his teammates before they embarked on a six-game road trip that he’d see them “on the second half of the trip,” tweets K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Sports Network. It’s unclear whether that means Ball expects to return to action by then or if he’ll just meet up with the team at that point — either way, it sounds like he’ll be out for at least three more games.
Despite being ruled out for at least four more weeks on Thursday, Pistons guard Jaden Ivey hasn’t given up on the idea of returning to action this spring, as Eric Woodyard of ESPN relays. As the No. 6 seed in the East, Detroit is well-positioned to make the playoffs, so the team should continue playing beyond the end of the regular season for the first time since 2019, giving Ivey more time to recover. “It’s definitely motivating. I want to be out there so bad,” he said. “And I’m putting in the work to get back so just seeing those guys go out there and compete hard, that’s all I want to do is compete and play the game of basketball so it’s definitely encouraging and exciting to see.”

Jaden Ivey Ruled Out For Remainder Of Regular Season

March 13th, 2025 at 10:53am CST by Dana Gauruder

Any hope that Pistons starting guard Jaden Ivey would return prior to the end of the regular season was almost certainly dashed by the latest medical update provided by the club.

Ivey’s rehabilitation from a broken fibula has progressed to “weight-bearing strengthening exercises, running progression activity and stationary shooting,” the team’s PR department tweets. The next update regarding his rehab will be updated in four weeks. The regular season ends in four-and-a-half weeks, on April 13.

As of the previous update, issued on Feb. 6, Ivey had transitioned to a walking boot and had begun light weight-bearing activity.

While there may a window for Ivey’s return if the Pistons advance deep into the playoffs, it seems safe to assume his regular season, at least, is over. Ivey underwent surgery on Jan. 2 after Magic guard Cole Anthony fell on his left leg the previous night while the two guards were battling for a loose ball.

The No. 5 overall pick in the 2022 draft, Ivey had been enjoying his best season as a pro so far in ’24/25, establishing new career highs in points (17.6) and rebounds (4.1) per game, as well as field goal percentage (46.0%) and three-point percentage (40.9%). He started all 30 games he played, averaging 29.9 minutes per night.

Detroit has already picked up its $10.1MM option on Ivey’s contract for next season. He’s eligible for a rookie scale extension during the offseason — it remains to be seen how the injury might impact those future negotiations.

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