Struggling East Team Encouraged to Approach Pistons for Trade

Could the Pistons hear from the Wizards at some point?

Sep 26, 2022; New Orleans, LA, USA; New Orleans Pelicans general manager Trajan Langdon during a press conference at the New Orleans Pelicans Media Day from the Smoothie King Center. Mandatory Credit: Stephen Lew-Imagn Images / Stephen Lew-Imagn Images

Throughout the 2023-2024 NBA season, the Eastern Conference saw the Detroit Pistons and the Washington Wizards as the bottom two teams.

In the end, the Pistons finished with a league-low 14-68 record. Although the Wizards were slightly better, they had a chance to win the NBA’s lottery, and they ended up with the second-overall pick.

Although they landed the standout, Alex Sarr, the Wizards remain in rebuilding territory at this stage. They would have to make some critical moves to take an ideal leap in the right direction.

Bleacher Report's Andy Bailey suggests a Detroit Pistons guard as a potential “ambitious” trade target.

Mar 29, 2024; Washington, District of Columbia, USA; Washington Wizards guard Jordan Poole (13) dribbles the ball against Detroit Pistons guard Jaden Ivey (23) during the first quarter at Capital One Arena. Mandatory Credit: Reggie Hildred-Imagn Images / Reggie Hildred-Imagn Images

Could the Wizards Have Interest in Jaden Ivey?

“Detroit may entertain moving on before Ivey gets to his second contract. It already has a lot of potential usage tied up in Cade Cunningham, Ausar Thompson and Ron Holland. The Washington Wizards, meanwhile, don't have a single surefire answer for the long-term lead playmaker's role. Even if you're high on Bub Carrington, he's far from a can't-miss prospect.”

With plenty of youth and question marks, the Pistons are trying to figure out which homegrown prospects could stick around for the long haul. It’s probably too early to cut the cord on players like Ausar Thompson and Ron Holland.

As for Ivey, they have at least two seasons of film and statistics to find out who he is as a player. But here’s the thing: he hasn’t had stability since landing in Detroit.

Under Dwane Casey, Ivey’s rookie season should be considered a success. He averaged 16 points, four rebounds, and five assists. During his lone season playing for Monty Williams, his production saw a slight drop. Many criticized Williams’ use of Ivey last season. But the fit alongside Cade Cunningham wasn’t exactly seamless either.

The first half of the upcoming NBA season will have all eyes on the Cunningham-Ivey backcourt.

While preseason won’t reveal the truth about any player, it’s safe to say there’s so much more optimism surrounding the pairing now than there was back in the dog days of the offseason.

Through four games, Ivey is easily Detroit’s most notable standout. He’s been the leading scorer, putting up 18 points per game on 61 percent shooting from the field. As for the three-point average, Ivey has hit 53 percent of his shots on 4.3 attempts per game.

Ivey’s stock is rising, which is a win-win scenario for the Pistons. If they remain skeptical deep down, maybe a team like Washington could give them a haul. If they are believers, then the former fifth-overall pick could be a backcourt mate for Cunningham for years to come.