Pistons’ J.B. Bickerstaff makes ‘tough’ admission on dealing with Jaden Ivey trade

The Detroit Pistons made their lone move at the NBA trade deadline, sending shooting guard Jaden Ivey to the Chicago Bulls in a three-team deal. In exchange for Ivey, the Pistons received guard Kevin Huerter, forward Dario Saric, and a protected 2026 first-round pick from the Minnesota Timberwolves.

The trade was announced on Tuesday, but was officially confirmed by the team on Wednesday. Pistons’ head coach J.B. Bickerstaff opened up on his time with Ivey and the difficult process of dealing him out of Detroit.

“It’s always tough. This is a tough time of year for everybody involved. You build relationships with people, you care about people, and then tough business decisions have to be made. As great as this league is, it comes with some emotional things that just aren’t always fun, but you have to deal with,” Bickerstaff explained. “J.I. (Jaden Ivey) was awesome the year and a half we were together. He wanted to do whatever he could to help his team win. [He went] through a lot of difficult situations. The way that he was playing to start the year last year and then coming back and having to play a different role, a lot of guys wouldn’t have been able to handle that. I’m extremely appreciative of the way that he handled it and the way that he continued to buy into the team and try to help the team be as successful as he could while he was here.”

Jaden Ivey on the Mend

The 2025-26 season was Ivey’s first action back after suffering a season-ending leg injury against the Orlando Magic. He also opted for surgery during the preseason to help fix a knee issue.

Ivey started 30 games last season and averaged career-high scoring numbers across the board at 17.6 points per game on 46% shooting from the field and 41% from 3-point range. He was playing about 30 minutes a game during his breakthrough stretch.

Ivey returned as a rotation player off the bench in a smaller role. The production came down significantly as he averaged 8.2 points per game in 16.8 minutes. The injuries looked like they made a big impact on his game, as his highly noted burst and speed were reduced on the court. The franchise decided to offer him a fresh start with the trade to Chicago.

The fourth-year guard was drafted out of Purdue by the Pistons No. 5 overall back in 2022. He was drafted in the same class as All-Star center Jalen Duren. The hope was to build a sustainable backcourt with him and All-Star point guard Cade Cunningham. There were glimpses of the pairing working out successfully, but injuries and changing rotations limited the ability of the backcourt duo to work.

Ivey shared immense emotion during the NBA Draft for the opportunity to play for the Pistons. He has intriguing family ties to the city of Detroit that inspired his desire to be in Detroit. His father, Javin Hunter, played high school basketball for Detroit Country Day. His mother, Niele Ivey, played for the Detroit Shock in 2005. His grandfather, James Hunter, was also a decorated cornerback for the Detroit Lions from 1976 to 1982.

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