Report: The Pistons Won’t Trade Jaden Ivey Despite Interest From The Knicks

A minor surprise came with the fourth pick in the 2022 NBA Draft when the Sacramento Kings opted to draft Iowa’s Keegan Murray over Purdue’s Jaden Ivey. While Ivey was viewed as the better prospect, Murray theoretically fits better on a team that already has De’Aaron Fox as its established point guard and used a lottery pick on Davion Mitchell last year.

As such, Ivey fell to the Detroit Pistons at No. 5, but there were questions about whether or not he’d stick around. There were rumors before the pick that teams were calling the Pistons, and in the aftermath, a number of reports indicated that the New York Knicks, in particular, were interested in making a move if they were able to acquire Memphis center Jalen Duren with the No. 11 pick.

But according to James Edwards of The Athletic, these efforts are going to be for naught, as Detroit decided that it wanted to hold onto Ivey after all.

Ivey is a dynamic option in the backcourt and is, in theory, a sensational fit next to last year’s No. 1 overall pick, Cade Cunningham. While it is totally sensible that teams would want to bring him on board — particularly New York, which can use a point guard and an injection of star power — Detroit instead has its backcourt of the future solidified.

While the Ivey trade talks never materialized, the Knicks and Pistons did get involved on a different deal, as they took on Kemba Walker’s salary in a dump from New York and sent the 2025 first round pick from Milwaukee they got in the Jerami Grant deal (among other future seconds) to Charlotte for the 13th pick and Jalen Duren.