Jaden Ivey

Pistons Sign Lottery Pick Jaden Ivey

The Pistons have signed lottery pick Jaden Ivey to his rookie scale contract, the team tweets.

The Purdue point guard was chosen with the No. 5 overall pick. Ivey’s deal, assuming the usual 120% of the rookie scale, will be for four years and $32,951,083. His first-year salary, under those terms, will be $7,252,200.

Ivey is expected to jump right into Detroit’s rotation and pair up in the backcourt with last year’s No. 1 overall pick, Cade Cunningham.

Detroit is also acquiring No. 13 overall pick, center Jalen Duren, from a draft-night trade. However, it cannot officially sign Duren until that trade becomes official.

Central Notes: Ivey, Agbaji, Rubio, Terry

Jaden Ivey‘s family has a long connection to Detroit, and the Pistons are showing their appreciation to their newly drafted point guard, writes Rod Beard of The Detroit News. The organization presented Ivey with replicas of jerseys worn by his mother, father and grandfather — made more than three weeks ago “just in case” the Pistons were able to select him — and much like draft night, Ivey was overcome by tears.

“You could see my emotions a little bit,” he said. “Just my family, what they’ve been through their whole lives and what they’ve worked for, they helped me get to this stage, just to see all the jerseys it just made me emotional.”

Ivey will be part of the foundation of the team’s rebuilding project, forming a dynamic backcourt with Cade Cunningham, last year’s overall No. 1 pick. The city is already embracing Ivey as he continues the family’s sports legacy in Detroit.

“I’m gonna say this,” coach Dwane Casey said, “the history and story of Jaden is unbelievable. It’s like a fairy tale. Even from me, and I’ve been in (the league) a long time. To understand his grandfather played here, his dad went to high school here, his mom played in the WNBA here, successful college coach right now, it’s beyond belief. And like (general manager) Troy (Weaver) said, the good Lord wanted him here.”

There’s more from the Central Division:

  • The Cavaliers were seeking immediate help in the draft, which is why they took Ochai Agbaji instead of a prospect such as Malaki Branham, according to Jason Lloyd of The Athletic. Cleveland expects to make the playoffs next season, and with other targets such as Ousmane Dieng already off the board, Agbaji was an easy choice at No. 14.
  • There were opportunities for the Cavaliers to trade into the later part of the first round, but they didn’t want to take on another guaranteed contract, a member of the organization told Lloyd. Cleveland is hoping to bring back Ricky Rubio, who would give the team 14 guaranteed deals. Rubio is still rehabbing after ACL surgery and probably won’t be able to play until January, Lloyd adds.
  • The Bulls had opportunities to trade up and trade down Thursday night, but they were thrilled to get Arizona guard Dalen Terry with the 18th pick, per Julia Poe of The Chicago Tribune. “He’s going to bring versatility on both ends of the floor,” general manager Marc Eversley said. “Last year early on, we had a lot of success when we created turnovers defensively and got out and ran. I think he’s somebody who’s going to be able to do that for us.”

Knicks Notes: Brunson, D. Rose, Point Guard Options, Ivey, Draft Night

Derrick Rose may provide one more advantage for the Knicks in their pursuit of free agent Jalen Brunson, writes Zach Braziller of The New York Post. The Mavericks guard already has numerous links to New York, with team president Leon Rose as his former agent and Brunson’s father, Rick, as the team’s newest assistant coach.

But the connections go even further. When Jalen Brunson was growing up in Illinois, he formed a bond with Derrick Rose, who was a star point guard with the Bulls at the time.

“Jalen would go over to the Bulls facility and practice with the Bulls players,” Brunson’s high school coach, Pat Ambrose, tells Braziller. “That’s where he became good friends with Derrick Rose. So your story gets deep with the Knicks. Derrick saw that young Jalen was a very, very good player and Derrick was a Chicago kid, and really started to mentor Jalen basketball-wise.”

There’s more from New York:

  • While Brunson will be the Knicks’ primary target when free agency begins this week, there are other options if the team can’t lure him out of Dallas. In a separate story, Braziller examines the point guard market involving both trades and free agents, focusing on Malcolm Brogdon, Dejounte Murray, Tyus Jones and Ricky Rubio, along with Kyle Anderson, a free agent forward who could fill the role of secondary playmaker.
  • The Knicks were optimistic that they could trade up for Jaden Ivey during Thursday night’s draft and continued to make offers even after the Pistons selected the Purdue guard at No. 5, according to Ian Begley of SNY.tv. Begley isn’t sure exactly what the Knicks were offering, but he cites “frustration” in the team’s draft room when they couldn’t make a deal.
  • Steve Popper of Newsday searches for silver linings after the Knicks’ draft night, which left many fans confused and angry. New York entered the draft with the 11th pick and hopes of moving up for Ivey, but the team wound up selecting Ousmane Dieng and sending him to the Thunder for three conditional future first-round picks. The Knicks also acquired the Bucks’ 2025 first-round selection in a separate deal involving the Hornets and Pistons. New York was able to send Kemba Walker‘s salary to Detroit, but still needs to create more cap space to make a max offer to Brunson.

Central Notes: Ivey, Duren, Beauchamp, Agbaji

The Pistons used the Knicks’ desperation to shed salary as a means of trading for Jalen Duren, James Edwards III of The Athletic explains.

Detroit rebuffed the attempts of New York and other teams to trade for Jaden Ivey after the Purdue guard landed at its lottery pick. Pistons GM Troy Weaver then used the Knicks’ need to open up cap space to make a run at Jalen Brunson against them, as New York traded the No. 11 pick to Oklahoma City for a trio of future first-rounders. A three-team agreement among New York, Detroit and Charlotte was then engineered involving the No. 13 pick, where Duren dropped.

Detroit was content to take on Kemba Walker‘s contract, which it will buy out, according to Edwards. It was a best-case scenario for the Pistons to land Ivey and Duran but they’ll still be big players in free agency, though not necessarily for Deandre Ayton or another big name on the market. They may instead add multiple veteran pieces.

We have more from the Central Division:

  • Ivey said he’s eager to show that he has a mid-range game and can be a defensive force, two of the knocks on him going into the draft. Those were issues talked about in conversations with Weaver and coach Dwane Casey prior to the draft, Edwards writes in a separate story. “They talked about winning, and that’s what I want to do,” Ivey said. “We talked about setting a defensive presence when I get there and bringing back winning to Detroit. (Weaver) challenged me to be a great defender. I want to do that.”
  • The Bucks selected G League Ignite wing MarJon Beauchamp at No. 24 and GM Jon Horst believes that Beauchamp can make an impact with his defensive tenacity, Eric Nehm of The Athletic writes. “Length, athleticism, I think he’s got a grittiness and a toughness to him,” Horst said. “He’s going to have to work on his strength like any young player. … One thing about the G League is it’s a bunch of fast, quick, athletic guys, and I think he really held his own.”
  • Wing Ochai Agbaji, chosen with the No. 14 pick, gives the Cavaliers another quality offensive option, coach J.B. Bickerstaff told The Athletic’s Kelsey Russo and other media members. “I thought he could be a weapon. He’s got a skill that no matter where you are in the NBA, you need it,” Bickerstaff said. “He has the ability to put the ball in the basket, and it’s not just the ability to stand in a spot and make a shot.”

Knicks Looking To Trade For Ivey, Pistons Balking

The Pistons selected Jaden Ivey with the No. 5 pick, forming a potentially dynamic backcourt with last year’s top pick, Cade Cunningham.

However, the Knicks didn’t give up on their pursuit of Ivey easily. They are trying to make a deal with Detroit to acquire the jet-quick point guard out of Purdue, according to Bleacher Report’s Jake Fischer (Twitter link) and SNY TV’s Ian Begley (Twitter link).

Steve Popper of Newsday tweets that the Pistons may have some interest if Memphis center Jalen Duren is still available at New York’s pick at No. 11. However, New York instead chose French center Ousmane Dieng, the top international prospect, and are moving him to the Thunder in a trade, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski tweets.

The Knicks are acquiring multiple picks in that deal and are making one last serious push to trade for Ivey with those additional assets, The Athletic’s James L. Edwards III tweets.

New York is desperately seeking a lead guard to get back into the postseason after coming up empty this past season.

Central Notes: Pacers, Bucks, Cavaliers, Grant, Bulls

Pacers VP of of player personnel Ryan Carr said the team has its eyes on several prospects with the No. 6 pick, but the executive seemed particularly high on Purdue guard Jaden Ivey, who is ranked No. 4 on ESPN’s big board.

“His speed, I think, is what sets him apart,” Carr said, per James Boyd of The Indianapolis Star. “There’s just not many players with that kind of speed, the ability to put the pressure on the rim and score. And then he’s really improved over the past couple years his shooting and has shown the ability to hit 3s. … Somebody that fast, if he can hit a jumper and go by you, I don’t know how you guard him.”

Ivey seems unlikely to be available at No. 6 because most of the latest mock drafts have him going No. 4 to Sacramento, so the Pacers would likely have to trade up to draft the Indiana native.

Carr also said drafting so high in the lottery for the first time in more than 30 years will have a major impact on the team’s rebuild, as Boyd relays.

It’s been a long time, and obviously you want every player you pick, no matter what number, to succeed,” Carr said. “But the sixth pick, this guy, we want him to be a foundational piece for us, and (we’re) looking forward to adding that piece.”

The Pacers control the Nos. 31 and 60 picks in the 2022 NBA draft in addition to No. 6, as shown by updated full draft order.

Here’s more from the Central Division:

  • Sources tell Jeremy Woo of Sports Illustrated that the Bucks are contemplating moving up or down with the No. 24 pick. Woo projects Arizona guard/forward Dalen Terry to Milwaukee at 24 within his latest mock draft, assuming the team keeps the pick.
  • After acquiring a second-round pick from the Kings, the Cavaliers now control the Nos. 14, 39, 49 and 56 picks, giving them the flexibility to possibly trade for a late first-rounder with their three second-round selections if a prospect they like slides, according to Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com. The Cavs continue to field calls about the No. 14 pick and have also discussed the possibility of moving up in the lottery, Fedor reports.
  • Rob Schaefer of NBC Sports Chicago details how the pending trade of Jerami Grant to Portland impacts the Bulls. Schaefer notes that the Trail Blazers owe Chicago a first-round pick that’s lottery-protected until 2028, meaning if the Blazers make the playoffs in 2022/23, the Bulls will acquire Portland’s 2023 first-rounder.

Pistons Expected To Pursue Deandre Ayton

After agreeing to send Jerami Grant to the Trail Blazers, the Pistons will target Suns center Deandre Ayton in free agency, sources tell James L. Edwards III of The Athletic.

Ayton will be a restricted free agent, so Phoenix can match any offer he receives, but there’s speculation that he might be on the move because of his desire for a max contract and a reported confrontation with coach Monty Williams in the playoffs.

Detroit will head into the free agent market with roughly $43MM in cap space once the Grant trade is finalized. Edwards says the Pistons may use it to explore trade opportunities if Ayton either re-signs with the Suns or is traded elsewhere. He adds that general manager Troy Weaver won’t feel pressured to go through it all during the offseason. The organization may save some room to take on unwanted contracts and acquire draft assets.

With their obligations to Blake Griffin finally over, the Pistons have significant cap flexibility for the first time in several years, Edwards notes. They want to build an exciting, competitive team around Cade Cunningham and they hope Ayton will be part of that group.

There’s more on the Grant trade:

  • The deal with Portland is the best offer the Pistons received for Grant, according to Edwards’ sources. He adds that potential trades were discussed with other teams, dating back to the deadline in February, but no formal offers provided a better return than the package of draft picks from the Blazers.
  • Trading their starting power forward may indicate that the Pistons are focused on Keegan Murray with the fifth pick in Thursday’s draft, but Edwards cautions that it’s not a foregone conclusion. Jaden Ivey will also be considered if he’s available, along with Bennedict Mathurin. Edwards also points out that Isaiah Stewart or Saddiq Bey could replace Grant, allowing the team to concentrate on other positions in the draft. Edwards suggests that, with the help of their newfound cap space, the Pistons might try to acquire a pick late in the lottery if a big man like Jalen Duren is still available.
  • Damian Lillard‘s agent, Aaron Goodwin, endorsed the trade, tweets Aaron Fentress of The Oregonian. He said it shows “the Blazers are competing.”
  • Zach Harper of The Athletic gives the Trail Blazers a B and the Pistons a C-plus in his grades for the deal. He notes that Grant was extremely productive during his two seasons in Detroit and provides Portland with a path toward quickly returning to contender status. Harper adds that the trade makes sense for the Pistons’ rebuilding effort, although it’s a long time to wait for Milwaukee’s first-round pick in 2025.

Atlantic Notes: Knicks, Reddish, Raptors’ Draft, Celtics’ Summer Roster, Boucher, Young

The Knicks have checked in with the Pistons regarding the No. 5 pick in the draft, Ian Begley of SNY.tv reports. Cam Reddish‘s name has come up in those conversations but it would take a significant package for Detroit to trade down the lottery. New York owns the No. 11 pick. The Knicks have also reportedly explored trading with the Kings for the No. 4 pick with their eyes on point guard Jaden Ivey.

We have more from the Atlantic Division:

Givony’s Latest: Sharpe, Magic, Kings, Duarte, Suns, Knicks, More

Kentucky’s Shaedon Sharpe, perhaps the biggest enigma of the 2022 NBA draft, is the subject of several rumors in Jonathan Givony’s latest mock draft at ESPN.com (Insider link).

Givony has Sharpe coming off the board at No. 7 to Portland, writing that Trail Blazers star Damian Lillard is believed to be a fan of the young guard, despite the fact that Sharpe is 12 years younger than Lillard and is on a “completely different timetable.”

A pair of teams picking later in the lottery may also have their sights set on Sharpe. The Thunder, who hold the No. 12 pick, continue to pursue trade-up opportunities, according to Givony, who says Sharpe and Jaden Ivey are among the players Oklahoma City appears to be targeting.

Meanwhile, Sharpe is also said to intrigue the Hornets if they trade up from No. 13, Givony writes, noting that the Kentucky guard surprised other teams when he opted to work out for Charlotte.

Here are a few more of the most interesting tidbits from Givony’s newest mock:

  • Virtually every NBA team expects the Magic to select Jabari Smith first overall and would be surprised if they go in a different direction.
  • The Kings are considered more likely to stand pat than to trade the No. 4 pick, but they’ve had discussions with almost every team behind them in the lottery and even some outside of the lottery, per Givony. Pacers wing Chris Duarte is among the possible trade targets the Kings have done their homework on, Givony adds.
  • Surprisingly, Givony has heard the Suns are among the clubs exploring trade scenarios involving the Pelicans‘ No. 8 pick. Givony suggests Phoenix could potentially include a player like Cameron Johnson in its offer to help create more long-term cap flexibility to retain Deandre Ayton.
  • There’s a widespread belief that the Knicks won’t end up picking at No. 11, Givony reports. they’re “aggressively” exploring scenarios in which they trade back or trade out of the first round.
  • Rival teams believe the Cavaliers are high on Ousmane Dieng, though he could be off the board by No. 14, says Givony.
  • Echoing multiple recent reports, Givony identifies Hawks big man John Collins as a major draft-day trade candidate. Givony goes a step further, suggesting that Collins could even be packaged with Kevin Huerter in a deal involving the Kings‘ No. 4 overall pick.
  • The Bucks (No. 24) are eyeing older prospects who could help them win right away, such as Andrew Nembhard, Jake LaRavia, Christian Braun and Ismael Kamagate, according to Givony, who has heard from rival teams that Milwaukee has also conveyed some interest in trading up into the teens, possibly for a big man like Mark Williams and Walker Kessler.

Malcolm Brogdon Considered “Likely” To Be Traded

Pacers guard Malcolm Brogdon may have a new team by draft night, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (video link from The Trade Deadline).

Wojnarowski calls Brogdon “likely” to be traded this week, citing the Knicks and Wizards as teams to watch. New York, which holds the 11th pick, and Washington at No. 10 are both in the market for point guards and are hoping to move up in the draft.

Wojnarowski suggests both teams are making an effort to acquire the No. 4 pick from the Kings to select Jaden Ivey, who is the top-rated guard in the draft. Woj says Brogdon will become an alternative if they’re unsuccessful, adding, “especially Washington as they look to sign Bradley Beal.”

ESPN’s Jonathan Givony also hints at a Brogdon trade in his latest mock draft, stating that “many around the league” expect the Pacers to work out a deal with the Knicks.

A move involving Brogdon has been considered possible since Indiana acquired Tyrese Haliburton from Sacramento in February. Brogdon, 29, has dealt with injuries throughout his career and played just 36 games this season, averaging 19.1 points, 5.1 rebounds and 5.9 assists per night. He has three years and $67.6MM remaining on his contract.

Trading with either the Knicks or Wizards would give the Pacers two lottery picks and may increase speculation that center Myles Turner could be on the move as part of a full-scale rebuild. Wojnarowski doesn’t expect anything to happen right away with Turner, suggesting that trade talks might continue “into the summer.”