While the Detroit Pistons notched their ninth win in 11 outings over a quality Denver Nuggets team on Tuesday, much of the focus before and after the game was on a deal agreed upon earlier in the day.

The Pistons traded Jaden Ivey to the Chicago Bulls in exchange for Kevin Huerter, Dario Šarić and a first-round pick swap from the Minnesota Timberwolves in a three-team trade. Huerter is on the final year of a rookie-scale extension he signed with the Atlanta Hawks in 2021 worth $17.9 million. Šarić is also on an expiring contract worth $5.4 million.

This offers Detroit more financial flexibility heading into the offseason without any long-term commitments to Huerter or Šarić.

With Detroit’s pick on track to be No. 29 and Minnesota’s No. 23, the Pistons get the opportunity to move up several spots in the upcoming draft in return for assigning their unused non-taxpayer midlevel exception to Mike Conley, The Athletic’s John Hollinger reported at the time of the trade.

In Huerter, the Pistons landed a career 37.1 percent 3-point shooter. Šarić’s future in Detroit remains to be seen.

Huerter’s 31.4 percent 3-point shooting this season is the second-lowest mark of his eight-year career, but he still has the advantage over Ivey in career percentages. Huerter shot a career-best 40.2 percent with the Sacramento Kings in 2022-23.

Domantas Sabonis was the offensive hub for the Kings and set Huerter up for myriad looks from behind the arc on handoff actions. Jalen Duren isn’t the playmaker Sabonis is, but he’s becoming more adept at freeing his teammates up with dribble handoffs. Duren has 112 screen assists this season, which have equated to 257 screen assist points. Both numbers for Duren are higher than any Bulls player this season. It’s a small offensive nuance that could elevate Huerter’s 3-point shooting as the two develop chemistry.

That doesn’t factor in the attention Cade Cunningham garners from defenders, which should generate open looks for Huerter. Though Huerter may not appear to be an instant impact player on first glance, he offers Detroit a chance to improve its 3-point shooting in both volume and efficiency. The Pistons rank 20th in the league in 3-point percentage (35.0) and 28th in both 3-point attempts and makes.

Detroit has 16 players with guaranteed contracts after acquiring Huerter and Šarić. The Pistons still need to make room for Daniss Jenkins. The backup point guard is currently on a two-way deal with only one game left on his 50-game limit before he needs to be converted to a standard contract to remain eligible for the rest of the season.

Which means Detroit likely has more moves to make before Thursday’s 3 p.m. ET deadline, whether that means waiving players or engaging in more deals to clear space for Jenkins.

Caris LeVert could be another rotation player in line for an elevated role without Ivey in the mix. Pistons coach J.B. Bickerstaff made a telling comment on LeVert’s importance to the team ahead of the veteran’s return from a seven-game absence with an illness on Tuesday.

“(With) guys coming back off an injury or illness, we’ve got to make sure that they’re right and that we’re patient with them,” Bickerstaff said before the Pistons’ 124-121 win over Denver. “So that we can build something for the long term. We expect Caris to be a big part of what we’re doing down the stretch. It’s important that we give him an opportunity and give him the right runway so he can get there.”

It appears Bickerstaff plans on LeVert staying put in Detroit past the deadline.

Pistons president of basketball operations Trajan Langdon wasn’t with the franchise when Detroit drafted Ivey with the No. 5 pick in the 2022 draft. Nor was Bickerstaff. And although Bickerstaff didn’t directly address the Ivey trade, he did speak to how the organization handles the challenges that this time of year.

“It’s tough,” Bickerstaff said. “But this is where, I think, the building of relationships matters. You don’t wait till times are tough to have conversations with people. Because by that time it’s too late. So, trying to build relationships with people and have communication with people all throughout the season and summer makes times like this a little less difficult.

“It’s not going to be easy, right? I don’t think, a lot of times, from the outside looking in people see the real-world implications of what it means to guys at this time of year. It’s one thing if you are asking to be moved, that’s one thing. But when it happens, typically you like where you are. … So it’s not an easy time of year. We understand that and try to be sensitive to that.”

Pistons third-year wing Ausar Thompson offered perspective on the human element of it all.

“J.I., that’s my brother. That’s my brother for life,” Thompson told reporters. “We were locker mates since I got on this team, we always sat next to each other. So to possibly lose him kind of hurts. … I texted him. Wherever J.I. goes, greatness follows. J.I. is great, he’s going to be great. I have no worries for him, love that guy.”