DETROIT — The stall inside the Detroit Pistons’ locker room that just days ago belonged to Jaden Ivey is occupied by a new tenant. It’s Kevin Huerter, whom the Pistons acquired from the Chicago Bulls on Tuesday in exchange for Ivey, who now sits between Ausar Thompson and Duncan Robinson.

Huerter addressed reporters for the first time since he arrived in Detroit as he stood in front of his new locker on Thursday night. The Pistons had just lost 126-117 to a short-handed Washington Wizards team with a grand total of 14 wins. Huerter logged six minutes of action and went scoreless on 0-of-2 shooting from 3-point range.

While he didn’t play long enough to get acclimated to his new role, he spoke about the process of being traded, how he hopes to contribute to the Eastern Conference’s best team and more.

“I got a call from (Bulls coach) Billy Donovan as I was about to take my pregame nap,” Huerter said. “We had shootaround, got back to the hotel and my agent hadn’t heard anything leading up to that day. So I wasn’t exactly expecting that in that moment. I thought Coach was calling me to see if I was playing that night, because I hadn’t played the game before. But he let me know I’d been traded.”

Chicago was playing in Milwaukee against the Bucks the day Huerter found out he’d been dealt to Detroit. He drove from Milwaukee back to Chicago, flew to Detroit and was at Little Caesars Arena by the time the Pistons beat the Denver Nuggets. Huerter, a New York native, had familiarity with a handful of Detroit players upon arrival.

“There are a couple (Albany, N.Y.) City Rock guys in the locker room. That’s our AAU team back in New York,” Huerter said. “Isaiah Stewart, Tobias Harris. Played against Duncan and Caris (LeVert) a little bit in college. Everyone else, watching from afar. No one I played with in this locker room, but it seems like a really close group.”

Huerter is a career 37.1 percent 3-point shooter, though he’s shooting 31.1 percent from distance this season. The logic behind trading for him, apart from the financial flexibility his expiring $17.9 million contract provides this offseason, is to bolster the Pistons’ 3-point attack. Detroit shot 9-of-33 in Thursday’s loss and ranks 22nd in the NBA in 3-point percentage at 34.8.

Pistons coach J.B. Bickerstaff is optimistic Huerter will find his rhythm and return to the version of himself who spread defenses with his long-range shooting prowess, among other strengths.

“He’s a complete basketball player,” Bickerstaff said. “He’s versatile in the things that he can do. Obviously, (he has) the ability to make shots. But he has the ability to make plays, he can play the pick-and-roll. He’s an elite cutter, understanding spacing. Just his ability to process the game as a whole.

“As a person he’s going to fit right in. He’s a great dude who understands the situation he’s coming into and what these guys have already accomplished. He’s not here to rock the boat by any means. He’s here to help and contribute, and we feel like his skill set can do that.”

The 27-year-old has averaged 11.6 points, 3.4 rebounds and 2.9 assists for his career. He was most effective his first year with the Sacramento Kings in 2022-23, when he posted career bests of 15.2 points on 40.2 percent from beyond the arc. Domantas Sabonis was the Kings’ offensive hub, and his 149 assists to Huerter that season were more than double the amount Huerter received from any other King.

Huerter shot 43.3 percent from 3 on those assists from Sabonis. Huerter at the time was starting alongside Sabonis and will be coming off the bench in Detroit, but he now has a big in Jalen Duren, who is quickly becoming more proficient in dribble-handoff actions and screen assists as the season progresses.

While Duren’s facilitation isn’t at the level Sabonis’ is, Duren’s 112 screens are more than any Bull has amassed this season and could play a part in elevating Huerter’s 3-point shooting. Plus, Cade Cunningham’s league-leading 9.8 assists per game are more than any teammate Huerter has played with in his career.

Huerter has an opportunity to blossom into a vital piece of the team with more reps and opportunity to develop chemistry. For the Pistons’ deep postseason run to materialize, Huerter will need to keep defenses honest by alleviating scoring pressure off of Cunningham and not allowing them to pack the paint on him.

“It’ll just take time, I’ve got to find my way,” Huerter said when asked how he can fit within Detroit’s scheme. “This team has obviously had a lot of different things go right for them this year. I told J.B., just let me find the way that I can fit in. … Their identity is their identity, and it’s up to me to fit into that.”

But Huerter is eager to validate Bickerstaff’s belief in him being more than just a 3-point threat.

“I’ve always looked at myself as a basketball player, not as just doing one thing,” Huerter said. “I hold myself to a high standard. So the makes and misses are not something you try to worry about too much. It comes with the game, but I’m glad he acknowledges that. I view myself in the same way, and hopefully I’ll continue to do that here.”

Asked Kevin Huerter what it means to have a coach who values more than just his shooting:

“I’ve always looked at myself as a basketball player, not as just doing one thing. I hold myself to a high standard. … Glad he acknowledges that. I view myself in the same way.” pic.twitter.com/OyDpo3jupe

— Hunter Patterson (@HunterPatterson) February 6, 2026

And it doesn’t hurt that Huerter grew up a fan of the last rendition of the Pistons to win a championship.

“One of the first basketballs I had was a Detroit Pistons basketball,” Huerter said. “Chauncey Billups, Richard Hamilton, Tayshaun Prince, Ben Wallace, Rasheed Wallace … that whole team was one of my favorite teams. … I’ve always liked the Pistons, always had that basketball even when I was young.”