The 2021 NBA Draft was one to remember for Detroit Pistons fans as the team took point guard Cade Cunningham with the first overall pick.
Cunningham has been everything and more for the franchise, as he helped Detroit get back to the postseason for the first time since the 2018-19 season. In addition to the Cunningham pick, the Pistons also took JT Thor, Isaiah Livers, and Luke Garza.
Among those second-round draft picks, Livers was the only one left on the team after a couple of seasons. Thor was shipped off to Charlotte in a draft-night trade, while Garza spent one year with the Pistons before signing with the Minnesota Timberwolves in 2022.
Meanwhile, Livers spent parts of three years in Detroit as a bench player. However, the former second-round pick has dealt with a hip injury over the past two years, which has derailed his pro career.
However, the ex-Detroit forward has surprisingly received another chance to continue his pro career and get back on the floor.
Ex-Pistons 2nd Round Pick Isaiah Livers Signs With Phoenix Suns
According to ESPN’s Shams Charania, the 26-year-old Livers will sign a two-way contract with the Phoenix Suns. Charania adds that the former Pistons forward has made a full recovery after undergoing hip surgery, forcing him to miss last season.
Free agent F Isaiah Livers will sign a two-way NBA contract with the Phoenix Suns, Andy Shiffman and Mark Bartelstein of @PrioritySports tell ESPN. Livers missed all of last season due to hip surgery but has made a full recovery and now restarts career for his fourth NBA season.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) July 8, 2025
With the 6-foot-7 forward inking a two-way deal, it means he’ll likely spend most of next season in the NBA G League with the Valley Suns. For Livers, this isn’t a bad opportunity as he’ll get a chance to get valuable reps and playing time in the G.
The last time we saw the ex-Pistons forward on an NBA roster was during the 2023-24 season with the Washington Wizards. Detroit traded Livers, Marvin Bagley III, and a couple of draft picks on Jan. 14, 2024, to the Wizards for Danilo Gallinari and Mike Muscala.
Livers never played a game for the Wizards as he sustained a season-ending hip injury the next month and was subsequently waived a couple of months later in April.
It will be interesting to see how Livers looks in his return to the court. In his three-plus years with the Pistons, he scored 6.2 points per game on 40.7 percent shooting from the field and 35.8 percent from beyond the arc.
Nonetheless, Pistons fans are excited to see the Kalamazoo, Michigan, native back on the floor and hope he can continue to have a fruitful basketball career.