It's safe to say that the 2023-24 NBA season has not gone as planned for the Detroit Pistons. For the second straight year, the Pistons look well on their way to another lost campaign. Through the first month of the regular season, Detroit is staring at the worst record in the league (2-13) and is currently in the midst of a 12-game losing streak.

It's a shame because the Pistons were actually looking to become competitive this season, especially with third-year star Cade Cunningham returning to action. Amidst this losing streak, there have been some bright spots for Detroit. Aside from Cunningham, rookie Ausar Thompson has also impressed in his first month playing in the big leagues. Thompson has been a stud on the defensive end and is solidifying himself as one of the top rookies of his class. Jalen Duren is also taking a leap in his sophomore season and is establishing himself as the main man down the middle for the Pistons.

Despite this, the Pistons have yet to string wins this season and it's becoming clearer that changes need to be made. Cunningham certainly isn't pleased with how the season has turned out. Perhaps they may need to move some pieces to improve and open up opportunities for players who are more deserving of playing time. If you're a Pistons fan or an NBA junkie in general, I think you know where we're going here.

Pistons player who must be traded: Killian Hayes

Sorry for any Killian Hayes truthers out there. But this guy just ain't it. Not for the Detroit Pistons, at least.

Hayes has been in the NBA for four seasons, but the 22-year-old has shown little to no improvement. His shot is still very inconsistent. He hasn't cracked 40 percent from the field in any season. At this point, you have to wonder whether he's a lost cause already. That's why the Pistons should do their due diligence in trading him for something at the very least this season.

For some strange reason, new Pistons head coach Monty Williams demoted second year guard Jaden Ivey to the bench and instead started Hayes for their first 13 games of the season.

The move absolutely made zero sense. Hayes had no reason being Cade Cunningham's runningmate in the backcourt because of his inability to shoot from beyond the arc. The Pistons already had two non-shooters in Ausar Thompson and Jalen Duren in the starting lineup. Hayes had no business being there as it only further limited Cunningham's effectiveness both as a playmaker and a scorer.

Thompson and Duren certainly shouldn't be the ones coming off the bench. That leaves Hayes as the odd man out.

Give Jaden Ivey the reins

Furthermore, Ivey was coming off such a strong finish to his rookie campaign. The 6-foot-4 guard got better as the season went along following a sluggish start. From February to April, Ivey averaged 18.4 points, 3.5 rebounds, and 6.6 assists while shooting 41.7 percent from the field, including 37.5 percent from three on decent volume (nearly six attempts per game).

Williams finally came to his senses in Detroit's most recent outing against the Denver Nuggets. He moved Hayes to the bench and inserted Ivey into the starting five. And the move paid dividends immediately. Against Denver, Ivey dropped 17 points on 7-of-8 shooting and made his lone three-point shot attempt in 30 minutes. Hayes, meanwhile, went scoreless and missed his two shot attempts in 14 minutes of action.

Ivey still isn't a lights out sniper from beyond the arc. Nonetheless, he is still a way better option than the French guard. The sophomore shot 39.3 percent from beyond the arc in his first nine games of the season before he went 0-of-5 from three in Detroit's blowout loss to the Toronto Raptors this past weekend, which brought down his season percentage to 35 percent.

Not for Detroit

Not only did Hayes not make sense in the starting lineup, he doesn't make sense in the rotation period. Alec Burks is a much better option in providing floor spacing and veteran leadership off the bench. Rookie Marcus Sasser was off to a hot start and a had a couple of explosive games from beyond the arc.

There's no knowing what the Pistons can fetch for Hayes at this point, considering he hasn't panned out since he came into the league as the 7th overall pick in the 2020 NBA Draft. But being on the last year of his current deal, Detroit should at least look to get some value for him. Even a second-round pick is better than nothing.

Hayes is still a capable player in the league because of his playmaking ability and defensive acumen. He could certainly get another opportunity with another team. But as it stands, that opportunity is no longer in Detroit.