Jalen Duren, Pistons Contract Standoff Has Reached a Critical Point

The ongoing standoff between Jalen Duren and the Detroit Pistons took another big turn at the end of September.

According to ESPN’s Shams Charania, Duren isn’t attending Detroit’s media day and has been holding out of training camp due to frustration with contract extension talks with the Pistons.

After being named third-team All-NBA last season, the 22-year-old big man is eligible for a max extension of five years and $287 million. He declined an offer from the Pistons that would’ve paid him $200 million – and this standoff is showing no signs of ending, as Detroit doesn’t want to pay him over $57 million annually.

Either Duren is really frustrated with this negotiation, or his advisors are. Regardless, reports have indicated that he’d consider taking the qualifying offer to become an unrestricted free agent after this season.

That would be a massive risk, but if he plays well, a big pay day could await him next summer. Teams like the Sacramento Kings and Milwaukee Bucks have been linked to Duren, but the Pistons obviously haven’t executed a trade.

During the regular season, Duren was a beast. He was a big reason why the Pistons continued to shock the NBA under head coach J.B. Bickerstaff. Duren averaged a career-high 19.5 points and 10.5 rebounds in the regular season, but that production declined rapidly in the postseason.

Duren struggled during Detroit’s second round NBA Playoff series against the Cleveland Cavaliers, where Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen dominated the frontcourt.

Why this matters for Pistons – and Duren

The Pistons won 60 games and were the No. 1 seed last year in the Eastern Conference. Duren was a big reason why.

Without him, the Pistons undoubtedly would take a step in the wrong direction in a new-look Eastern Conference. They didn’t make a big move, while the Philadelphia 76ers added Jaylen Brown and LeBron James, the Toronto Raptors added Kawhi Leonard and the Miami Heat landed Giannis Antetokounmpo.

But they’re in an understandable position.

The NBA’s new second apron rule stinks. It punishes teams for compensating their homegrown talent, like Duren. But the Pistons already paid Cade Cunningham a five-year rookie maximum deal, and that’s understandable as he’s the face of their franchise.

Duren was a player that faded in the postseason, and if the Pistons don’t want to sabotage their future for him, it’s understandable, but this awkwardness should hopefully wrap up somehow.