How Pistons’ Cade Cunningham becoming award eligible could cost Jalen Duren

The Detroit Pistons recently got some good news when it was revealed that star Cade Cunningham was becoming award eligible this year despite not having met the 65-game requirement. The ruling came after Cunningham missed most of the stretch run of the season with a collapsed lung, but now, he will be in consideration for All-NBA, MVP, and other honors.

However, that good news may have an unintended negative consequence on Pistons star center Jalen Duren.

“Most noteworthy takeaway from this is the ruling all but dusts Jalen Duren’s chances of making 3rd team, and Detroit will not have to pay him the Designated Rookie max (Rose Rule). 5% savings on their future cap table,” reported Rob Perez on X, formerly Twitter.

ClutchPoints’ NBA insider Brett Siegel also added context to the news.

“This is the other significant ramification of the NBA moving goal posts for the 65-game rule,” reported Siegel on X. “Jalen Duren now potentially loses out on $40+ million when he met all the criteria, did things the right way, and should be All-NBA.”

While it may ultimately be good news for the Pistons due to the money they will save from not having to pay Duren the designated rookie max, it’s not ideal for Duren himself, who will be missing out on a lot of cash, even though he’ll still have more than enough to make ends meet whenever he does sign his next deal.

In any case, the Pistons are currently gearing up for a playoff matchup against either the Charlotte Hornets or the Orlando Magic, depending on the outcome of Friday night’s play-in game between the two teams.

Game 1 is set for Sunday evening in Detroit.