Two teams emerge as possible Jalen Duren landing spots

Jalen Duren and the Detroit Pistons are still not seeing eye to eye, and the impasse between the two sides is making speculation on his future grow louder.

According to Sam Amick and Hunter Patterson of The Athletic, the Sacramento Kings have shown interest in signing Duren to a max contract in 2027, while the Milwaukee Bucks (and at least another team) also appear to be willing to do the same, if not today, then next season.

However, the Pistons haven’t strongly hinted that they want a trade partner to part ways with Duren.

The former Memphis Tigers big man can end this offseason drama immediately by signing the Pistons’ 5-year, $200 million contract offer, but Duren hasn’t put pen to paper yet. It is a fully guaranteed deal with no team or player options, with a weight clause added to the contract.

At the moment, signs point to Duren being confident that he can land a much bigger deal by the time the next free agency period comes around. He can take Detroit’s $9.62 million qualifying offer and be a free agent in 2027. 

However, that type of bet comes with risks. For one, an injury could seriously derail such a plan.

A first-round pick by the Pistons in 2022, the 22-year-old Duren has career averages of 13.5 points, 10.3 rebounds and 2.1 assists through 276 games, while shooting 65.2% from the floor.