What Will the Detroit Pistons Do With Jalen Duren?

What Will the Detroit Pistons Do With Jalen Duren?

The Detroit Pistons are fresh off their first 60 win season in 20 years after going 60-22 and finishing as the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference. The Pistons young core has All-NBA guard Cade Cunningham at the center, with key pieces built around him.

One of the best young pieces the Pistons have is center Jalen Duren. Duren averaged 20 points and 10 rebounds during the regular season, anchoring the defense alongside Ausar Thompson and Cunningham. 

Duren is coming off his first all-star selection and an All-NBA third team selection after his great season and is up for a contract extension. It seemed obvious that the Pistons would re-sign him and keep the core intact, however the playoffs complicated things. 

Duren’s production tanked during the postseason. His averages dropped to 10 points and nine rebounds with his shooting percentage dropping from 65% to 50%. As someone who operates almost exclusively around the rim, 50% shooting is far from ideal for an all-star center on a one seed. 

The Pistons flunked out of the postseason early partially because of his performances. Duren struggled against the No. 8 seed Orlando Magic as the Pistons scraped by in seven. The Pistons then went up two games over the Cleveland Cavaliers before dropping three straight games. 

The Pistons took the series to seven but lost emphatically in game seven, with Duren failing to impress throughout the series. 

Detroit Pistons Contracts

The series put a lot of eyes on the Pistons and Duren entering the offseason. The extension that seemed like a formality before now has been hanging in the air for months. Duren is reportedly asking for upwards of $40 million a year. The Pistons have been offering closer to $35 million a year over five years.

Nobody in the league likely has the cap space to sign Duren to these high demands, and a contract upwards of $40 million would make him one of the highest paid players from his 2022 draft class that included Chet Holmgren, Paolo Banchero and Jalen Williams, who all received max extensions from their teams. 

Because of Duren’s All-NBA status he is eligible for even more money from his max extension. The Pistons, nor anyone else is likely to offer him the contract. 

With Cade Cunningham already taking up a large chunk of the Pistons’ cap space, Duren would tank Detroit’s future chances of resigning other young players like Thompson, or making a move for another star. 

Duren is still a very talented center and the Pistons will likely make a deal that best suits both parties. However if an agreement is not reached they run the risk of not having a starting caliber center to start the season, or Duren possibly sitting out until he gets a deal he likes. 

It is pertinent that the Pistons and Duren reach an agreement. The Pistons have one of the brightest futures in the NBA and the east is still very open for the taking. If Cade can take another step and further cement himself as an MVP caliber player, players like Duren will become essential to the Pistons success.