The Los Angeles Lakers‘ long-running search for a franchise center may not be over.
According to Bleacher Report salary cap expert Eric Pincus, the Lakers could emerge as a serious threat to pursue Detroit Pistons star Jalen Duren if the two sides fail to reach a maximum contract agreement in restricted free agency.
While Detroit remains heavily favored to retain the 22-year-old center, Pincus identified Los Angeles as one of the few teams with enough financial flexibility to make life difficult for the Pistons.
“If the Pistons aren’t willing to max him out, the Lakers have plenty of cap room for an offer sheet,” Pincus wrote.
The possibility is notable given the Lakers’ well-documented efforts to find a long-term frontcourt partner for Luka Doncic.
Jalen Duren Positioned for Massive Payday After Breakout Season
GettyDetroit Pistons center Jalen Duren handles the ball against the Los Angeles Lakers while Luka Doncic looks on. Duren has emerged as a potential Lakers target if Detroit hesitates to offer him a maximum contract in restricted free agency.
Duren enters restricted free agency following the best season of his young NBA career.
The Pistons center earned his first All-Star selection and made the All-NBA Third Team after averaging a career-high 19.5 points while helping Detroit finish with the Eastern Conference’s best record at 60-22.
The 22-year-old big man was dominant throughout the regular season, averaging 19.5 points, 10.5 rebounds and 2.0 assists in 70 games while posting an impressive 25.8 Player Efficiency Rating (PER). His combination of athleticism, rim-running ability and improving defensive impact helped transform Detroit into one of the NBA’s biggest success stories.
His production declined significantly during the playoffs, however.
Duren averaged just 10.2 points and 8.5 rebounds with a 14.3 PER across 14 postseason appearances, a drop that likely caught the attention of rival executives and scouts evaluating his market value.
Despite those struggles, Duren remains one of the NBA’s youngest rising stars and is widely viewed as a foundational piece of Detroit’s future, leaving significant room for continued development.
According to ESPN’s Tim Bontemps, Duren is still expected to command a contract approaching $40 million annually despite the uneven postseason performance.
An Eastern Conference executive told ESPN that Detroit may ultimately challenge Duren to test the market if he seeks a maximum contract.
“If he wants to get a max, they’ll tell him to go get one,” the executive said. “But he’s Cade’s guy, so they’ll have to play it the right way.”
Because Duren is a restricted free agent, the Pistons would retain the right to match any offer sheet he signs.
Luka Doncic Previously Identified Duren as Preferred Lakers Target
The Lakers’ interest in Duren is not new.
In January, Lakers insider Jovan Buha revealed that Duren was among the centers Doncic specifically identified as a player he wanted to play alongside after arriving in Los Angeles.
“They had the meeting in Rob’s office asking, ‘Which centers do you want to play with?’” Buha said. “Several of the centers on that list were Walker Kessler, Jalen Duren and Nic Claxton.”
According to Buha, the Lakers attempted to acquire all three players using the same package centered around Dalton Knecht and a future first-round pick they used in the rescinded Mark Williams trade but were unsuccessful.
The failed pursuit left Los Angeles entering the offseason still searching for a long-term answer in the middle.
Los Angeles Has Cap Space to Pressure Detroit
Earlier this year, salary cap analyst Yossi Gozlan of The Third Apron identified Duren as one of the most fascinating potential targets for the Lakers.
Gozlan noted that Los Angeles is among the few teams capable of presenting a near-max offer sheet that could force Detroit into an uncomfortable financial decision.
At the time, Gozlan projected Duren’s maximum salary could approach $44.6 million annually.
The Lakers are uniquely positioned to make such a move.
Pincus previously projected Los Angeles could have as much as $89 million in theoretical cap space this summer, though more realistic projections place the figure closer to $54 million.
Even if Austin Reaves declines his player option and carries a $20.9 million cap hold, the Lakers could still have approximately $47 million in available cap room, plus access to the midlevel exception.
That flexibility could increase further depending on decisions involving veterans Deandre Ayton and Marcus Smart.
In short, the Lakers have both the financial flexibility and the motivation to test Detroit’s resolve.
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