All-NBA center Jalen Duren and the Detroit Pistons remain far apart in the latest update on contract talks between the player and the team.
Over three weeks into free agency, Duren remains a restricted free agent with the Pistons. Other than LeBron James, Duren is the best remaining free agent on the market this offseason.
This past season, the 22-year-old Duren averaged 19.5 points and 10.5 rebounds in 70 games for Detroit, which came in first place in the Eastern Conference after the team won 60 regular-season games.
After an impressive regular season like that, the Pistons would have had no problem giving Duren the money that he wants. But after a disappointing showing in the playoffs, the Pistons are now having second thoughts about offering him a max deal, which has essentially led to a contract standoff between the player and the team.
Jalen Duren & Pistons Not Close to Contract
According to Omari Sankofa II of the Detroit Free Press, Duren and the Pistons are not close to signing a new contract.
The scribe writes that Duren wants a maximum contract worth 30% of the salary cap due to him making the All-NBA team, but the Pistons’ contract offer is said to be far less than that. It’s apparently even less than 25% of the salary cap, which was the old number that Duren was eligible for before he was named All-NBA.
“Duren can sign a contract worth up to 30% of the salary cap – in his case, around $287 million over five seasons. The Pistons have offered him a contract well short of that – even below the previous maximum contract Duren was eligible for, which was worth 25% of the cap, or $239 million over five years,” Sankofa wrote.
The reason the Pistons are so hesitant to offer Duren a max contract is, according to Sankofa, the center’s poor showing during the postseason this year, where his numbers fell well short of what he put up during the regular season.
“That’s because of his underwhelming performance in the playoffs, and a market that has yet to put pressure on the Pistons to offer more. In 14 playoff games, Duren’s numbers anchored to just 10.2 points, 8.5 rebounds and 1.2 blocks on 51.4% shooting,” Sankofa wrote.
Would Jalen Duren Accept His Qualifying Offer?
While Duren is looking for long-term security, and rightly so — after all, any athlete is always at risk of a career-ending injury at any time, so the players try to secure the bag as soon as they can, which is just smart business — he could potentially accept his qualifying offer of $9.62 million for next season, and then become an unrestricted free agent next offseason, potentially giving him more options.
“It’s unclear how the standoff between the 22-year-old Duren and the Pistons will be wrapped up. Duren’s market clearly has dried up. His only other option – perhaps the nuclear option – is accepting the $9.62 million qualifying offer for the 2026-27 season and becoming an unrestricted free agent next summer,” Sankofa wrote, while noting that “the Pistons want Duren back. They want him to be happy.”
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