The Detroit Pistons and Jalen Duren have yet to reach an agreement on a new contract. Duren, 22, continues to dangle as a restricted free agent, with his options appearing severely limited compared to just a few days ago.
The Pistons watched Duren blossom into the second-best player on a team that secured 60 regular season wins, good for No. 1 in the Eastern Conference over the usual suspects like the Boston Celtics and New York Knicks. Duren immensely improved his scoring average and arrived as a two-way force.
With Duren’s rapid ascension, the Pistons knew decision time was coming. Fortunately, with Duren being a restricted free agent in the highly-debated “apron era,” Detroit likely felt it was more likely than not Duren would remain a Piston. But the franchise has yet to lock in the young center for the long run.
Pistons Can Feel Good About Retaining Jalen Duren After a Busy Week in Free Agency
GettyNEW YORK, NEW YORK – MARCH 10: Jalen Duren #0 of the Detroit Pistons reacts during the third quarter against the Brooklyn Nets at Barclays Center on March 10, 2026 in the Brooklyn borough of New York City.
It briefly appeared Duren might’ve been poised to scurry off to a new team after he held multiple free agent meetings earlier this week. Despite sitting down with the Los Angeles Lakers and others, Duren hasn’t made much progress in the way of leaving Detroit, which he was reportedly interested in. According to NBA insider Brett Siegel, the Pistons can now breathe easy as Duren’s market has significantly waned.
“There is no market for Duren right now, which plays right into the Pistons’ plans to bring him back on a long-term deal at the value they want. At this point, just days into free agency, Duren’s value and supposed leverage have hit new lows,” Siegel reported for ClutchPoints.
Outside of the Lakers’ believed interest in Duren, the Sacramento Kings briefly emerged as a strong suitors for the Third-Team All-NBA big man. But for the Kings, acquiring Duren would require a sign-and-trade, something Siegel reports the Pistons will not entertain.
“Even if the Kings wanted to figure out a way to land Duren, the Pistons don’t want to give him up. Detroit can match any offer sheet, and they have made it clear there won’t be a sign-and-trade involving Duren.”
According to an earlier report, Duren had interest in joining the Celtics, but Boston is likely out of the question for Duren after the franchise landed Mitchell Robinson from the Knicks.
Was the Lakers Saga Ever a Real Thing?
GettyThe Lakers were reportedly keeping tabs on Pistons’ center Jalen Duren in free agency.
It momentarily felt like the Lakers were in strong contention for Duren. That very well might have been the case, as the Lakers were aggressively looking to find a center to pair alongside Luka Doncic for the long haul.
But according to Siegel, some around the league believed the Lakers showing interest in Duren was more rooted in an attempt to drive the 22-year-old center’s asking price higher in case L.A.’s plan to acquire Walker Kessler from Utah failed.
“Even though the Lakers did meet and speak with Duren when free agency began, many around the league have downplayed their intent to actually pursue Duren and were trying to simply drive up his price just like the Pistons did with (Austin) Reaves,” Siegel wrote.
Teams that were believed to be in the running for Duren have now satisfied their center needs, which explains why Duren’s market has effectively diminished to Detroit only.
Siegel reports the Pistons are unwilling to commit anything higher than a $35 million annual salary for Duren. With no more suitors in sight, the Pistons are likely to achieve that wish.
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