NBA training camp is open, the season is three weeks out, and the Atlanta Hawks still look like a team with flexibility to strike if the right name hits the market. They’ve got a full 15-man roster, a path to compete for a playoff spot in the Eastern Conference, and more than $60 million in expiring salaries they could put into a deal. That kind of setup is going to keep Atlanta in the rumor mill.
The latest name attached to the Hawks is Detroit big man Jalen Duren, whose restricted free agency has dragged into a standoff with the Pistons. Duren has reportedly passed on sizable offers from Detroit, and he has until Thursday to decide whether he’ll play on the qualifying offer this season and head toward unrestricted free agency next summer.
Detroit has reportedly been reluctant to move him, but the longer this situation stretches out, the more a trade has to at least come into play. ESPN’s Marc Spears said several teams would have interest in a sign-and-trade, including Atlanta.
"Jalen Duren, he's not even talked to Trajan (Langdan) for months. A Pistons source told me that there's still optimism that they think he'll sign the big deal. But if not, I'm hearing from an NBA GM that told me the Milwaukee Bucks, the Atlanta Hawks, the Sacramento Kings, and the Washington Wizards...have interest in a potential sign-and-trade"
So is this one worth buying for Hawks fans? Not really.
Atlanta is expected to be active when a real opportunity shows up, but Duren does not sound like the kind of swing President of Basketball Operations Onsi Saleh would be eager to make. Sign-and-trades are messy, and in this case Detroit would hold the leverage. The Pistons would not have any reason to take a deal unless it brought back something they valued.
And the price would not be light. The source material points to the Walker Kessler deal as a reference point earlier this offseason, when the Lakers sent two unprotected first-round picks and two unprotected first-round pick swaps to the Utah Jazz, along with a four-year $129 million contract. Kessler has already shown elite traits, especially as a rim protector and offensive rebounder, but he has also had health issues and hasn’t produced at the same level as Duren.
That’s the tricky part here: Duren is one of the league’s best rebounders and was an All-NBA selection last season, which means the asking price would likely be steep and the contract bigger. But the fit is far from clean. Last postseason, Duren’s defensive issues showed up, and he was not always on the floor in key moments for Detroit, which is part of why this stalemate exists in the first place.
He would help Atlanta on the glass, but he doesn’t solve rim protection and he doesn’t stretch the floor. That could get especially awkward alongside Dyson Daniels. Detroit already dealt with a similar spacing problem when Duren and Ausar Thompson shared the floor, and the Hawks could run into the same issue.
That’s why this feels more like a team being linked to every major player because it has the ammo to do it than a real fit worth chasing. Atlanta’s expiring contracts and draft picks are going to keep putting it in conversations like this, but Duren’s weaknesses, the cost to acquire him, and the fit concerns all point the same direction.
If he ends up taking the qualifying offer and becoming an unrestricted free agent next summer, that’s a different conversation. Then the Hawks would be looking at cap space instead of a major asset haul.
For now, though, this is a hard sell.
In Other News...
Lu Dort Is Already Bringing The Edge Hawks Have Been Missing
The Hawks brought in Lu Dort to give their defense a little more edge, and that was the theme around Media Day as the roster settled in for the new season. Atlanta president Onsi Saleh has been clear about wanting the team to play with more toughness and physicality, and Dort fits that mission in a way few perimeter defenders do.
That message was reinforced by teammates Nickeil Alexander-Walker and Kingston Flemings, both of whom were quick to point out what Dort brings on that end of the floor. Alexander-Walker praised the way Dort handles top scorers, while Flemings highlighted the strength that helps make him such a difficult matchup, a reminder that Atlanta did not add him just for depth but for a certain tone the Hawks have been looking to establish. [Read more 🡒]
Hawks Just Added Two Names Worth Watching In Camp
The Hawks filled two open spots on their 21-man training camp roster by bringing in forward Cameron Corhen and guard Kobe Johnson, a pair of low-risk additions that fit the usual late-summer search for depth and developmental upside. Both moves are reportedly on non-guaranteed Exhibit 10 contracts, the kind that often points players toward the G League while giving a team a closer look before camp gets rolling.
Johnson is already a familiar name for Atlantas system as a returning rights player for the College Park Skyhawks, while Corhen arrives undrafted out of Pittsburgh with a chance to work his way into the organization as an affiliate player. Around the league, the transaction wire stayed busy too, with the Heat adding Lester Quinones, the Hornets taking on Wyatt Fricks after waiving Rob Dillingham, and the Pistons moving on from Bryson Warren, who is expected to land with Motor City Cruise. [Read more 🡒]
Hawks Eye Jalen Duren As Detroit Faces A Growing Decision
Jalen Duren and the Pistons are running up against a contract decision that has turned into one of the more closely watched situations of the offseason. Detroit and the young big man have not found common ground on an extension, and the gap between what Duren is seeking and what the Pistons have put on the table has left the sides with plenty to sort out before the October 1 deadline.
Trajan Langdon has said the team would welcome Duren back no matter how this ends, but the possibility of a sign-and-trade has kept other clubs alert. The Hawks are among the teams monitoring the situation, along with Milwaukee, Sacramento and Washington, and Atlanta would make sense as a team willing to check on a premium center if Detroit and Duren cannot bridge the divide. [Read more 🡒]