The Detroit Pistons have had a messy offseason, with the ongoing contract situation involving Jalen Duren hanging over everything. Even so, they did land one major piece of business: Ausar Thompson agreed to a five-year, $155 million deal that keeps one of their most important young players in place.
That contract has drawn attention for another reason. Around the league, there’s been talk that Thompson could have pressed harder for more money, especially when compared with the deal his brother signed with the Rockets. NBA insider Vince Goodwill said the reaction from people around the league was that Detroit came away with a bargain.
“It was big for both,” Goodwill said about Ausar Thompson and the Pistons. “When you talk to people around the league and they saw Ausar’s number come in, they were like, ‘The Pistons got a steal.’
You know? They were actually surprised that Ausar didn’t try to get more.”
Goodwill pointed to a few possible reasons Thompson may have chosen the smoother path.
“But maybe when you factor in the fact that his offensive game hasn’t fully developed yet, maybe that blood clot, all the way back a few years ago, maybe that played a part in it,” he continued. “But you just want to have a drama-free contract negotiation, and that’s what this was.”
Unlike the back-and-forth surrounding Duren, Thompson’s situation never seemed to turn into a real fight. There was an earlier report in May that suggested a five-year, $162 million deal could be on the table, but after that, the negotiations stayed quiet, which made it clear the sides were handling things internally.
From Thompson’s side, that might have been the smarter play. He and Amen Thompson are both highly gifted, but their contract situations are not built the same way. Amen has been given more room to expand his offensive game in Houston, and last season he took on a bigger scoring and playmaking load as the team’s primary point guard, which helped him grow into an All-Star-caliber player.
Ausar’s role in Detroit has been much different. He is still an elite wing defender, but on offense he works mostly off the ball and uses his athleticism to finish at the rim. That showed up in the numbers: 9.9 points, 5.7 rebounds, 3.1 assists, 0.9 blocks, and a league-high 2.0 steals per game.
Both twins have earned All-Defensive first-team honors over the past two seasons, and Ausar even finished third in DPOY voting last season. Still, Amen’s offensive ceiling and expanded role make his salary easier to justify. That doesn’t make Ausar any less important.
If anything, taking Detroit’s offer without a prolonged standoff could strengthen his position with the franchise. By agreeing to a more team-friendly deal, Thompson helped the Pistons preserve their core and keep building without adding another layer of drama. With Cade Cunningham and Thompson now forming the heart of the roster, Detroit still has a foundation in place even if Duren ends up leaving.
In Other News...
Pistons Just Settled One Core Piece While Another Looms Larger
Ausar Thompson is now locked in for the long haul, giving the Pistons a major piece of their young core on a five-year rookie-scale extension worth $155 million. It is the kind of deal Detroit wanted to get done early, both because of Thompsons upside and because the number is viewed as team-friendly for a player the organization clearly sees as part of its future.
The bigger issue now sits elsewhere. Jalen Durens extension talks remain unresolved, and Thompsons new contract has reportedly made those negotiations more complicated. For a team trying to map out its next phase, one core decision is settled, but another one has only gotten tougher. [Read more 🡒]
Pistons May Be Headed For A Tough Frontcourt Decision
Detroit has spent the early part of its rise building a clear identity around defense, length and toughness, with Cade Cunningham setting the tone and young frontcourt pieces like Ausar Thompson and Jalen Duren helping define the edge on that end. The formula has given the Pistons something real to lean on, even if the offense still feels constrained by a shortage of dependable three-point shooting and the spacing issues that come with it.
The frontcourt picture, though, is starting to look more complicated as the roster gets more expensive and the club weighs how each piece fits long term. Thompson is now locked in for the next phase of the build, which only sharpens the focus on Durens future and the kind of decision Detroit may have to make if the two sides cannot find common ground. [Read more 🡒]
Pistons Built Something Real Now One Big Threat Hangs Over It
After a 60-win season, the Pistons have spent the offseason reshaping a roster that already looked like it had moved into a more serious phase. Malik Beasley, Tim Hardaway Jr., Tobias Harris and Isaiah Stewart are no longer part of the mix, and Detroit has tried to answer those losses by bringing in veterans such as John Collins, Isaiah Joe and Taurean Prince. It is the kind of turnover that suggests a team trying to keep its momentum while smoothing out the rough edges around the core.
The bigger issue, though, sits in the middle of it all, because Jalen Durens contract situation is still hanging over the start of camp. For a team that has already shown it can win at a high level, getting the roster into place matters, but so does making sure the young frontcourt piece at the center of so much of that progress is settled for what comes next. The Pistons have built something real, and now one unresolved matter is the one thing that can still cloud the picture. [Read more 🡒]