Jalen Duren’s next contract has already become a pressure point for the Detroit Pistons, and Jonathan Kuminga’s latest deal only sharpens the message.
Kuminga agreed to a two-year, $12.4 million contract with the Timberwolves, a result that stands in stark contrast to the money he reportedly turned down earlier in the process. The Warriors were said to have offered him $30 million per season in 2024, and last summer they also put a three-year, $75 million deal on the table.
Instead, Kuminga made just under $24 million and is now set to play for $6.1 million. In restricted free agency, the safer money usually wins, and Kuminga’s path is the latest reminder of that.
That’s where Duren comes in. The Pistons and their All-Star big man are stuck in a frustrating stalemate, with Duren seeking a max contract after making the All-Star team at 22 years old.
But the market has changed, and the second apron era has made teams far more selective about where they spend big. Every dollar matters now, and the max is reserved for the very best players in the league.
Duren’s playoff struggles have taken the max off the table.
Detroit is reportedly offering four years and $160 million, and that appears to be the cleanest outcome for both sides. Duren can take the qualifying offer, but that route would cost him millions.
Kuminga’s situation is the clearest cautionary tale. He could have locked in $30 million per year if he had extended when Golden State was ready to pay. Anthony Slater didn’t report the length of that deal, though the 6’8 forward is still only 23 years old, and it’s fair to assume the Warriors would have wanted him for at least four seasons.
Even on a shorter term, the math was brutal. Kuminga would have made $60 million across the 2025-26 and 2026-27 seasons.
Instead, he’ll make just over $30 million over that same stretch. The frustration with the Warriors was real, but waiting him out cost him millions.
Duren could be headed down the same road if he pushes past Detroit’s best offer. The Pistons do not want a sign-and-trade or a short-term arrangement.
They want him locked in long term at less than the max. If he chooses to walk away, he’d have to play this season on his $9.6 million qualifying offer and wait until the summer of 2027 to hit the market again.
That decision would come with a steep price. Duren would be passing on more than $30 million this season, and that money would not be easy to make back later. Teams will be limited to four-year contracts, with five percent raises.
For Duren, the strongest offer is already sitting in front of him. Detroit drafted him, developed him and wants him to grow into Cade Cunningham’s co-star. Other teams may be interested, but they do not have the years of investment the Pistons already put in.
Kuminga, meanwhile, chased a bigger role and a bigger payday and wound up giving away millions in the process. Golden State drafted him seventh overall and believed he could become a major piece after Stephen Curry.
The Warriors were willing to pay for upside, and no other team was offering that kind of money. He passed on it.
Now he’s set to make $6.1 million this season and try free agency again next summer. Even if he puts together a strong year in Minnesota, the most likely outcome is a non-taxpayer mid-level exception offer. That would be a meaningful raise, just not the kind of money he once had on the table.
Detroit’s message to Duren is clear, and Kuminga just made it louder: take the big deal now, keep improving, and let the next contract come later.
In Other News...
Pistons Suddenly Have A Jalen Duren Trade Decision They Can't Ignore
Jalen Durens contract situation has already become one of the more uncomfortable questions hanging over Detroits offseason, and now it has spilled into the trade market. Bleacher Report floated a deal that would send the young center to Milwaukee, with the idea framed as a way to break the tension around his negotiations with the Pistons while also giving Detroit a look at a different kind of frontcourt fit.
The proposal is built around a return of Myles Turner, Ryan Rollins and an unprotected 2031 first-round pick, which at least gives the Pistons a real conversation to have if the relationship keeps trending sideways. The bigger issue is whether Duren might be leaning toward the qualifying offer, a move that would put Detroit in a tougher spot and potentially force the team to consider a sign-and-trade path rather than letting the matter linger much longer. [Read more 🡒]
Paul Reed Now Faces The Pressure Behind Detroit's Isaiah Stewart Trade
Isaiah Stewarts move to Memphis left a clear opening in Detroits frontcourt, and Paul Reed is now the one expected to step into it. For the Pistons, it is a straightforward handoff on paper: more minutes, more responsibility and a bigger defensive burden for a big man who has long flashed the kind of energy and activity the coaching staff values.
Reeds challenge is that replacing Stewart is not just about filling a rotation spot. Detroit is asking him to absorb the demands of protecting the rim and handling pick-and-roll coverages with a level of consistency that comes with a much longer nightly workload, and the pressure rises from there when the reps start to pile up. The Pistons like the upside, but the real test will be whether Reed can turn those promising stretches into something sustainable when the role is no longer limited. [Read more 🡒]
John Collins Faces A Scoring Test Detroit Desperately Needs Him To Pass
The Pistons decision to swap John Collins in at power forward comes with a clear offensive message: they need more scoring from that spot than Tobias Harris provided. Collins has long been known for efficient shooting and the kind of post-up touch that can punish smaller defenders, and Detroit is banking on those traits translating into a bigger role. For a team trying to lighten the load on its core, this is less about fit on paper than it is about whether Collins can turn reliable scoring into something more demanding.
That challenge matters because Detroit does not have much margin for error on offense, and the expectation is that Collins will help create the extra production the lineup has lacked. He has shown he can score efficiently, but the Pistons need him to do it with more volume, not just as a complementary option. If that jump comes, it could reshape how defenses have to treat Detroit. If it does not, the search for another source of frontcourt scoring will only get louder. [Read more 🡒]