The Detroit Pistons and Jalen Duren are still stuck in the same place, and the longer this goes on, the less sense it makes for either side. Detroit has made its position clear, Duren’s camp has made its ask clear, and the gap between those two numbers does not appear to be moving.
The latest public push from the Pistons came yesterday, when team advisor and former head coach Dwane Casey was sent out to deliver the message that the organization remains very high on Duren and wants him back. That kind of statement usually means the talks have stalled, and this one has hit that wall.
What makes the delay especially odd is that the market has already drawn the line. Duren’s side is looking for something in the neighborhood of the max deal he is eligible for after making All-NBA, but that was always a hard sell in Detroit. It got even harder after Victor Wembanyama, arguably the best player in the league, signed for below the max to give his team more financial flexibility.
That contract gives the Pistons a clean comparison point, and it is not one that helps Duren’s case. Detroit was not going to pay him the max before Wembanyama’s deal, and it certainly is not going there now.
The reported Pistons offer sits in the $32-35 million range per season, a number that would keep Duren around 25 percent of the cap. That is where Detroit appears to be drawing the line.
And that line looks firm. The Pistons are not believed to be going higher, and Duren does not seem to have much room to force the issue. There are no teams left with cap space, and Detroit is not interested in the sign-and-trade offers it has been given, including ones from teams like the Kings.
So the path is pretty simple. If Duren wants the money, Detroit is the only real destination.
He can take a deal around $35 million per year, or he can sign the qualifying offer and accept the risk that comes with it: less money, no long-term security, and one injury away from losing out on a massive payday. Quentin Grimes chose the QO and bet on himself, but the situation there was very different from Duren’s.
At this point, the standoff does not seem to be creating any advantage. It is just extending the inevitable. The Pistons need the deal done, Duren needs the deal done, and Detroit has an offseason to get back to once this is finally resolved.
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