The Detroit Pistons are in a bind with Jalen Duren, and it’s the kind of bind that can get ugly fast if it isn’t solved this summer.
Duren remains in restricted free agency, with no contract agreement in place. That puts Detroit in the same general neighborhood as the Denver Nuggets and Peyton Watson, another restricted free agent who could take the qualifying offer and push himself toward unrestricted free agency next summer. But the Pistons’ problem is sharper, because they don’t have the same cushion Denver does.
If Duren reaches unrestricted free agency next summer, Detroit risks losing him for nothing. That would be the nightmare scenario.
If he takes the qualifying offer, the Pistons may be better off moving him, but even that route comes with its own problems. Either way, the situation is dangerous for Detroit.
The biggest issue is simple: the Pistons don’t have much behind him at center. Paul Reed is the only real backup depth there right now. Ugonna Onyeso and Isaac Jones are on two-way contracts, but that’s not enough to cover the loss of a player like Duren.
That’s why the cleanest outcome for Detroit is also the most obvious one: get a deal done with Duren before this turns into a bigger mess.
There’s also the matter of value. Duren was an All-NBA big man last year, but his postseason struggles likely played a part in why he still hasn’t been extended.
Even so, he remains a key piece of Detroit’s core. Trading him now would not be ideal, because his market would be depressed.
Teams know he could still end up unrestricted next summer, and that changes the leverage. Right now, Detroit would probably be selling low.
If he accepts the qualifying offer and gets dealt at the deadline, that return could look even worse.
Denver’s situation with Watson is complicated too, but not nearly to the same degree. The Nuggets just accepted Spencer Jones’ offer sheet, which pushed them over the second apron for now and prevents them from completing a sign-and-trade with Watson at the moment.
Watson, like Duren, is still a restricted free agent and is also weighing the qualifying offer. But if Denver were to lose him, it would still have Aaron Gordon and Spencer Jones to handle the power forward spot. That isn’t perfect, but it’s a far more workable setup than what Detroit would be staring at if Duren walks away.
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These Pistons Breakouts Could Change Everything About Detroits Quiet Offseason
Detroits quiet offseason has left the spotlight on internal growth, and that makes the next step for a few young Pistons especially important. Ausar Thompson, Ron Holland II, Paul Reed, Daniss Jenkins, and rookie Ebuka Okorie all sit in different places on the roster, but each has a path to matter if the development curve bends the right way. For a team trying to sharpen its depth without making a splashy move, those kinds of gains can end up being the difference between a stable rotation and another year of searching for answers.
Thompsons offensive growth is the most intriguing swing piece, while Hollands shooting will go a long way toward determining whether he can be trusted when the games tighten up. Reed also has a real opening to claim more minutes behind the frontcourt, and Jenkins is in position to handle the backup point guard job if he takes the next step. Even Isaiah Joe fits into that larger picture as a possible early bench piece with a wider role if the roster shifts again, which is why so much of Detroits next phase may come down to players who are already in the building. [Read more 🡒]
Pistons Fans Have Every Right To Question This Offseason
Detroit spent the opening stretch of free agency trying to make life easier for Cade Cunningham, adding Isaiah Joe, John Collins, Taurean Prince and Gary Harris with an obvious eye toward improving the perimeter shooting around him. On paper, those are sensible additions for a team that has been searching for spacing and stability, and they do address some of the rosters most glaring needs.
Still, the larger question hanging over the offseason is whether those moves are enough to change the Pistons ceiling, especially after the criticism aimed at Trajan Langdon for not pushing harder to land a true co-star. The front office also has another important decision looming with Jalen Duren, whose contract situation could shape the franchises next steps just as the rest of the East keeps getting tougher. [Read more 🡒]
An Old Pistons Draft Wound Just Got Painfully Relevant Again
Mario Hezonja is getting another NBA look, this time with Cleveland after eight seasons in Europe with Real Madrid, and for Pistons fans it brings back one of those draft-night what-ifs that never really went away. Hezonja was the kind of wing Detroit could have used then and could still use now, a player who left the league young, rebuilt his value overseas and now gets a chance to see whether that growth translates back across the Atlantic.
The painful part in Detroit is how closely his name is tied to the 2015 draft, when the Pistons went a different direction and took Stanley Johnson instead. Hezonja has long been viewed as the sort of swingman Stan Van Gundy liked, and even if his NBA return is still just a chance, the comparison is hard to avoid for a franchise still searching for more size and shooting on the wing. [Read more 🡒]