All offseason, the conversation around Detroit has circled back to Jalen Duren and the size of the deal he might land. But the Pistons’ real swing this summer apparently went in a different direction.
According to the Third Apron Podcast with Yossi Gozlan and Jovan Buha, Detroit was the team that came closest to a max-level offer for Austin Reaves, a push that reportedly forced the Lakers to move off their original lowball and raise the price to four years and $180 million.
That detail matters because it puts Detroit’s approach to Duren in a sharper light. If the Pistons were willing to get that aggressive for Reaves, then they still have not crossed that line for their 22-year-old center.
Duren played 70 games last season and posted All-Star and All-NBA numbers, while Reaves is five years older and came off a season in which he appeared in only 51 games. By the basic math of production and age, Duren would seem like the player in position to cash in.
Instead, the Pistons have held their ground. Their offer to Duren is for a similar total amount, but over five years rather than four.
The bigger message is clear: Detroit appears to value shot creation and scoring punch more than it values paying a center based on what he does around a star. That’s why Reaves was such an appealing target.
The Pistons still need a second creator, and they still need a dependable scoring option. Reaves could have filled both roles alongside Cade Cunningham.
Last season, Reaves averaged more than 23 points and five assists, which is exactly the kind of profile Detroit is missing. Only 10 players in the league reached that 23-point, five-assist threshold, and Reaves missed the official cut by seven games. Even so, he belongs in that rare tier, since almost everyone else in that group ended up on All-NBA teams.
That is the kind of player Detroit seems to believe is harder to find, and more expensive to replace, than a center whose offense leans heavily on a superstar teammate collapsing the defense and feeding him lobs. So while it would have been easy to reroute the money they had lined up for Reaves toward Duren, the Pistons have chosen a different path.
If they want to build something at a championship level, Detroit knows it needs more players who can create and score. Keeping firm with Duren, even while chasing a Reaves type, suggests the front office is protecting room for that next piece rather than simply paying the most obvious one on the roster.
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The case for Duren is straightforward: the projected numbers point to a player who can be highly efficient and useful on the defensive end, with room to keep improving at the line. His per-36 profile suggests a big who can finish well around the basket and stay productive without needing the offense built around him, which is exactly the sort of profile that complicates negotiations. For the Pistons, the standoff now turns the focus to whether they can turn that upside into a deal before the situation gets any more delicate. [Read more 🡒]