The Pistons may be staring at a Jalen Duren decision that forces them to think two moves ahead.
A sign-and-trade could make sense if Detroit and Duren stay on a collision course and another team is ready to pay him more. But moving him out without a plan at center would create a new problem for the roster. If the Pistons want to pull off a clean reset, they’d need to replace Duren with a cheaper starting center in the same breath.
That matters because Detroit doesn’t have much proven depth behind him. Paul Reed is the only other center on the roster with meaningful NBA experience, and he hasn’t spent much of his career as a starter. Asking him to take on a much larger role would come with real risk.
Still, Duren has enough value to interest rebuilding teams. He’s 22, and he’s coming off his first All-Star and All-NBA selections.
Even with the playoffs going badly, he was one of the league’s best centers during the regular season. On a team that isn’t chasing wins right away, he could be a centerpiece.
New Orleans is the most obvious trade partner, but there’s a catch there too. The Pelicans don’t have a true starting center to send back.
Yves Missi is their best option, and the source material says he may not even be better than Reed in a playoff setting. That means a Duren deal to New Orleans only works if Detroit can land another center somewhere else.
One name that fits is Myles Turner. He would be out of place on the Bucks’ current timeline after they traded Giannis Antetokounmpo to begin a rebuild, but he still brings value to a team trying to win. He was a starter on a Finals team two seasons ago, and he’d bring a very different skill set to Detroit.
Turner’s shooting is the obvious draw. Last season, he hit 38% from three on 5.4 attempts per game. He also still has defensive value as a former blocks champion, and that side of the floor could look even better with the Pistons.
The flaws are real, though. Turner isn’t a strong interior presence, and rebounding has never been his calling card. But Detroit already has strong rebounders at most other starting spots, including incoming power forward John Collins, so the Pistons should be able to cover for some of that weakness.
Turner isn’t the only possible answer. Daniel Gafford in Dallas and possibly Jarrett Allen in Cleveland are also mentioned as centers of that caliber who could be available for the right price.
The basic idea is simple: if Detroit decides Duren is the piece to move, there are ways to replace him. The key is making sure the replacement is lined up first.
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Reeds case is pretty straightforward: he brings a different kind of pressure around the rim than Stewart did, and that matters for a second unit that could use a little more punch. The question now is whether Detroit can turn those flashes into something steadier over a full season, because the upside is obvious, but the bench still needs him to hold up when the minutes get real. [Read more 🡒]
Isiah Thomas Just Explained Why The Pistons Tormented Jordan's Bulls
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The approach worked for a while, too, as Detroit kept finding ways to beat Chicago in those late-1980s playoff battles before the balance finally shifted. By 1991, Jordan had adjusted, taking fewer shots but making more of them, and the Bulls turned the tables on the Pistons on their way into a run that changed the leagues power structure. Thomas breakdown is a useful look back at how much of that rivalry was decided by tempo, patience and who could impose their style first. [Read more 🡒]