Milwaukee’s front office may have moved on from the Giannis Antetokounmpo era, but Jon Horst still sounds like Jon Horst.
According to The Athletic’s Sam Amick, the Bucks are among the teams with interest in Detroit Pistons big man Jalen Duren. And this isn’t being framed as casual background noise. Amick notes that Milwaukee has “serious” interest in Duren now and also next summer if he reaches the open market.
That tracks with how Horst has operated for years. He has never been shy about checking on big names if there’s even a chance one could become available, and that habit has powered plenty of major swings over time.
The Bucks landed players such as Jrue Holiday, Damian Lillard and P.J. Tucker, while also being linked at different points to stars like Kevin Durant and Anthony Davis.
Duren fits the same mold. If there’s a path to pry a player loose, Horst tends to make the call and see where things stand. With Detroit and Duren reportedly in a contract standoff, Milwaukee appears to be watching closely to see whether the Pistons might eventually be pushed toward a deal.
What makes this rumor stand out is the level of intent behind it. In the past, Milwaukee often seemed to be doing due diligence on stars who might hit the market.
This sounds different. The Bucks aren’t just checking the temperature - they may already have Duren circled.
That’s a notable shift for a team that, without Antetokounmpo, could have taken a more patient route. A slower build would have made sense. Develop the roster internally, keep the powder dry, and wait for the right opening.
Instead, a pursuit of Duren would point in the opposite direction. He’s 22, and bringing him in would still give Milwaukee a path to build for the future. But if the Bucks are willing to push their chips in after recently refilling the asset cabinet, it would also say plenty about how badly they want to stay in the fight right now.
If Milwaukee believes Duren can be its center of the future, Horst doesn’t sound like a man who will sit still while Detroit tries to sort out the mess.
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