The Pistons’ Jalen Duren negotiations have been tied to a bigger league-wide lesson, and Oklahoma City is right in the middle of it.
A Detroit front office member told Keith Smith of Spotrac that the Thunder’s moves this summer are shaping how the Pistons think about their own restricted free agent center. Oklahoma City has spent the offseason trimming money to get under the second apron, and Detroit is watching that play out closely while trying to sort out Duren’s next deal.
“We very clearly want Jalen back with us for next year and beyond. If we didn’t, we could have easily done several different sign-and-trade deals,”the exec told Smith.
“But the numbers have to be right. You saw what’s happened with Boston and OKC and New York.
We don’t want to have to shed talent around Cade (Cunningham) and Jalen a year or two from now.”
That’s the heart of it for Detroit. Duren wants something close to a max contract, but the Pistons have to weigh that against what comes next, especially with Cade Cunningham already on a max deal. The fear is simple: pay too much now, and the roster could get squeezed later.
Oklahoma City’s summer is the cautionary tale. The Thunder have three players on max contracts, including Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, and that pushed them toward the second apron.
To stay clear of it this season, they moved Lu Dort, Isaiah Joe, and Aaron Wiggins in three separate trades. Those deals were purely about the books.
Detroit knows what that kind of pressure can lead to. If the Pistons go near max money for Duren, they could be forced into similar salary dumps as soon as next summer.
That’s where names like Duncan Robinson, Daniss Jenkins, Joe, Paul Reed, and even Ausar Thompson come into the conversation if his price climbs high enough.
Duren’s value has also been complicated by the season itself. He was an All-NBA Third Team player last year, but his playoff performance likely hurt his standing heading into this summer.
So while the Pistons want him back, the process has turned tense. Detroit is using the Thunder’s approach as a guide, but the result so far has been a messy standoff that could leave Duren heading into next season unhappy, with the qualifying offer still on the table.
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