The Detroit Pistons still have a major decision hanging over their offseason: what to do with Jalen Duren.
Detroit and its starting center remain stuck in contract talks, and the gap between the two sides is still wide enough to matter. The Pistons have been reluctant to go all the way to the max, while Duren’s camp has made it clear it believes he belongs in a higher tier financially.
“The Pistons offered Jalen Duren a five-year contract averaging around $35 million annually, per ESPN. Duren’s camp continues to believe he is worth more than $40 million per year.. If Duren continues to be unsatisfied with Detroit, he could take the qualifying offer instead,” NBA reporter Evan Sidery wrote.
That standoff has opened the door to a bigger swing. SI’s Logan Struck floated a trade idea that would send Sacramento Kings center Domantas Sabonis to Detroit in exchange for Duren.
“The most realistic outcome is for the Kings to send three-time All-Star big man Domantas Sabonis to Detroit in exchange for Duren. This still gives the Pistons a reliable, star-caliber center to help compete in the Eastern Conference, without having to commit about $200 million to Duren over the next five years,” Struck wrote.
Sabonis’ future in Sacramento is also being watched closely. ESPN’s Brian Windhorst brought up the fact that Sabonis recently changed agents, hiring Aaron Mintz from CAA, and connected that move to a group with a track record of helping facilitate major deals.
“I do think it’s somewhat interesting that he changed agents this offseason," Windhorst said on The Hoop Collective podcast." He hired Aaron Mintz from CAA.
This last year, Mintz and his group executed the trade for Trae Young away from Atlanta. They executed the trade for Walker Kessler away from [the Jazz ].
Domantas Sabonis just hired him. At the risk of parodying myself, why would he do that?”
For Detroit, the appeal is obvious. Sabonis would bring far more experience than Duren, along with a résumé that includes three All-Star selections and three league rebounding titles.
He has already made $272 million in his career, and with the Pistons expected to be a playoff team for the foreseeable future, the move would fit the kind of win-now push that could make sense for them.
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