10:46 am: The Pistons are conveying that they don’t intend to move Duren and are “solely” focused on keeping him, reports NBA insider Chris Haynes (Twitter link). The two sides will still need to reach a contract agreement, but if the Pistons aren’t willing to accommodate a sign-and-trade deal, it would shut down many of Duren’s potential options elsewhere.
7:48 am: Talks between restricted free agent Jalen Duren and the Pistons have stalled for the time being, according to Sam Amick of The Athletic, who reports that the center is planning to explore potential sign-and-trade scenarios when the free agent market opens on June 30.
As Amick details, Duren was “underwhelmed” by the initial offer the Pistons put on the table, and the gap between the two sides is large enough that he wants to look into ways to land elsewhere. A sign-and-trade deal is viewed as preferable to an offer sheet, Amick explains, since there are very few teams with the cap room necessary to go that route and those teams may be reluctant to tie up their room with an offer that the Pistons would likely match.
Duren is coming off a very strong regular season — he made his first All-Star team and averaged 19.5 points and 10.5 rebounds in 70 games while shooting 65% from the field. The 22-year-old received votes for Defensive Player of the Year and, crucially, earned third-team All-NBA honors, which made him eligible for a “Rose Rule” contract with the Pistons, who can offer him up to 30% of the salary cap instead of the usual 25%.
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Questions emerged in the playoffs, however, as Duren’s averages slipped to 10.2 PPG and 8.5 RPG over the course of two seven-game series against Orlando and Cleveland. He was particularly ineffective against the Cavs, with the Pistons turning multiple times to veteran big man Paul Reed in his place.
While the gap between Duren’s regular season and playoff production will complicate his negotiations with the Pistons, there’s still plenty of time for the two sides to compromise on a new deal, Amick writes. That’s especially true if no favorable sign-and-trade scenarios emerge. It’s worth noting too that Detroit has agreed to trade another big man, Isaiah Stewart, to Memphis, which may make the front office less inclined to let Duren get away.
Still, as Amick points out, the Pistons have had their eye on impact players this offseason as they look to add more scoring, shooting, and play-making to complement point guard Cade Cunningham.
One target, Austin Reaves, is reportedly re-signing with the Lakers, but Detroit has also been connected to potential trade candidates like Jaylen Brown (Celtics), Kawhi Leonard (Clippers), and Tyler Herro (Bucks), according to Amick. A Duren sign-and-trade could put the Pistons in a better position to land an impact guard or wing, though it would obviously create a significant hole in their frontcourt.
For what it’s worth, Marc Stein and Jake Fischer of The Stein Line (Substack link) suggest that Leonard may no longer be a target for Detroit due to the fact that he wouldn’t be willing to sign an extension with the Pistons.
Head of basketball operations Trajan Langdon said last week that the Pistons “really want” to keep Duren but that no progress had been made in negotiations to that point.
