The Detroit Pistons have a decision to make on Jalen Duren. And right now, they’re making it very clear they won’t be doing him any favors on the way out.
According to ClutchPoints NBA insider Brett Siegel, Detroit has zero interest in facilitating a sign-and-trade for the 22-year-old big man. That’s notable because Duren has been one of the more intriguing names still floating around in free agency, especially after the Los Angeles Lakers reportedly kicked the tires on him before landing Walker Kessler in a sign-and-trade of their own.
“He’s been wanting a max deal from the Detroit Pistons. He signaled that before the free agency window opened up. They have not been willing to give that to him,” Siegel said on a recent episode of ‘Clutch Scoops.’
So where’s the middle ground? The Pistons have a number in mind. It’s just not the one Duren wants.
“They want to keep this under $35 million – somewhere in that sweet zone of $30 million, $32 million … the Pistons want Jalen Duren back, but they want so on a cap hit that is going make sense for them over the course of the next 3, 4, 5 years next to Cade Cunningham,” Siegel added.
The Playoff Dip That Changed the Conversation
Duren is coming off a career year. The No. 13 pick in the 2022 draft made his first All-Star appearance and averaged 19.5 points, 10.5 rebounds and 2.0 assists while shooting 65 percent from the floor. Those are max-adjacent numbers in the regular season.
But the playoffs told a different story. Duren’s production dropped to 10.2 points and 8.5 rebounds per game. And it wasn’t just the stats — his impact on both ends seemed to fade as the games got tighter and the spacing got smaller. That’s the kind of thing that makes front offices pause before handing out a nine-figure deal.
Still, the free agency market is drying up fast. Conventional wisdom says a deal eventually gets done between the two sides, if only because Detroit has the leverage and Duren doesn’t have a lot of other options left. But the fact that the Pistons are publicly (or at least semi-publicly) shutting down any sign-and-trade chatter suggests they’re comfortable playing hardball.
This is one of those situations worth tracking as the offseason drags on. The money is out there somewhere. It’s just a question of whether Duren blinks first or the Pistons do.
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