Jalen Duren has less than seven hours to decide whether to accept his $9.6 million qualifying offer, unless the Detroit Pistons extend the deadline. It doesn't seem like they will. If they have it their way, he'll re-sign with the team to the fully guaranteed five-year, $200 million contract they already offered (with maybe a few more million added), and, if that happens, he can reunite with the team.
Cade Cunningham said at media day that he's spoken with Duren and offered support amid what's been a whirlwind restricted free-agency saga. .
"On the court, off the court, we went to war together obviously, but we've had dinners together. I've met his family, he met my family. The negotiation is between the front office and his representation, so they're gonna figure that out. It has nothing to do with me so the best thing I can do is be there for him to support him, encourage him, not let him get too down whenever it's such a crazy time for him."
The only NBA team Duren has known is the Pistons (the Hornets and Knicks don't count), but after how the summer went, it might not be that simple for him to just jump right back into things with Detroit. He's felt disrespected over the past few months, and if he re-signs, that won't automatically erase that.
At least he won't have to worry about his teammates holding anything against him. Not that they should, but if you thought they might, Cunningham shut that down. J.B. Bickerstaff did, too.
Cunningham has kept in contact with Jalen Duren
Chances are, you might have strong feelings about how Duren has approached his restricted free agency. Or maybe you did, but because it's gone on so long, you couldn't bring yourself to keep caring. At this point, you could just be rooting for it to be over.
Regardless of how you feel, Duren is still important to what Detroit is building, so if he's back, the Pistons will need him to buy in. And that's even if he accepts his qualifying offer, which would put him in a position where he'd need to have a big season to set himself up for the max deal he would want next summer.
Cunningham keeping in contact with Duren, not as his teammate, but as his friend and brother, can help get the center back on board. When you form that kind of bond, you don't just want to step on the court and play for yourself, but for those around you. That's the mindset that the Pistons will need from him as they try to build on last season's success.
Hopefully, Duren and the Pistons can come to terms on a multi-year deal. And beyond the fact that he'd be turning down life-changing money if he played out the season on his qualifying offer, he could also be enticed to recommit to Detroit because of Cunningham.
It has to be nice for Duren to know that this point guard has his back.
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