The Detroit Pistons’ offseason has come to a screeching halt even though they still have plenty of unfinished business to take care of before next season.
We’ve talked endlessly about the Jalen Duren contract situation, but it’s holding up other business too, as the Pistons are also hoping to sign Ausar Thompson to an early extension this summer.
This is where things get tricky, as Detroit would like to get Duren’s deal done first to avoid even more challenges with the big man.
Pistons can’t prioritize feelings, but can’t ignore them
Ideally, the Pistons would get the Duren deal done and then move onto Ausar Thompson, though there is a chance we’ll see the order reversed if Duren's saga continues to linger into August and September.
The Pistons can’t put off the Thompson extension forever, but they also don’t have any reason to rush, as they have until the start of next season to get it done.
Detroit doesn’t want to sign Thompson first, as it might aggrieve Jalen Duren even more, especially if he and Thompson get similar deals even though Duren made All-Star and All-NBA last season.
It would also give Duren another salary to point to and say, “if you are giving him that much, then you have to give me more,” which is not great for the egos involved or the bottom line.
For all we know, the Pistons already have a deal ready for Ausar Thompson to sign but are waiting on it to ensure it doesn’t further complicate things with Jalen Duren.
This has a chance to stretch well into the offseason
The Pistons and Duren are at a stalemate but remain each other’s best and possibly only options for next season.
But neither side has to be in a big hurry here either, as I am sure Duren is going through his offseason routine the same as he would if he had a contract already in hand.
Detroit was likely done dealing for the offseason anyway, so have little reason to rush the Duren process, as it’s probably not preventing them from making other moves anyway.
Factor in that the Pistons have until October to extend Thompson and here we are.
This whole thing could easily stretch into late August or even September but expect the Thompson signing to come fairly soon after the first domino falls.
Detroit is still waiting on Jalen Duren to make up his mind, but they’ll likely have to continue to wait, as the Pistons have to prioritize getting him and Thompson signed in the right way where everyone walks away happy, so speed is unfortunately not the top concern.
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