When Trajan Langdon took over as president of the Detroit Pistons, the biggest question was what he would do with the young players that were already on the roster.
Trade rumors swirled, but in the end, Langdon chose patience by keeping his young core intact and flanking them with better veterans.
It turns out that having competent NBA players around your young prospects is a good idea! Who could have known? Someone write Troy Weaver a letter.
Both Jaden Ivey and Jalen Duren were the focus of trade rumors, particularly since both are extension-eligible next offseason. Langdon chose to keep them both and let it play out.
Teams and players generally like to get extensions done early if they can, but the Pistons would also have the choice of just letting one or both of them play out their contracts and become restricted free agents.
The Pistons would still essentially control their fate, so not extending them next summer isn’t necessarily a sign that either player is not part of the future plans.
We are only 16 games into the season, so a lot can change between now and next summer, but when it comes to extensions, here is how things are trending.
Jaden Ivey extension: Trending towards yes
Ivey has been much more efficient this season and just looks more comfortable all around.
He’s still not a great defender and probably never will be, but he’s been more active in passing lanes and more engaged on the ball.
The game has slowed for him a bit and he’s more comfortable knowing when to turn on his tremendous speed and when to back off.
Most importantly, he and Cade Cunningham have been good together and have answered some of the questions about their long-term fit.
If Ivey continues to improve this season and stays consistent, the Pistons will likely try to extend him next offseason. The number will be interesting, as Ivey is not going to get a full max, but will likely get more than Isaiah Stewart’s deal.
There is a number that is too much for Ivey, but when you see what guys like Immanuel Quickley got recently, it’s hard to imagine Ivey not being in that range. Should the Pistons go 5 years/$150 million?
The rest of the season will likely determine the answer to that.
Jalen Duren extension: Trending towards no
One of the biggest disappointments of the season so far has been the regression of Jalen Duren.
He hasn’t added anything to his offensive game and still isn’t a good defender, especially in space.
Duren is an elite rebounder, but is that enough to offer him a long-term deal? The modern NBA requires centers who can defend the perimeter, shoot or protect the rim at a high level and Duren doesn’t do any of those things.
It’s not hopeless, as he just turned 21-years-old, but the Pistons can’t stake a big chunk of their future cap space on hope, he has to earn it.
You have to wonder how much different the Pistons would look with a center who was some kind of offensive threat or one that cleaned up everything at the rim.
As it stands, they’d be better served letting Duren play out his deal (or trading him) so they get another year of evidence before committing to him long term.