The Detroit Pistons want to sign Jalen Duren to a long-term deal, and Jonathan Kuminga signing a two-year, $12.4 million contract with the Timberwolves should give the team in the Motor City some needed leverage. The Warriors reportedly offered Kuminga $30 million per season (subscription required) in 2024 and a three-year, $75 million contract last summer. Instead, Kuminga made just under $24 million and is now taking $6.1 million. Restricted free agency is difficult, and the player is almost always better off taking the massive contract. Duren should take notes.
The All-Star big and the Pistons have reached a frustrating stalemate. Duren wants the max after being an All-Star at 22 years old, but that isn’t how things work in the second apron era. Every dollar counts, and contenders can only afford to give top dollar to the absolute best players on the planet. Duren’s playoff struggles ended any hopes of him being a max player.
The Pistons are reportedly offering a $160 million contract over four years, and that is the best opportunity for both sides. Duren can try to take the qualifying offer, but he will end up missing out on millions of dollars just like Kuminga did.
Jonathan Kuminga just gave Pistons a needed boost in Jalen Duren talks
Kuminga could have made $30 million per year if he extended when the Warriors were offering it. Anthony Slater didn’t report how many years the contract was for, but the 6’8 forward is still only 23 years old. Fans have to think Golden State would have wanted him for at least four seasons.
Even if it was a short-term deal, Kuminga would have made $60 million between the 2025-26 season and the 2026-27 campaign. Instead, he earned just over $30 million for those two years combined. There were plenty of frustrations with the Warriors, but playing it out cost Kuminga millions.
The same would happen for Duren. Detroit doesn’t want to sign-and-trade him or ink him to a short-term contract. They are set on finding a long-term deal at less than the max. If the 6’10 big man wants out, he will have to take his $9.6 million qualifying offer and test the market again in the summer of 2027.
Doing so would mean Duren lost out on $30-plus million this season. He is not recouping that over the length of a massive contract if he leaves the Pistons. Teams will be limited to four-year deals and can only give five percent raises.
Jalen Duren must learn a valuable lesson from Jonathan Kuminga
Duren’s best offer is on the table from the Pistons right now. They are the franchise that drafted and developed him. Detroit is invested in the big man’s success and wants him to be Cade Cunningham’s co-star. Other teams have interest, but they don’t have years of work already put in.
Kuminga kept chasing a larger role and bigger contract only for it to cost him millions. The Warriors drafted him seventh overall and were invested in him becoming a key piece in the post-Stephen Curry era. They were willing to pay him on potential over production. No other team was offering $30 million per year, and Kuminga should have taken it when he had the chance.
Now, JK is going to make $6.1 million this season and try to test free agency next summer. Even with an outstanding year in Minnesota, he is likely looking at non-taxpayer mid-level exception offers next summer. That will be a significant raise from $6.1 million, but it won’t be $30 million per year.
The Detroit Pistons are offering Jalen Duren a massive contract, and Jonathan Kuminga is living proof that the big man should take it. Kuminga lost millions betting on himself, and Duren would too. Take the massive deal now and keep improving. That is the fastest way to earn even more. Kuminga certainly proved that.
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