The Detroit Pistons may have to hold their noses and give into Jalen Duren’s contract demands if they ever want to get out of this mess.
Duren has now reportedly turned down a contract in the five years, $200 million range after the Pistons came up considerably from their original offer.
Going any higher than that seems absurd and risky for the Pistons even though Duren is only 22 years old and coming off an All-NBA season.
But they may have to, as the other options aren’t great, and it may give the Pistons a chance to get out of this mess with a better deal.
Sign and trades, qualifying offer or just eating the money for the Pistons
There is less than a week before training camp, so the idea of getting a sign-and-trade completed in that time is a tad far-fetched.
Also, why would any team offer up a big deal for Duren when they know he could be a free agent next offseason who they can sign without giving up players and picks?
The Pistons have little leverage in any sign-and-trade at this point, so any of the offers they get (if any) aren’t likely to be in their favor. You can’t rule this option out completely, but there are real challenges.
If Duren were to take the qualifying offer, it’s even worse for the Pistons, as he’d have a no-trade clause and be on a $9.6 million salary that would be nearly impossible to trade for equal value.
Even if teams were to throw in a ton of picks, the money doesn’t work unless you can find a player on a rookie deal. Not impossible, but not easy.
Unfortunately, the solution may be to find the lowest number Duren will take, get him under contract, and see what happens.
If Duren is on a proper deal, it will be far easier to trade him for equal compensation in the form of players and Detroit will have the entire league to work with, not just a few teams like there is right now.
It’s a tough one, as I’ve said all along that the Pistons shouldn’t go any higher, but it may be the only way they can extricate themselves from this situation favorably.
But this option would also be a huge risk for Detroit, as Duren will be under tremendous pressure and a giant microscope if he signs a deal that’s far greater than his perceived value, especially after his teammate Ausar Thompson signed an extension largely viewed as fair for Detroit.
If the Pistons cave and Duren isn’t any better next season, his trade value could be even lower, and they could be stuck with an overpaid dunker who doesn’t protect the rim.
Did I mention that there aren’t any good options here?
The Pistons had all of the leverage going in, but I have to hand it to Duren’s agent, as they’ve not only gotten Detroit to raise their offer but have put them in a position where offering more might be their only way out.
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