For about the 10th time this offseason, we’ve heard the same hollow threat of Jalen Duren taking the qualifying offer from the Detroit Pistons.
The Pistons should have three words for him: GO FOR IT.
The latest agent gossip came from Marc Stein (subscription), who said (for not the first time this offseason) that Duren was seriously considering the taking the qualifying offer.
It’s a move that is seen as the nuclear option, as it would mean that Duren plays out next season on a $9.6 million contract and then becomes an unrestricted free agent. He would also gain some no trade power, so this would flip the leverage right back to Duren.
And to be honest, the Pistons shouldn’t care.
The worst outcome for the Pistons is not losing Jalen Duren
I’ve said this before, but the worst-case scenario for the Pistons is not losing Duren “for nothing,” it is overpaying him for what he’s achieved so far.
The Pistons have already offered a deal that I would consider right on the line of smart and possibly over it, as there are only a handful of centers in the league making more than $30 million a year, and all of them are way better than Duren.
That’s why if Duren insists on being insulted by a fair market offer that is only about five million off of what he wants, then the Pistons should tell him to kick rocks and go find a better one.
Most players who pass on generational wealth end up regretting it, and the same will happen to Duren if he decides to let his ego override his common sense.
The qualifying offer won’t end well for Jalen Duren
Duren has two choices: Take the insane amount of money the Pistons are offering and have generational wealth in hand at age 22.
Take the qualifying offer, play out the season and hope to god you don’t get hurt or suffer any type of setback or choke in the playoffs for the third year in a row. Then you have to hope there are teams with cap space next summer, which is no given, and that one of those teams actually wants to not only employ you but give you a max deal. In this scenario, you break even financially and may be on the Kings.
Like I said, GO FOR IT.
There is no threat here to the Pistons, not even losing Duren for “nothing” because you never truly do, as the future money he represents could surely land the Pistons multiple players. Centers who don’t shoot or protect the rim aren’t that hard to come by, so if Duren wants to play out the season looking over his shoulder knowing that every missed shot is costing him money, let him.
I still think this is unlikely, and that this latest salvo is just the death rattle of a negotiation gone wrong, but the Pistons have to be prepared for this outcome and have a Plan B in place.
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