Pistons take first step towards the summer's most important decision

The biggest decision the Detroit Pistons have to make this summer is what to do with Jalen Duren, and they got that started today by tendering the qualifying offer that officially makes him a restricted free agent. 

Keith Smith of Spotrac reported the news, while also reminding us that Duren is now eligible for 30 percent of the salary cap after making All-NBA. 

This was not a surprise for the Pistons, but now they are officially on the clock with Duren, and there is no sign of it ending soon, as zero information about the negotiations has leaked.

This is not going to be an easy negotiation, as the Pistons have to weigh up just how much they want to offer Duren.

Which Jalen Duren are the Pistons getting? 

The Pistons were unable to come to a contract extension with Duren last summer, and reports indicate they didn’t try all that hard, as they wanted to see his progression before committing long term. 

The results were mixed, as Duren followed up a stellar regular season with a playoff dud that raised eyebrows. 

While Duren may be eligible for a max deal, he sure didn’t look like a max guy in the playoffs, where he was outplayed by Paul Reed, the third stringer on a lowball deal. He was outplayed by Wendell Carter Jr. and Jarrett Allen, both players who make significantly less than Duren is hoping to get.

To commit to Duren, the Pistons have to believe those playoff struggles can be fixed, as they’d be locking him in for most of Cade Cunningham’s prime. 

I am sure there is a number that both sides will agree to, and they just have to find it, as you can’t let your 22-year-old All-Star center bounce without a backup plan. 

The problem is that the Pistons could have company. 

Detroit isn’t the only team interested in Jalen Duren 

Duren is one of the top free agents out there, and if a team with cap space wants to make the Pistons’ life difficult, they certainly could. 

While Detroit can offer an additional year, teams can still go up to the max annual salary, and if that's not a level the Pistons want to go into, they’ll have a tough decision. 

You have the Bulls, Nets and potentially Lakers sniffing around, and if they get a sense Detroit has set a hard limit for themselves, then they might see Duren as gettable. 

The Pistons don’t want to lose Duren, but don’t want to offer him a max deal, so it’s a fine line to walk. It all got started officially, as Duren is now a restricted free agent, so let the games begin. 

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