Pistons trade set up end to the Jalen Duren drama but the silence is getting loud

All signs point towards the Detroit Pistons re-signing Jalen Duren this offseason, but so far, there has been nothing but silence that is starting to get loud. 

The Pistons made the trade to bring in Gary Harris and Taurean Prince mostly because it cleared the necessary cap space to sign Duren to 25 percent of the cap without going into the luxury tax. 

Insider Jake Fischer says this trade was a clear sign that things are getting close with Duren, but we’ve still gotten no new information, which could be nothing or could be a concern. 

The silence around Jalen Duren is getting filled with rumors 

The Pistons have been mostly tight lipped around the Duren negotiations, but that hasn’t stopped media and pundits from filling in the gaps with speculation. 

The newest fever dream floating around is that Duren is so unhappy with the Pistons that he might be willing to sign the qualifying offer just to get out of Detroit. 

If there is one thing we should have learned from this summer, it’s that when it comes to restricted free agency, player agents will do anything to try and gain leverage or boost the salaries of their clients. 

That includes leaking threats about sign-and-trades the qualifying offer, which is a move players in Duren’s situation rarely make. The QO makes far more sense for players who aren’t up for big raises and want to prove themselves to gain more control over their future. 

Duren would be losing a lot of money by taking the QO, so it doesn’t seem a realistic possibility despite whatever rumblings are circulating around social media. 

But the longer this thing lingers on, the more chance of something like this happening, so it’s time for the Pistons to get this deal done. 

Both sides are out of options except compromise 

Duren doesn’t have another team to run to, and the Pistons don’t have a Plan B to replace him, so neither side has a ton of compelling options here. 

Duren wants somewhere near the max, and the Pistons want to pay him $35 million a year, which is far less. 

The Pistons may need to make some kind of concession here. It doesn’t have to be an increased annual salary, but they could work in lucrative performance-based incentives into his deal to help get it over the line. 

Duren also has to realize that he isn’t going to get the same payday as Victor Wembanyama, nor should he.  

The silence is getting annoying, and I wish the Pistons would either get this deal finished or move on, as it’s holding up their offseason and lingering far longer than it needs to. 

Add us as a preferred source on Google

Follow