The Detroit Pistons once gave Andre Drummond a max contract that they soon regretted, a mistake they can’t make with Jalen Duren.
Drummond represents the bridge to different eras of the NBA as a big man who never had much of an offensive game. The Pistons signed him to a 5 year/$127 million contract just as the league was pivoting away from these types of players, leaving them stuck with a relic from a bygone era where big men didn't have to leave the paint.
That was max money at the time, so the Pistons essentially decided to build their team around Drummond, which had predictable and disastrous results that were compounded by surrounding him with other players who couldn’t shoot.
I am sure Pistons fans have tried to scrub the Drummond, Monroe, Smith era from their memories.
The Pistons are now at a crossroads with Jalen Duren, who is eligible for an extension this summer, but not likely to get it, as I am sure his demands are far from what the Pistons are willing to offer at this point.
And it’s a stance the Pistons need to hold, as they’ve been down this road before.
Jalen Duren extension and the ghost of Andre Drummond
Drummond has nearly flamed out of the NBA, but there was a time when he was a very good player that Pistons fans tend to underrate at this point.
He led the NBA in offensive rebounding for seven straight seasons, starting in his second year, and led the league in overall rebounds three times in that span.
But Drummond was never an offensive threat, nor an elite defender, so even though he was very good, the game eventually passed him by in favor of centers who were floor spacers or elite rim protectors.
Does this sound familiar?
Duren is also an excellent rebounder with offensive limitations who is not an elite defender at this point. Like Drummond, he entered the league as a teenager and immediately started putting up double-doubles, but also like Drummond, there are real questions about how much you can pay a guy like this, especially in the current NBA.
Duren is very good, and has a nice floor to work with, but the Pistons can’t overpay him like they did Drummond or could end up in a similar situation with a center who is making more than his skills demand.
I’m sure there is a number the Pistons would be happy with right now, but it’s nowhere near what Drummond got, and Duren has different ideas, which could lead to a very interesting offseason in 2026.