When the Detroit Pistons acquired Jalen Duren from the New York Knicks in 2022, they parted with a 2025 first-round draft pick. That selection was later packaged in the deal that enabled New York to acquire Mikal Bridges from the Brooklyn Nets.
The trade for Duren was thus officially finalized when the Brooklyn Nets selected Nolan Traore with the No. 19 overall selection in the 2025 NBA Draft.
The original trade was multifaceted, as New York acquired Duren from the Charlotte Hornets for a 2023 first-round selection and four second-round draft picks. Roughly two weeks later, the Knicks sent Duren and Kemba Walker to the Pistons for a 2025 first-rounder.
Duren has developed into a nightly double-threat during his three seasons in Detroit, and still has mountains of untapped potential at 21 years of age.
Brooklyn selected Traore with optimism surrounding their ability to become a key cog in the team's current and future rotations. By no means should success be ruled out on that front, as a countless number of players have been selected at No. 19 and gone on to find success.
The reality remains, however, that the Pistons already have the type of talent they could only dream of having a chance at selecting at No. 19.
Detroit Pistons officially acquired Jalen Duren for Nolan Traore
The Pistons are riding high after completing one of the most remarkable turnarounds in recent NBA history. Just one season after going 14-68, the 2024-25 Pistons won 44 games and made the playoffs for the first time since 2019.
Duren was one of the driving forces behind that success, dominating the glass and showing signs of elite defensive potential during the 2025 NBA Playoffs.
During Detroit's first-round series against the New York Knicks, opponents shot 11.0 percent worse from the field when Duren was the primary defender. That includes All-NBA point guard Jalen Brunson, who went 8-of-26 against Duren.
Karl-Anthony Towns, meanwhile, shot 4.0 percent worse from the field than his regular-season mark when Duren was matched up against him.
The hope in Detroit is that Duren will build upon that success as he continues to develop into the team's interior anchor. He's well on his way in that regard, having averaged 11.8 points, 10.3 rebounds, 3.6 offensive boards, 2.7 assists, 1.1 blocks, and 0.7 steals in 26.1 minutes per game in 2024-25.
Those numbers translate to averages of 16.2 points, 14.3 rebounds, 4.9 offensive boards, 3.7 assists, 1.6 blocks, and 1.0 steal per 36 minutes.
Considering the only price the Pistons paid was the No. 19 pick in the 2025 NBA Draft, it's safe to view this deal as a tremendous win. Detroit would've been lucky to turn that selection into a player of Duren's caliber, and likely would've been attempting to secure what it already has.
Instead, the Pistons can walk away knowing that their move for Duren ultimately amounted to a fair price and a win of a return.