The Pistons still haven't come any closer to reaching a resolution with restricted free agent Jalen Duren and his former teammate Isaiah Stewart chimed in to explain exactly why. ESPN's Marc Spears reported that he spoke to Stewart about Duren's contract standoff and Stewart's own position on the situation. Unsurprisingly, Stewart and Duren both agree that Duren proved himself worthy of a max contract with his All-Star play last season, despite anything that happened in the playoffs.
Stewart's stance isn't a shock to anyone
Anyone who's watched the Pistons over the last few seasons could tell how close Stewart was to Duren. Perhaps more than anyone else on the team, the two centers embraced each other as brothers and always had each other's backs. So it's no surprise to see Stewart continue to defend Duren even after Stewart was traded to the Grizzlies.
Stewart himself saw Duren's regular season brilliance up close and got to see his growth since his rookie year. Also, Stewart has a good understanding of the vital role that Duren plays as the Pistons' starting center and how much it would hurt the Pistons to lose both of them in one offseason. There is some merit to Stewart's argument of Duren deserving a max contract, most notably Duren's jump to nearly 20 points per game in the regular season.
But of course the playoffs painted a whole different picture and gave the Pistons major pause over Duren's contract. Like every other front office under the current CBA, the Pistons are keenly aware of how much overpaying a playoff underperfomer can hurt their team in the long run. Unfortunately for Duren, the timing and extent of his playoff drop forced the Pistons to reconsider his deal just before he was ready to sign.
It might not even be about the money for Duren
Stewart reportedly felt that Duren deserved his max contract after an All-Star appearance, but the real issue could be feeling appreciated by the Pistons rather than the sheer dollar amount. Duren reportedly sought an extension in the $30 million per season range last summer but was denied by the Pistons. As part of last year's negotiations, Duren likely felt that making an All-Star and All-NBA team would guarantee his wildest dreams for his next deal, but now finds himself rebuffed once again.
After two straight offseasons of having his wishes denied, Duren could be feeling a lot of contempt for Detroit's front office and questioning their belief in him. He felt a ton of pressure from both the media and fans during his disappointing playoff run, and the Pistons could have relieved all of that by working on a contract quickly for him. Instead, Detroit has let the negotiations ride out while publicly challenging him to find a suitor for a max deal.
More than anything else, Duren could simply feel disrespected by the Pistons at this point. The franchise has quickly shown its commitment to other pillars, such as Cade Cunningham and head coach JB Bickerstaff, even without a strong body of work in the playoffs. Duren didn't receive the same assurance and now he's out to make the Pistons pay.
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