It went down to the last minute, but the Detroit Pistons finally completed their most important offseason business, which was to get both Jalen Duren and Ausar Thompson locked into long-term contracts.
Both guys signed lucrative five-year deals, though there was some debate about which player is more important to the Pistons and which one should get more.
The second part of that debate was answered when Ausar Thompson inked a five year deal for $155 million, which was lower than many predictions.
It was no coincidence that Duren's deal came second, as the number the Pistons were able to get for Thompson undoubtedly helped get Duren a big raise.
Ausar Thompson's deal gave the Pistons more money for Duren
Even the Pistons were probably surprised at how painless it was to sign Ausar Thompson, who pretty much just ran off the practice floor and signed a deal he barely looked at, then went back to work.
The Pistons were probably expecting a little pushback, and given how they negotiated with Duren, likely started negotiations with Thompson by offering the lowest number they thought he would take.
Thompson did take it, which paved the way for Duren, as the Pistons were probably expecting to have to cough up a bit more for Thompson in the end. If Detroit had to go up to $175 million for Thompson, this Duren deal may not have happened.
Thompson probably took a little less than he could have gotten, which made it easy for the Pistons to offer more to Duren without going over a certain number combined for both of them.
The Pistons were able to raise their offer to Duren from $190 to $200 million with money they may have had earmarked for Thompson. Who knows if Ausar knew or even thought about it this way, but that's how it worked out.
Ausar Thompson saves Jalen Duren on the floor
The Pistons had the second best defense in the league last year, and a big part of that was Thompson, who can single-handedly change games on that end.
He's also very good at covering for teammates as a weakside blocker and by ripping steals on help defense. Ask Jalen Duren, as Thompson made him look a LOT better on defense last season. Obviously, most of the credit for Duren's defensive improvement last season (he did improve) should be given to him, but his life was made a whole lot easier by Thompson.
This is why Duren will have far more work to do with fans than Thompson ever will, as Ausar walked away from this offseason looking like the ultimate team player.
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