The Detroit Pistons have about a month to get a deal finished with Jalen Duren, and there may be some renewed momentum towards that goal.
It has been a stalemate with both sides not wanting to budge, as the Pistons wanted to see Duren dominate in the playoffs, which he didn’t, and Duren feels his All-NBA season was enough to land him a max deal.
It was always assumed (at least by me) that they would meet somewhere in the middle in terms of annual money or years and that’s what happened in a recent rumor from insider Jake Fischer, who said a person with knowledge of the situation (whatever that means) said the Pistons and Duren were nearing a deal for 4 years, $160 million.
If this is the case, get it done already, as this is a deal that would represent the best for both sides.
Jalen Duren gets his money, and the Pistons get an out
It’s clear that Duren is not getting the super max deal he is eligible for and giving it to him would amount to front office malpractice.
But it’s also clear that he’s not signing for $30 million a year, which was one of the low numbers we’ve heard as a possible offer from the Pistons.
Walker Kessler got a contact for $32 million per year, so Duren had to expect more than that, as he is a far more accomplished player. Kessler missed all but five games last year and has only played 65 or more games once in his career. He put up nice numbers on garbage teams but has never won anything, something I hope continues with the Lakers.
Whatever playoff problems Duren had, he was still a huge part of a 60-win team, and even if the awards were somewhat skewed by injuries, he still made the All-Star and All-NBA teams.
Forty million a year is a lot of money, but he’s a 22-year-old who will get better and will hopefully be more adventitiously placed to do so next season with better shooting around him.
That number would be at the high end of what the Pistons want, but it’ in line with his peers and would still leave them well below the tax aprons.
It also gives the Pistons an out a year early if things don’t work out, as the deal isn’t for the full five seasons. This would make the deal easier to move if the Pistons needed to. If they could turn a 5th year into a team option, that would be even better, but only being on the hook for four years does give them more options.
If this ends up being the final contract number for Duren, it’s one both sides should be able to live with.
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