Jalen Duren's looming free agency has overtaken the news for the Detroit Pistons, entering the most exciting stretch of the offseason.
According to several reports, the massive gap between Duren's asking price for his next contract and what the Pistons are willing to offer essentially pushed the All-NBA big man towards searching for an option outside of the Motor City.
Initially, the Sacramento Kings were listed as the top suitor for Duren when free agency opened, with the expectation that the Kings and Pistons would work towards a sign-and-trade.
Shortly after that report, the Los Angeles Lakers were revealed as another interested suitor for the 22-year-old center.
Regardless of where Duren lands, it feels like his Pistons tenure is quickly approaching an end, and while it may disappoint many, the fact that the former first-round pick would rather play with the Kings over the Pistons alone says more about him than anything about Detroit.
Jalen Duren priorities are landing a bag over team fit
Any free agent ever listing the Kings as their preferred landing spot will always raise red flags, especially when it comes to free agency.
Duren's career year made him eligible for a five-year, $287.1 million contract extension with the Pistons, but after a disastrous postseason run, Detroit's front office quickly determined that offering that extension wasn't on the table.
Lowballing Duren isn't the exact way to keep the relationship healthy, which was certainly a risky move given the off-the-court relationship between the big man and superstar guard Cade Cunningham.
However, Detroit made it clear that they'd rather risk losing Duren in a sign-and-trade than make a financial commitment to a player the organization doesn't view as worthy of the supermax deal he's eligible for.
As a result, the big man's camp quickly lined up external options for the center to consider as a restricted free agent, and with the Kings headlining those suitors as Duren's preference, it's clear that securing a massive payday is more important than playing for a contender.
The Pistons have developed Duren and stayed committed to him in the postseason even when his play screamed for J.B. Bickerstaff to go in a different direction.
Between that and his relationship with Cunningham, it felt like the two sides would look to find middle ground on a deal to keep him in Detroit.
You can all but throw that idea out of the window now, though, because Duren's desire to land elsewhere in free agency says that team fit is the least of his worries as long as he receives the payday he's after.
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