The will they/won’t they question on extensions for Jaden Ivey and Jalen Duren has dominated most of the Detroit Pistons’ offseason and they don’t have much time left.
The Pistons have until October 20th, just over two weeks, to come to terms on extensions, and if they don’t, the players will enter the season on expiring contracts and go to restricted free agency.
Restricted free agency can get messy, as we’ve seen this offseason with the Nets, Warriors and 76ers, and it would be great if the Pistons could avoid that scenario.
There is probably a number the players and team could agree on that would represent a compromise they could both live with. I’m going to throw my numbers out there.
As a fan who cares about continuity as well as team building, these would represent offers that are fair to the players and the team.
Jalen Duren: 5 years/$110 million, all guaranteed
We’ve seen some predictions for Duren might get in an extension, with numbers ranging up to $140 million, which seems high unless there are multiple team options at the end of it, which Duren is unlikely to agree to.
Instead, he gets five fully guaranteed years in this scenario but has to take a slightly lower annual salary to get them.
Committing five years is a risk for the Pistons, but given Duren's age and trajectory, it’s a fairly safe bet if he is making $22 million a year, which could look like a huge bargain in the latter years of the contract.
Given that Duren needs to improve on both ends, this seems like a fair compromise both sides should be able to live with. Duren will probably want at least $120, but maybe they can meet somewhere in the middle.
Jaden Ivey: 4 years/$80, team options on the 3rd and 4th years
It seems far less likely that Ivey gets an extension before the season and that decision may already be made. Signing him and Duren now would eat up all available cap space for next offseason and would make it far more difficult to pull off a midseason trade, all of which point to Ivey not getting an extension.
But this is a deal that seems fair if it were to get done now, as it pays Ivey for potential but doesn’t have long-term commitments for the Pistons if it doesn’t work out.
This is another deal that could look great for the team in a few years but allows Ivey to get a big chunk of what he might have gotten had he played all of last season.
When you see what happened with Cam Thomas and Quentin Grimes, it’s easy to say the Pistons should just play hardball, but I’d liken Ivey’s situation more to Josh Giddey, who just got four years and $100 million from the Bulls.
Ivey is a tier below that after missing all of last season, but he’s a better player than Thomas and Grimes, so will get more interest next offseason as a restricted free agent.
I doubt this one happens, but it would be better if the Pistons could at least lock up one of these two players so that next offseason isn’t so dramatic.