Jalen Duren’s playoff struggles didn’t just cost him money in his current contract negotiations, but may have changed how teams around the league, including the Detroit Pistons, now view him.
Coming out of the regular season, it looked as if Duren was poised for a huge raise. He doubled his scoring, made the leap the Pistons wanted to see and made his first appearance on the All-NBA team, though that was a bit of a fluke.
And if Duren had performed well in the playoffs, we wouldn’t be here, as he did everything the Pistons asked, but then floundered when it mattered most. Detroit now values playoff chops above all else, which accounts for the gap between their offer and Duren’s desires.
This isn’t just about money, as Duren’s reputation has taken a hit this offseason, and not just because of his playoff collapse.
How is Jalen Duren viewed around the league?
The Pistons have made their feelings about Duren clear, as they want to keep him, but don’t want to pay above a certain amount, which seems fair.
But we also just spent the entire summer talking about Duren’s weaknesses and why he’s not worth $40 million a year. It wasn’t great PR for the young center, who had to listen to pundit after pundit talk about why he’s not as good as some of his peers.
This won’t matter to some NBA teams, but to those less familiar with Duren’s game, it wasn’t great publicity.
His playoff struggles also led to this lengthy holdout, which is not something teams want to see. By all accounts, Duren is a good natured and hardworking player who doesn’t cause any problems, but that reputation can easily flip if teams see him as a difficult Primadonna who doesn’t live in reality.
If I’m Duren’s agent, the last thing I want is for the entire conversation around this offseason to be about how Duren is getting overpaid and is a pain in the butt who should have just taken the money.
These aren’t the type of rumblings that lead to a max contract, as teams consider character as much as skill when they get into those kinds of numbers, as a contract like the one Duren wants will have a huge effect on team building.
If Duren’s plan is to actually take the qualifying offer and enter unrestricted free agency next summer, he hasn’t done himself any favors with the way he’s handled this.
Instead of talking about his great season, we’ve all talked negatively about the playoffs. Instead of talking about what a great teammate he is, people have questioned his commitment.
Whether Duren gets his deal or not, he’s done harm to his reputation (and should fire his agent yesterday), which could ultimately damage him more than taking a fair market deal for his services.
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