Jalen Duren and the Pistons should be ready for a potentially drawn-out contract dispute this summer, but another restricted free agent’s signing could be a bad sign for Duren. Tari Eason agreed to a new deal with the Rockets for 5 years and $81.5 million, which sounds lucrative on the surface until you remember the Rockets reportedly offered him north of $100 million last summer.
The deal ended up tilting in favor of the Rockets after Eason rejected a more lucrative offer last year due to the contract's non-guarantees. Duren has real reason to worry about his next contract with the Pistons too, not only because his free agent market has dried up but also because he shares Eason's agent Chafie Fields. If Fields overplayed his hand with Duren just as he did with Eason, the Pistons could come out the other end signing him on a relative bargain.
Duren is at risk of losing out on serious money
After his breakout performance last season, Duren should be clear of making a blunder to the same extend as Eason. Last summer, he couldn't come to terms with the Pistons after Detroit denied him a contract extension for $30 million per season. With his first All-Star and All-NBA selection locked up, Duren has certainly earned more than that now.
However, it's all but guaranteed that Duren will not receive the supermax contract that he qualified for last season. That contract would extend all the way to 5 years and $287 million but Duren thoroughly played his way out of it during the playoffs. After his disappointing performances during two consecutive seven-games series, the Pistons would rather prioritize cap space to add another impact-maker than giving Duren the max.
The more poignant miscalculation from Duren and his camp could be how they approached this offseason. Reports have come out that they were underwhelmed by the Pistons' initial offers and also that Detroit wanted to re-sign him in the range of $30-35 million per season. Duren rejected that and sought to find a more lucrative deal, but all the other options have dried up.
The Pistons could get Duren on a bargain
Now that most other potential suitors have bowed out of the cap space required to extend Duren a max offer, the Pistons have even more leverage. If they wanted to, they might even be able to bring him back on an even smaller deal than their initial offer. Even if they don't push the envelope quite that far, the Pistons will still walk away victorious from these negotiations.
Eason might have just been the first restricted-agent domino to fall this summer, but Duren will likely be the biggest. If the Pistons follow the Rockets' lead, Duren could be in for a lot of regret before next season.
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