The Detroit Pistons have made it clear that they are not interested in a sign-and-trade involving Jalen Duren, and recent reports suggest that they have “nixed” the idea completely.
That was the word on a recent episode of Brian Windhorst & the Hoop Collective, which reiterated previous reporting that the Pistons weren’t entertaining trades for their 22-year-old All-NBA center.
Windhorst did add that a “number of teams” would potentially have interest in Duren if he were to be made available, but when you start looking around the league at the possible options, it’s clear why the Pistons aren’t interested, as none of them are particularly appealing.
The Kings, Nets and who else?
There aren’t any teams with the cap space to sign Duren outright, so it would take a sign-and-trade, meaning the Pistons would want significant return to send Duren out.
The Lakers were an early threat, but found they could get Walker Kessler for cheaper, so you can cross them off the list.
The only team that has shown real interest is the Kings, who are looking to foist Domantas Sabonis on the Pistons, a deal that was discussed, though Detroit rightfully showed no interest in a center who doesn’t play defense and is an iffy fit with their superstar.
I’m sure the Kings would love to complete this deal and would probably even be stupid enough to give Duren the max contract he seeks, but they’ve been trying unsuccessfully to trade Sabonis for years, practically offering to give him away to anyone who would take him, so why in the world would the Pistons give up a real asset for a guy who the stinking Kings don’t even want? Hard pass.
The Nets are in need of a center, and Duren might be a nice addition to all of their young players. They also have guys like Julius Randle and Michael Porter Jr. to trade to Detroit in return, but as usual, there is a catch.
Randle is another guy who is not a good fit with Cade, and MPJ is a somewhat controversial figure (that’s a euphemism), who comes with a big expiring contract and will be looking for an extension the Pistons won't want to give him. He’s a better fit on the court, but either guy would leave the Pistons with a massive problem.
They’d be down to just Paul Reed and Tolu Smith at center, and no Plan B for how to acquire one this late in the offseason.
The Milwaukee Bucks are another team that could be looking for a young splash to add to their post-Giannis rebuild, and the idea of a swap for Myles Turner has been floated. If the Bucks were willing to attach Ryan Rollins, we have an interesting idea, but otherwise, you are just trading for an older center who wasn’t that great last year even though he can still spread the floor.
There’s not a slam dunk option for the Pistons unless one emerges from nowhere, so it makes sense that they have no motivation to trade Duren or any interest in doing so, as it would just create more problems and not necessarily make the team better.
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