The Detroit Pistons and Jalen Duren remain locked in a standoff that could linger on much longer than anyone wants it to.
According to Ramona Shelburne of ESPN, the Duren situation could linger deep into August, as the two sides are still far apart.
The Pistons' offseason has already been held in limbo long enough by this nonsense, especially when both sides ultimately know how this is going to turn out. The question is whether this is all about ego, or if there is any logical reason to push this until the end of next month.
Jalen Duren has no options
If Jalen Duren can find a team to pay him the max money he and his agent think he deserves, great.
If they can find a sign-and-trade offer that the Pistons won't laugh at, great.
If Jalen Duren wants to lose a ton of money and play for the qualifying offer next season, great.
The problem is that none of those things are going to happen, as there are no suitors for Duren, the Pistons can match any deal anyway, and it's highly unlikely Duren's agent returns with a sign-and-trade deal Detroit would be interested in.
Duren can go the nuclear route and sign the QO, but then he'd be playing for the same salary as Kevin Huerter next season, leaving upwards of $20 million on the table. Is he really going to do that?
All of this adds up to a lack of options for Duren, who has zero leverage in these negotiations, especially after the way he performed in the playoffs.
There is really no logical reason to hold out, as the Pistons aren't going to cave, so I am not sure what this is about at this point other than ego and just not wanting to be the first to give in.
The Pistons are out of options too
The last thing Detroit wants is for Duren to take the QO, as they would then lose all team control over his future.
They also don't want their starting center to have a big chip on his shoulder going into next season, so while I don't think the Pistons should give into Duren's demands, there has to be some room to negotiate here.
Could they add incentives that could boost his overall take? Could the Pistons shorten the deal and offer more annual money? Could they pay him under the table in a fake job pretending to plant trees? (Kidding).
It just seems a bit pointless to continue to drag this out when both sides want to get a deal done. There has to be a number that would satisfy everyone involved. It's time to find it and get this thing done, mostly so I can stop talking about it and the Pistons can get on with their offseason.
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