For all the great marginal moves the Pistons have already made this offseason, their biggest priority is still figuring out Jalen Duren's next contract. Detroit reportedly wants to bring Duren back, but is in disagreement with their All-Star center over the exact dollar amount. Negotiations have already been in place and can ratchet up to another level once free agency kicks off June 30th.
The Pistons need to get a good deal on Duren
Coming off his first All-Star and All-NBA selection, Duren could be seeking close to his maximum possible contract - or close to $40 million annually for the next 5 seasons. However, the Pistons will be looking for a more manageable number in the ballpark of $35 million per season. With that additional financial flexibility, the Pistons can continue making moves to upgrade their roster elsewhere.
Even if they manage to re-sign Duren on a slight discount, the Pistons will still have obvious holes to address. Unless Duren can show the improvements needed to fix the Pistons' lack of secondary creation and shooting, he isn't worth a full max for Detroit right now. And based on last season, the Pistons can't even trust those improvements until the playoffs roll around.
Duren's playoff regression is definitely the biggest factor causing the Pistons to hesitate on his contract extension. If he had played anything close to his regular season level, this would be a no-brainer for Detroit. But he had a historic dropoff instead and was often outplayed by Paul Reed.
For a team heading into its first season with deep playoff expectations in a long time, postseason success is the only thing that matters. Duren's regular-season production wasn't worthless but it's far overshadowed by his playoff disappointment. And for that dropoff, Duren will need to give some money back on his next contract.
Duren could seek other avenues for more money
If the Pistons hold firm in their stance of limiting Duren's contract extension, he might resort to desperate measures of maximizing his earnings. This includes exploring sign-and-trade opportunities with other teams, which has reportedly already happened. Few, if any, other teams have the cap space to sign Duren on a max contract directly but they can make room by trading some money back to the Pistons.
This wouldn't be ideal for the Pistons, since they have found success with Duren and he has great chemistry with Cade Cunningham. Hopefully both sides are able to resolve their contract dispute in an amicable way that still leaves the Pistons with good financial flexibility. If push comes to shove, there's no telling how long this saga could drag out or what the Pistons could end up with at the center position.
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