The Detroit Pistons’ unexpected success this season has changed the way the front office will approach the offseason.
This was meant to be an observe and evaluate season that has blossomed into a legitimate chance at a playoff spot, so Trajan Langdon will head into the summer thinking less about rebuilding and more about how to take this team from playoff hopeful to contender.
Two of the biggest decisions he has to make are on the extensions for Jaden Ivey and Jalen Duren, choices that have been complicated by Ivey’s injury and Duren’s slow start and recent surge.
I’m sure the Pistons would love to lock the two of them up to team-friendly deals but their respective agents will be looking for big numbers for two players who both improved this season.
Ivey’s leverage in contract negotiations has been hurt by his unfortunate injury, but Duren’s has been boosted by his play of late, as he has shown marked improvement on both ends.
But as recent history has shown, you can’t get locked into bad deals, especially for centers who aren’t great rim protectors or floor stretchers.
Ask the Nets, who probably regret one of their recent signings, one that isn’t going to help the Detroit Pistons next summer.
The Nic Claxton contract doesn’t help the Pistons with Jalen Duren
Trying to come up with a fair contract number for Duren isn’t easy, as it has to be more than Isaiah Stewart is getting as his backup, but can’t be approaching a max deal, as Duren just isn’t that guy even with his recent improvement.
I don’t know if Duren and his agent would agree, but to me, $20 million a year seems like a fair offer, as that’s about the minimum for an NBA starter.
The problem for Detroit is that the Nets gave Nic Claxton nearly $100 million for four seasons, a number Duren’s agent is going to use as a baseline for comparison.
Duren is better than Claxton by a fair margin, especially after the latter’s numbers have gone down this season, so it’s going to be hard for the Pistons to argue that Duren doesn’t deserve more.
Claxton's contract looked decent at the time, but doesn’t look so great now, as the Nets are locked into a guy for the next three seasons after this one who doesn’t do a whole lot more than block the occasional shot and grab rebounds.
The Pistons are paying Tim Hardaway Jr. and Malik Beasley less combined than Claxton is making this season and those two have been far more impactful. Spending wisely and finding value for money is going to be crucial in the Apron Era, so teams have to be careful about reaching for a guy based on potential.
Duren has certainly shown more of it than Claxton, and he’s also four years younger, so this isn’t an apple-to-apple comparison here, but the Pistons are going to have to ask themselves how much is too much for Duren and whether they might not be better off spreading that money around as they have this season.