Jalen Duren has been arguably the most disappointing player of the entire playoffs, but at least the Pistons have gotten an accurate assessment of him before negotiating his contract extension. By showing how Duren can be neutralized, the Magic have helped the Pistons avoid overpaying Duren and ruining their salary sheet. If the Pistons had faced a weaker first-round opponent, they may not have gotten the same necessary wake-up call.
The Pistons can’t afford to overpay Duren
Cap flexibility is at an all-time premium right now and the Pistons are about to enter a financially significant summer. Duren will likely seek a large contract extension as a restricted free agent, but he’s been outplayed by his lesser-paid teammates so far in the playoffs. Detroit’s front office will prioritize postseason performances over Duren’s stellar regular season when negotiating his next deal.
The Pistons will also look to extend Ausar Thompson before he even hits free agency, and still have Cade Cunningham on a max deal. Cunningham himself hasn’t exactly played up to his contract in recent playoff games, but Duren’s disappointing output is a big reason why. Duren was meant to take on a secondary star role, and has repeatedly failed to produce as expected.
Other teams know the pain of overpaying mediocre stars all too well. Some franchises like the Kings and Bulls have been unable to find any playoff success for decades as a result of poorly negotiated contracts. Since the playoffs are the most important part of the season, the Pistons need to use them as a benchmark for contract extensions rather than regular season numbers, which can be buoyed by dominating lower-quality opponents.
Jalen Duren’s perceived value has taken a big hit
The Magic have been an awful matchup for Duren, and that will inevitably hurt his pockets this summer. The Pistons will be reluctant to give him a deal nearing the maximum amount he can make now that he’s been ineffective for an entire series. As Detroit aims to become a championship contender for good, they must make moves to maximize their playoff ceiling.
Duren needs to have counters to opposing defenses loading up against him if he wants to be a max contract player. Whether it’s multiple scoring moves or even unconventional ways of making an impact - setting screens, offensive rebounds, etc - the players who deserve the highest deals find a way to change games.
Of course the Pistons would have preferred to beat the Magic easily and advance to the next round. But if Duren is proven ineffective already against an 8th seed, he probably wasn’t ready to be the team’s secondary option for a legitimate title run. Realizing this now will actually end up being beneficial for the Pistons in the long run.
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