The biggest roster questions the Detroit Pistons have revolve around possible extensions for Jaden Ivey and Jalen Duren and we won’t have to wait too much longer for answers.
The fate of 3 Pistons will be decided by the end of October
The Pistons have until October 20th to extend Ivey and/or Duren and both sides have reasons to be patient.
The Pistons want to see more from Ivey to see if his improvements from last season were real and how they translate to a lineup with Ausar Thompson, as the two didn’t share the court much last season.
Ivey may want to wait to secure more money, as a breakout season would certainly raise his value as a restricted free agent.
Duren is in a similar situation, though the Pistons seem more likely to get a deal finished considering they’ve seen him play more and know what he brings to the table. Duren is a top-15 center in the league already and should continue to improve on both ends, so signing him now would be a calculated risk worth taking if the price is right.
Of lesser importance is the team option on Marcus Sasser, which also has to be exercised by the end of October. It’s hard to see how the Pistons could pick it up at this point, as it would be a big boost in salary for a guy who has yet to carve out a regular role for himself.
That could change this season, and the Pistons may end up retaining Sasser, but he’d need to be a bigger part of the rotation or we may see him shipped to a team that has a larger role for him.
These three contracts are representative of several things for the Pistons: The first is that they have flexibility and are under no pressure to sign contracts they are not comfortable with. The second is that they are a team still in evaluation mode and doesn’t want to make hasty decisions that they will regret down the road.
Second contracts are the trickiest to navigate, as players are still young, relatively unproven but still want a big raise. The new CBA is changing the way teams do business and the Iveys and Durens of the world are going to have prove more before they are just automatically handed max or near-max deals.
The Pistons are in a good position with both players, as they have leverage and flexibility, but the clock is ticking on getting extensions done this summer and avoiding the drama of restricted free agency that has plagued teams like the Bulls and Warriors this summer.