Entering free agency, there was plenty of buzz surrounding the idea that the Detroit Pistons could be set to lose restricted free agent Jalen Duren.
The gap in contract negotiations sent Duren and his camp into free agency, looking to not only prove Detroit wrong about his market value but find a team that would ink him to the massive payday he's searching for, even if it meant landing on a rebuilding team like the Sacramento Kings.
Between Sacramento's interest, the Los Angeles Lakers' flirting with an all-out pursuit for the 22-year-old star, and Duren's intrigue with landing on the Boston Celtics, it felt like the Pistons didn't have the leverage they were hoping for, even with Detroit signaling they'd match any offer sheet.
However, the Lakers have landed Walker Kessler, the Celtics have signed Mitchell Robinson and offloaded Jaylen Brown, and the Kings aren't even a real consideration without Detroit willing to facilitate a sign-and-trade.
The silence from Duren's camp over the last couple of days is deafening, and it signals that the leverage is back in the Pistons' court.
Pistons are Jalen Duren's best option
Detroit may not have offered Duren the supermax extension he was searching for, but several reports have suggested the Pistons did offer a deal they felt was enough for the former first-round pick to return to the Motor City.
With the Lakers now out of the picture, the Celtics' future in serious question, and no other team with cap space available to make a run, the Pistons are Duren's best option to not only get paid but also contend.
Duren has a great relationship with superstar guard Cade Cunningham, and while it's clear that his priorities were landing a bag this summer, there's no reason why he can't get the best of both worlds by receiving a notable raise and returning to the place he's called home since 2022.
The Pistons lost Tobias Harris in free agency, they moved on from Isaiah Stewart, and the futures of Caris LeVert and Duncan Robinson are still very much in question.
Detroit can't let another key piece of their top-seeded roster exit this offseason, even if there's a massive gripe about how Duren played during the playoffs.
Fresh off an All-Star season that landed him an All-NBA nod, the Pistons want to retain him, and with his options disappearing fast, Duren should be more open to a return now.
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