The Detroit Pistons hoped to build a sustainable winner and eventual title contender around Cade Cunningham, Ausar Thompson and Jalen Duren, but so far, things have not gone to plan.
With mere hours remaining for Duren to accept Pistons' $200 million contract or the qualifying offer, its not hyperbole to say that tomorrow could be a turning point for the Pistons franchise.
Jalen Duren's decision could change everything for the Pistons
At yesterday's media day, Trajan Langdon made it clear that Jalen Duren would be a member of the Detroit Pistons next season, as his only options are to take the $200 million or the qualifying offer.
That's not exactly true, as Duren could do neither, continue to hold out and drag this out until the regular season if he really wants to. It won't change anything for him, as he'll be a restricted free agent until he signs a deal.
If Duren finally caves and takes the money, the Pistons will have their trio in place for the foreseeable future, so this still has a chance to have a happy ending.
If Duren takes the qualifying offer, it's a disaster for the Pistons, who would then be unable to trade him without his approval and would have a hard time doing so anyway, as he'd only be making $9.6 million next season, so they'd be limited in how much salary they could take back.
This sets up a situation where the Pistons enter the season with a very unhappy player who has one foot out the door, which is far from ideal, especially when there would be real challenges to trading him. They'd likely lose him for nothing and could throw away a season of Cade Cunningham's prime in the process.
Duren dragging this out beyond tomorrow could make things even worse, as this ordeal could still be hanging over them when the season starts, with Duren having missed all of training camp and time to gel with his new teammates.
The final option would be a quick sign-and-trade, but we had better hope the Pistons have a Plan B ready to go, otherwise they won't have much time to work with. Also, teams dealing from a position of desperation don't generally win the trade.
There are still a lot of moving pieces and possibilities here, but none of them are great for the Pistons, and whatever decision Duren makes will have a ripple effect on the future of the franchise.
Overpaying an angry player just to avoid losing him for nothing is not a great way to do business and the Pistons can see the brief hope a 60-win season gave us evaporate in an instant.
Whatever happens tomorrow, it will be a big day for the Pistons.
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