It's hard to make sense of Jalen Duren's ongoing standoff with the Pistons, considering how much money he's already been offered, but one throwaway detail might explain everything. The Pistons reportedly wanted to add a weight clause into Duren's next contract, similar to what the Pelicans have with Zion Williamson. Understandably, this could have made Duren feel disrespected and added resentment to the negotiations.
The Pistons might have gone too far
There's some logic to giving Duren a weight clause; he did look slow and flat-footed at times in the playoffs, which led to a huge dropoff. But that stipulation is far less necessary for Duren than it was Williamson. At the point that Williamson signed his extension, he had played just 85 total games in his first three seasons due to injuries that may have stemmed from his high bodyweight.
Of course, the weight clause comes with a lot of negative connotations about a player's physique and self-control. For someone like Duren, who's always had an impressive physique during his NBA years, this could be seen as a slap in the face. Even if he looked slow during the playoffs, this probably wasn't the right way to address his shortcomings.
Now, the Pistons are at risk of an asset mismanagement disaster if they lose Duren for little or nothing. Detroit is still operating as if he's a core pillar of the team going forward, but they might have already alienated him. Even beyond simply the monetary value of Duren's next contract, the Pistons will also need to repair their interpersonal relationship with him if he's feeling blindsided by requests such as a weight clause.
Detroit needed to recognize the difference between Duren and Williamson
It's worth noting that Trajan Langdon, who is now head of basketball operations for the Pistons, was also general manager for the Pelicans when Zion signed his extension. That deal involved a number of non-guarantee clauses based on Zion's weight and performance. But Duren's case is quite different, since he hasn't been held back by injuries in the same way.
If Langdon approached Duren with the same tactics he once used on Williamson, he might have only made this whole debacle worse. The weight clause might be the most obvious example where the two contracts should have differed, but there might be more as well. Duren clearly values guaranteed money and his hesitation to re-sign could also stem from non-guarantees that the Pistons are proposing.
Hopefully, the bridge hasn't fully burned yet and the Pistons can still bring Duren back on a reasonable deal. If they can't get him to re-sign, they'll have a whole other set of problems and need to rethink their strategy when it comes to negotiations.
Add us as a preferred source on Google