Without Jalen Duren at training camp, Detroit Pistons head coach J.B. Bickerstaff shared his perspective on the big man’s absence
With time running out on Jalen Duren’s opportunity to take the Qualifying Offer, the Detroit Pistons are carrying about their business as normal in the early stages of training camp.
If Duren is not in the building, then Paul Reed will flex to the first-string center position for on-court drills, but that should change when the 22-year old All-Star reports to camp. If Duren is doing so on his QO, then he’ll make just $9.6 million next season before reaching unrestricted free agency next summer, but he would stand to make generational wealth if he takes the Pistons’ long-term offer that’s currently on the table.
But instead of making irrational public comments to place even more strain on JD’s relationship with the team, Pistons head coach J.B. Bickerstaff is taking a calmer, more measured approach with confidence that his big man will return in short order.
”We’ve got plenty of time before opening night,” Bickerstaff said after practice. “I think we’ll do what’s right by him always, obviously. If there’s time that’s needed for a ramp-up, we’ll give him that time for a ramp-up. Again, we’ll see what he looks like when he gets here, but knowing JD, he was working his tail off no matter where he is so that when he gets here he’s prepared for what we need him to do.”
Last year, Duren posted nearly 20 points and 11 rebounds on a nightly basis, which earned the Memphis product an All-NBA Third Team selection. As a result, Duren was eligible for a massive max-level deal up to $287 million this offseason, but the Pistons made it clear long ago that they wouldn’t be doling out that kind of cash after his playoff pitfalls.
If there’s no news on Duren’s situation in the next two hours and midnight arrives without the big man taking his QO, he’d lose a significant piece of his leverage in the negotiating process. The QO was essentially Duren’s last resort, though he could technically hold out into the regular season to further force Detroit’s hand. In that scenario, Duren would let the Pistons see what the team looks like without his impact, which could incentivize the front office to revise their offer in hopes of reaching an agreement.
That option should be considered the nuclear button, one that Duren most likely does not want to press. After four years in the Motor City, JD has developed alongside one of the game’s elite point guards in Cade Cunningham, and he’s been embraced in the community up until this tenuous offseason contract negotiation. However, there’s an old adage that details how winning heals all wounds, so a productive return from Duren (whenever that happens) would be his best route back into the fans’ good graces.
But regardless of any off-court pressure, the Pistons need Duren in the building to prepare for the upcoming season. Bickerstaff seems confident that a deal will be reached soon, which would finally allow the Pistons to close the door on an event-filled offseason.
