Despite an offseason filled with negotiation, Jalen Duren still hasn’t signed a contract with the Detroit Pistons
As training camp kicks off this week for the Detroit Pistons, the Motown squad is walking through the building without their 22-year old All-Star center. All throughout the offseason, Jalen Duren’s team has worked to reach an agreement with the Pistons to find a resolution for his restricted free agency, but the big man is still unsigned even though the team is preparing for his return.
On Sunday, Detroit waived Gary Harris after acquiring the veteran guard through a trade during the summer. By doing so, the Pistons dropped from 15 contracts to 14, which clears the necessary space for Duren’s return whenever he signs on the dotted line.
“We have not come to an agreement with Jalen Duren at this point,” Pistons President of Basketball Operations Trajan Langdon said. “He has until Thursday to make a decision, and we will be excited to have him in regardless of what decision he does make.”
As Langdon alluded to, Oct. 1 is the deadline for RFAs to accept their qualifying offer. Since Duren’s team hasn’t received the money they were looking for so far, there is a chance that JD accepts that $9.6 million salary for the 2026-27 campaign with unrestricted free agency waiting next summer, though that would carry a massive inherent risk. Still, the Pistons are doing what they can to complete the final piece of their squad in what is shaping up to be a very competitive Eastern Conference this year.
Though the Pistons were hoping to have this major offseason agenda item buttoned up by now, Langdon has particular experience in atypical contract negotiations. While in New Orleans with the Pelicans, Langdon was the architect for one of the most stringent deals in modern times with significant weight requirements and games played clauses for Zion Williams to meet. As one would imagine, that was not exactly a straightforward negotiating process, but it is still a little different than Duren’s predicament in Detroit.
”It’s the first time I’ve had to handle it here,” Langdon said. “I was in New Orleans for five years with a certain player that wasn’t easy to deal with, so I do have experience in that. And so, look, I think in these times, we can control what we can control and that’s how we operate. There are certain things that happen around, not just with this situation but a lot of different situations, that are under our control and under my control, and we stick to what we feel is the things that we can do and the things that we can do best.”
Right now, Duren has a five-year, $200 million deal on the table from the Pistons, but the big man is still angling for a bit more after averaging 19.5 points and 10.5 rebounds per game last season while making the All-NBA Third Team. On paper, Duren has as many, if not more, accomplishments than several other players who have signed for similar money during the offseason, so the Memphis product does have a leg to stand on, but it’s reaching a boiling point with training camp underway in the Motor City.
Right now, Paul Reed would serve as the Pistons first-string center with Duren out of the building. Behind B-Ball Paul Tolu Smith would likely have an edge over rookie Ugonna Onyenso, though there could be a battle for that spot in due time.
