The Detroit Pistons have spent all offseason working on a contract for JAlen Duren, but the two sides still haven’t reached an agreement after more than three months
Over the next several weeks, the Detroit Pistons will finally have a bit of clarity regarding Jalen Duren’s restricted free agent status. After a long offseason of deliberation, the 22-year old All-Star is about to reach a crucial juncture where he needs to decide whether to sign his qualifying offer from the Pistons or not with a deadline of Sept. 30 looming.
If Duren does not accept his qualifying offer, then the big man is most likely close to a long-term extension with Detroit and would be expected to sign such a deal before the start of the 2026-27 regular season. Sept. 30 is acting essentially as Duren’s last real leverage point in this process— either he can sign a one-year deal worth just under $10 million for the upcoming year with unrestricted free agency waiting on the other side or he can accept the terms that Detroit has offered.
Since JD made the All-NBA Third Team last season, he’s eligible to receive a max contract, but it has become crystal clear that the Pistons do not intend to offer such a deal. Instead, Duren and Detroit are operating more in the $35-37 million per season range based on the latest reports. Naturally, Duren’s camp thinks that he is worth more, so a slight rift has formed between the two sides during the offseason.
“It’s $35 million a year on a good team,” former NBA vet Raymond Felton said on To The Baha. “Yeah, you may think they don’t value you right now, but it’s not about not valuing you. It’s a negotiation. He’s getting in his feelings and it’s negotiations. This is what happens, young fella. They went from 25 and guess where they’re at now? 35.”
The clear and obvious risk for Duren would be to accept the qualifying offer and hope that he stays healthy all season long while continuing to produce at a high level before hitting the open market. That tight-rope routine has gone south for other NBA stars in the past, so Felton and his podcast co-hosts shared some of their experience in encouraging Duren to sign a long-term deal with the Pistons.
”You could be surrounded by Cade Cunningham for the next four to five years,” former North Carolina standout and NBA vet Theo Pinson chimed in. “That’s only going to make you better. You’re not going to find a better point guard in the NBA other than Luka [Doncic] or the Jalen Brunsons or Shai, but you aren’t going to those places. Sacramento doesn’t have that guy. [Acuff] is still two to three years away from being a Cade Cunningham or Tyrese Maxey or Jalen Brunson. You have Cade Cunningham right there. I hate to see bigs go away from guards who help them get their money.”
Right now, Duren is part of a young core on the Pistons that has continued to grow over the past three seasons. From a 14 win team to a playoff squad to a 60-win, top of the East unit just a couple years later, Detroit has transformed itself into a contender amid Duren’s time in the Motor City. As referenced earlier, Cunningham is an All-NBA floor general with elite playmaking ability that helped boost Duren’s production last season, so there’s an overarching sense of security in Motown given his chemistry with Cade and the amount of guaranteed money that the Pistons are offering.
Last offseason, the Chicago Bulls ran into a similar situation as Josh Giddey’s contract negotiation lasted well into September, but he was not coming off an All-Star caliber season like JD, so the situation is a little bit different despite both players sharing RFA status. If Duren can reach an agreement with the Pistons to receive top 10 center money while continuing to grow alongside Cunningham in the Motor City, then Detroit can finally progress toward a long-term extension for Ausar Thompson before the regular season kicks off on Oct. 20.
