The Detroit Pistons are midway through the offseason and they still haven’t come to an agreement with restricted free agent center Jalen Duren
When the Detroit Pistons entered the offseason, it was inevitable that change would sweep across the franchise after their elimination from the Eastern Conference Semifinals, but that feeling began to sink in on draft night.
In the first-round, the Pistons traded up to select point guard Ebuka Okorie with the No. 17 overall pick, which was an aggressive move in its own right, but the organization kept their foot on the gas pedal. During day two, Detroit agreed on a trade to send Isaiah Stewart to the Memphis Grizzlies for a series of second-rounders, which signified a distinct change in the Motor City.
“I have just so much love for the city of Detroit,” Stewart said. “They welcomed me with open arms. Coming in at 19, I instantly went to the community just naturally. There are a lot of great people that are doing a lot of great things in Detroit.”
Over the past several years, Stewart has stood as the longest-tenured Piston, and Beef Stew has become an accepted part of the Motown community, which can make his departure even more difficult. From rim protection to community outreach, Stewart had grown comfortable in Detroit and has a lot of positive memories to hang his hat on.
“Bittersweet,” Stewart said. “We had a great season. 60 wins. No. 1 in the East. And that’s how I always pictured Detroit being since I got drafted — bringing back that identity, that toughness brand to Detroit. I feel like we did that in the regular season. And the playoffs came and it didn’t go exactly how we planned or talked about.”
Last season, Stewart recovered from an injury at the end of the regular season and fought to return to the playoffs, which should make his eight-block cameo off the bench in round one against the Orlando Magic even more impressive, but Stewart saw his minutes drop and he was never able to replicate that type of impact in the postseason. For the second straight year, Beef Stew had his health derail an otherwise successful defensive campaign at a crucial point in the schedule during the playoffs.
So, the Pistons opted to move on with Paul Reed as the team’s back-up center with Stewart continuing his career in Memphis. Somehow, that deal ended up as a much smoother process than Detroit’s current situation with their other headline center, Jalen Duren. And after playing next to JD for four seasons in Detroit, Stewart shared his opinion on that restricted free agency process.
“It’s tricky, but [Duren] proved he’s worth what he’s asking for to the organization if you ask me,” Stewart said. “They act like they want him to prove it [before], and I felt he proved it. He was an All-Star, third-team All-NBA. I feel like he should get paid. He’s a huge core piece. Bring him back.”
So far, the Pistons have not made much headway with Duren, and the 22-year old is still looking for a major payday. Detroit is looking to sign JD to a long-term deal that falls well below max value, but Duren wants to cash in on the career year he had last season, so it is not a shock to see the process stretch into August.
“I hope it works out, and I hope he gets that money at the end of the day,” Stewart said.
But with Stewart out of the equation in the Motor City, the Pistons are expected to elevate Tolu Smith on the depth chart to third-string center. Detroit did draft former Virginia center Ugonna Onyenso in the second-round of the draft as well, so Smith and Onyenso will likely battle for playing time at the start of the season.
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