The Detroit Pistons might need to get creative to produce a long-term solution for Jalen Duren
With only one week remaining for restricted free agent Jalen Duren to accept his qualifying offer, this is indisputably crunch time between the 22-year old All-Star and the Detroit Pistons after an offseason of unproductive negotiations.
At the moment, Pistons President of Basketball Operations Trajan Langdon is believed to have offered Duren a five-year, $200 million deal to stay in the Motor City, but the big man is looking to extract as much money as possible from the franchise after his career year. Now, if this were a straight-forward negotiation that centered strictly around money, then this deal would be easier to complete on both sides, though there is reason to believe that the Pistons have a desired weight clause for Duren to keep in mind.
Given the multi-faceted layers of this contract negotiation, perhaps the Pistons should consider a few alternative ways to reach an agreement with Duren. After his 19.5 point, 10.5 rebound per game performance last year, JD wants to be paid like an elite NBA center, but the Pistons are hesitant to do so because of all the trouble he ran into during the playoffs. So, potentially there is a deal to be made that hinges on postseason escalators.
In order to make an RFA deal more enticing, teams can add bonuses or escalators into contracts that are reliant on the player (or team success) exceeding previous accomplishments. The thought process is that the bonuses or escalators need to be considered difficult to achieve, and they will count against the cap if the thresholds are met.
Since Duren’s scoring dropped by 50% against the Orlando Magic and Cleveland Cavaliers in the playoffs, perhaps the Pistons should angle for a deal that hinges on his ability to produce in the postseason. Detroit made it to the Eastern Conference Semifinals a year ago, so any team-success barometer would have to stretch into the conference finals or even the NBA Finals, but a personal production clause is easier to define.
If Duren’s All-Star production from the regular season carried over into the playoffs, then there’s a legitimate case to be made that the Pistons would have battled it out with the New York Knicks in the Eastern Conference Finals. So, that seems like a pertinent landmark to hit when it comes to playoff escalators for Duren.
And if the big man comes through in the postseason, then he’ll cash in on the type of payday that he’s seeking. But if Duren disappears when the lights are brightest again, then the Pistons could feel secure in the fact that they didn’t overpay during restricted free agency in this circumstance.
Another option is for the Pistons to offer Duren a deal with a player option after year three or four. If the All-NBA Third Teamer wants to find his way out of Motown while still collecting a healthy salary, then an option-filled deal could be suitable for both parties. Either way, Oct. 1 is the deadline for Duren and the qualifying offer, but there are expected to be even more developments before that day arrives.
