The Detroit Pistons and Jalen Duren ended a long offseason of tension with an agreed upon contract extension days before the preseason opener. However, Duren believes the NBA media is to blame for all this after stories showed the two at odds. Detroit wanted to pay Duren lower than his desired contract amount after his All-Star and All-NBA season. The offer eventually improved, but Duren didn’t sign until weeks later.
Duren passed the blame to the media when he spoke for the first time since the agreeing to the extension:
“I am a Detroit Piston. I want to be a Detroit Piston for life. I want to give everything I’ve got to the Pistons and the fans. Nothing came from me,” Duren said. “Everything that was being heard was speculation. That’s part of the media’s job. I don’t fault anybody for that. I do know that a lot of the things were false and people believe things without it coming from the sources mouth.”
The claims of Duren are that the reports of him being unhappy this summer are untrue and that the media ran with inaccurate stories. However, things did get ugly to see Duren being the only noteworthy free agent still on the market in October. Cade Cunningham’s need for reliable co-stars ultimately convinced the Pistons to pay Duren $200 million.
Why Jalen Duren Is Likely Lying
Detroit and Duren were extremely far apart at the start of the offseason to show real issues in play. Duren’s postseason struggles against the Orlando Magic and Cleveland Cavaliers exposed flaws that weren’t as prominent during the regular season.
The Pistons seemingly questioned whether Duren was worth the money he desired and if they could contend for an NBA Championship with him as a top player. Valid reasons existed for these things, but Detroit extending Ausar Thompson added another variable.
Reports leaked that Duren felt disrespected seeing the offense limited Ausar and Amen Thompson get contract extensions. The long wait and constant reports added too much smoke to the fire of this story. Duren even turned down the $200 million offer at first before a conversation with ownership changed his mind by giving him more confidence.
Why Jalen Duren Felt Disrespected By Pistons
Duren believed that he should have been extended for his contributions for a shockingly great season as the top seed. No one expected Detroit to thrive with lackluster starters like Duncan Robinson and Tobias Harris in the lineup.
One of the main reasons for the disrespect was the Pistons wanting to add a “weight clause” to Duren’s contract. Duren is in great shape and clearly didn’t want to take part in such an insulting stipulation in the contract.
Detroit eventually backed off and removed the clause after Duren was tempted to go into the season without a new contract. Duren reportedly was going to take the qualifying offer and leave the team in free agency next summer. The Sacramento Kings became a viable option for Duren in 2027, but he decided to stay with the Pistons once they gave him what he wanted.
Jalen Duren Blames Unexpected Party For Pistons Drama