The Detroit Pistons are stuck in a summer stalemate with All-NBA big man Jalen Duren. According to The Athletic, both sides have hit an impasse over Duren’s next contract.
“With the bulk of the NBA offseason in the rearview, Jalen Duren remains the only All-NBA selection from last season not currently under contract,” The Athletic wrote. “Discussions between Duren and the Detroit Pistons have yet to result in a new deal for the 22-year-old, long-term or otherwise. Last offseason, the big man and Detroit were unable to agree on a rookie-scale extension. One year, a career-best regular season and an underwhelming playoff run later, Duren and the Pistons are still at odds on his worth.”
Duren is the only major name still dangling in free agency as we approach September, the month before media day and the start of training camp. With no deal for Duren in sight, who will blink first, and what options could the Pistons have if they feel they are left with no choice but to move their young superstar center?
How the Celtics Could Step in, and What the Pistons Could Get Back
GettyNEW YORK, NEW YORK – APRIL 19: Jalen Duren #0 of the Detroit Pistons in action in Game One of the Eastern Conference First Round NBA Playoffs against the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden on April 19, 2025 in New York City. (Photo by Sarah Stier/Getty Images)
The last thing any team wants is to lose an All-NBA player who has yet to come close to reaching his apex. Duren’s best days are still ahead of him, and the Pistons know that. All offseason, the Pistons have reportedly made it clear they want to keep Duren’s contract in the range of $35 million to $38 million, perhaps fearing anything higher would make it extremely difficult to navigate upcoming negotiations with their other young stars.
Meanwhile, the Celtics (infamously) lost one of their superstars earlier this offseason, so they probably wouldn’t mind getting another one if the opportunity presented itself.
In a hypothetical trade, the Celtics get the opportunity. The Pistons move Duren to Boston in a unique framework that makes both teams more interesting. Here are the details of the proposed trade.
Pistons receive: Derrick White, Sam Hauser and first round picks in 2027 and 2031
Celtics receive: Jalen Duren (via sign-and-trade; four-year, $180,7 million contract)
Why Both Teams Do the Trade
Perhaps seeing no other option, the Pistons move Duren and pick up a pair of first round picks and two players who would help them keep pace in the Eastern Conference, which has seen plenty of star movement this summer.
White, 32, would give the Pistons a scorer and elite defender on the wing; at least Detroit would have a substantial upgrade over Tobias Harris, who left the team as a free agent. Hauser is a wing sharpshooter and would join forces with Duncan Robinson and the newly-acquired Isaiah Joe to give Detroit one of the league’s best collections of wing 3-point marksmen.
Meanwhile, the Celtics would win back many fans’ hearts after trading Jaylen Brown to the rival Philadelphia 76ers. Duren isn’t the perennial All-Star and All-NBA performer Brown is, but he is only just coming into his own at 22. Duren achieved his first All-Star and All-NBA nods last season as he helped lead the Pistons to a conference-best 60 wins.
Boston addressed a key weakness this offseason by acquiring Mitchell Robinson from the champion New York Knicks. Landing Duren would move Robinson to back up center, where he was elite for the Knicks as they marched to the title last season, while Duren would take over as the starter and give the Celtics a new star trio around Jayson Tatum.
Pistons’ Jalen Duren Proposed to Join Celtics in Blockbuster 2-Team NBA Trade