At the start of September, the Detroit Pistons are still unsure about what the future holds for their relationship with their star center, Jalen Duren.
While Duren had a season so impressive that it made him supermax-eligible, the Pistons have reportedly been making offers well below the max range.
The result of that has led to an unsigned Duren roughly one month before the Pistons fire up training camp this offseason.
Projected Pistons Offer For Jalen Duren At The Moment
Tim McMahon addressed the latest on Jalen Duren on a September 1 episode of the Hoop Collective.
The NBA insider noted that the current “ballpark” offer is somewhere in that $180 million over five seasons range.
Whether Duren could eventually cave and sign something within that range is unclear, but for the time being, Duren will continue to hold out with the idea that simply signing the qualifying offer to leave in free agency next season could be an option.
Do The Pistons Have The Leverage?
Clearly, the Pistons want Duren back. If they didn’t, they would’ve been more open to sign-and-trades this summer.
If Duren hits the open market as an unrestricted player next year, he’ll certainly have a robust market, but it just wasn’t there this season. Since the Pistons don’t have the pressure to match another team’s offer, they control the market for Duren.
The 22-year-old center will have to make a decision soon. After playing 70 games last season, posting averages of 19.5 points, 10.5 rebounds, and 2.1 assists, Duren certainly deserves a wealthy long-term deal.
Unfortunately, his disappointing playoff run resulted in disappointing offers. He could enter 2026-2027 making just under $10 million. Or, he could accept the framework of one of his current offers to lock in over $100 million. Either way, an answer will come soon enough.