The Detroit Pistons have raised their offer to Jalen Duren to five years and $200 million. Their All-Star center remains unsigned, and his attendance at next week’s media day is in question.
ESPN’s Shams Charania reported Monday on “NBA Today” that the sides have resumed communication after weeks of little movement.
“Right now, the Pistons and Jalen Duren are at an impasse, and it’s highly up in the air and questionable as to whether he will be reporting and showing up for media day in just seven days,” Charania said.
Detroit’s latest proposal is an increase from the five-year offers in the $180 million to $190 million range that Charania said the Pistons made earlier this offseason. Those proposals included weight-related incentives, he said.
The new figure averages $40 million a year. It has not resolved a dispute that Charania said began last summer, when Detroit offered Duren an extension worth roughly $20 million annually on a take-it-or-leave-it basis.
According to Charania, people close to Duren say he viewed that offer as a question of respect. The Pistons treated it as a business decision. A year later, more money has brought the sides back to the table, but has yet to close the gap.
Jalen Duren Has Kept His Distance From the Pistons
The strain has already been visible away from the negotiating table. Sam Amick and Hunter Patterson of The Athletic reported that Duren did not attend the team minicamp Cade Cunningham organized in San Diego during the week of Aug. 23. He also missed a Labor Day gathering at team owner Tom Gores’ home, according to the report.
Those absences don’t indicate what Duren will do when official team activities begin. They do show that he has kept his distance from the group while negotiations remain unsettled.
The next question is whether he reports for the Pistons’ Sept. 28 media day. Charania said Monday that Duren’s attendance is “highly up in the air.”
Duren faces an Oct. 1 deadline to accept his qualifying offer. Signing that one-year deal would put him on a path to unrestricted free agency next summer. He could also agree to a long-term contract with Detroit before the deadline.
Detroit’s Offer Improved, but No Deal Is Done
Detroit has good reason to keep negotiating. Duren averaged 19.5 points and 10.5 rebounds last season and earned his first All-Star selection. His partnership with Cunningham has become central to the Pistons’ rise.
The franchise made another major commitment last week, agreeing to a five-year, $155 million extension with Ausar Thompson. Thompson’s new salary begins in 2027-28. His agreement does not determine Duren’s price, but it has put Detroit’s unresolved negotiation with its other young cornerstone under a brighter light.
Charania did not specify whether the reported $200 million offer is fully guaranteed or whether the revised proposal contains incentives. Those details matter in assessing how far the Pistons have moved beyond their earlier offers.
What is clear is that Detroit has increased its bid and reopened talks. Duren has already missed an offseason minicamp, and media day is a week away. The Pistons have made progress on the number. They have yet to secure their starting center’s return.
Pistons Make $200 Million Jalen Duren Offer Amid Growing Concern