Pistons and Jalen Duren at Impasse: Bucks and Kings Emerge as Trade Suitors
The Detroit Pistons and center Jalen Duren remain locked in a contract stalemate, with the organization offering a five-year, $200 million deal while the player wants out of Detroit. ESPN’s Shams Charania reports that communication has picked up between the sides, but it remains questionable whether Duren will report for media day in just seven days.
Throughout the offseason, the Pistons’ offers to Duren ranged between $180 million and $190 million over five years, which included incentives like weight clauses. Duren and his camp have denied the latest $200 million offer. Another layer was added to the negotiations when Detroit signed Ausar Thompson to a five-year, $155 million deal that will pay him an average annual value of $31 million, as noted by The Athletic’s Sam Amick.
Trade Suitors and Sign-and-Request Demands
According to Brett Siegel, Duren has been asking the Detroit Pistons to explore sign-and-trade routes since June, but the organization has repeatedly said no because they want to bring him back and secure him on a long-term deal. Despite the Pistons’ reluctance to trade him, two confirmed teams would ultimately go for him in a sign-and-trade: the Sacramento Kings and the Milwaukee Bucks.
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Rejected Offers and Ongoing Impasse
Detroit has already turned down at least one trade offer. The Kings previously had a trade on the table willing to offer Domantas Sabonis to the Pistons, but Detroit declined because they do not want to move on from Duren through a trade.
“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 7 days…over the course of this offseason, his offer from the Pistons has been around the $180 to $190M over 5 years range,” Charania stated.