‘Could Take Deep Into August’ — NBA Insiders Drop Troubling Update on Jalen Duren’s Restricted Free-Agency Standoff With Pistons
· Yahoo Sports
Three weeks into NBA free agency, Detroit Pistons center Jalen Duren has yet to sign a new deal.
The situation doesn’t appear to be improving anytime soon, either, as league insiders Ramona Shelburne and Jake Fischer have revealed troubling details about the restricted free agent’s contract standoff with the Pistons.
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NBA Insiders’ Latest Jalen Duren Intel Fuels Pessimism
Speaking on Tuesday’s edition of “NBA Today,” Shelburne offered a discouraging timeline for Duren and the Pistons to potentially reach an agreement.
“I just talked to someone who said that negotiations on Jalen Duren are at a standstill right now, could take deep into August, could take quite a while,” Shelburne said.
“I think that’s because the teams that tried to get Jalen Duren, the [Los Angeles] Lakers were one of the teams that pursued him, they just had a sense that Detroit was going to match anything that was offered to him.
“So, they can’t afford to lose him, and yet, it’s going to take a long time because they can’t agree on what his value is and how you use that value in building the team.”
Additionally, Fischer reported that there “is a threat out there that Duren would be willing to potentially take the qualifying offer depending on how this all gets wrapped up.”
In that scenario, the 22-year-old would return to Detroit for one more season but would become an unrestricted free agent in the summer of 2027.
Earlier this offseason, the Sacramento Kings met with Duren to discuss a potential sign-and-trade. The Kings reportedly offered Domantas Sabonis, but the Pistons turned it down.
Teams with cap space at the time included the Brooklyn Nets, Chicago Bulls, and, as Shelburne mentioned, the Lakers. Unfortunately for Duren, each of those three organizations spent their money elsewhere, leaving him without any true suitors.
At this stage of free agency, signing the qualifying offer may be the optimal path for Duren. Despite making the All-NBA Third Team this past season, his performance took a turn for the worse come playoff time.
The All-Star big man averaged 19.5 points and 10.5 rebounds on 65.0% shooting from the field and 74.7% shooting from the free-throw line during the 2025-26 regular season. His production then dropped to 10.2 points and 8.5 rebounds a night on 51.4% shooting from the field and 67.4% shooting from the charity stripe in the 2026 postseason.
In all likelihood, Duren played himself out of a near-max contract with Detroit. However, if he enters the 2026-27 campaign on the qualifying offer, he would have the opportunity to rebuild his value and again seek a deal in the 40-plus million range next summer.