Jalen Duren may ultimately be trending towards a divorce from the Detroit Pistons.
The restricted free agent center Duren’s negotiations with the Pistons have turned “awfully nasty,” Tim MacMahon of ESPN reported this week. MacMahon notes that the bitter negotiations could have long-lasting consequences, even if Detroit ends up agreeing to a new deal with Duren.
Duren, 22, is a homegrown Piston who was drafted by the team in 2022 and was a centerpiece of the Detroit squad that won 60 games and secured the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference last season. He also had his best career campaign last year, averaging 19.5 points and 10.5 rebounds per game en route to All-Star and All-NBA honors.
But Duren’s shoddy 2026 postseason (10.2 points and 8.5 rebounds per game as the Pistons bowed out in the second round) changed the landscape for him going into his free agency. Now Detroit is reluctant to give him an expensive new contract, reportedly in part due to one notable factor.
Interestingly enough, Duren and the Pistons do not seem to be that far off in terms of the pure numbers. Earlier this month, we learned that Detroit had made an offer to Duren that was only moderately below his desired figure.
But it may be about respect at this point for Duren, who has steadily improved in each of his four seasons with the Pistons as the team stunningly went from a 14-win laughingstock to a 60-win powerhouse. That could be what ultimately spurs Duren to potentially pull a drastic move en route to a possible departure from Detroit.
