A long summer of bitterness may still be giving way to an ultimate reconciliation between Jalen Duren and the Detroit Pistons.
The restricted free agent center Duren is still expected to re-sign with the Pistons on a new deal, Bleacher Report’s Jake Fischer reported on Tuesday. Fischer notes that Duren’s new contract will likely be for upwards of four years and $160 million.
Duren, 22, is still looking for a new contract after averaging 19.5 points and 10.5 rebounds per game last season for the 60-win Pistons. While those numbers were good enough to earn Duren both All-Star and All-NBA honors, Duren’s shoddy 10-ppg performance in the playoffs tanked any chances that he had of landing a max deal.
As a result, Duren has now been unsigned for nearly two full months. The last that we heard of the saga between Duren and the Pistons was that negotiations had even supposedly turned nasty.
That said, it appears that Detroit may ultimately be the side that caves here. $40 million a year is right around what Duren’s original ask was reported to be (while the Pistons were said to offering him a new extension for slightly less than that).
Even if the two sides do end up striking a deal however, the tense negotiations may create some lingering feelings of bitterness as they continue their partnership. We even heard earlier this month that Duren’s spot in the Pistons’ pecking order could be lower if he ends up returning.
