The Detroit Pistons are apparently trying to give Jalen Duren the Zion Williamson treatment.
Duren’s situation with the Pistons remains “up in the air,” Shams Charania of ESPN reported on Monday. Charania adds that Detroit has recently upped their offer to five years and $200 million for Duren but notes that the Pistons’ offers have also included incentives such as weight clauses.
The 22-year-old All-Star Duren is nearing three full months now as an unsigned restricted free agent. Training camp is set to begin in a matter of days at this point, but Duren still has yet to agree to a new deal with the Pistons.
Meanwhile, a weight clause is fairly unusual in contracts unless the player in question has a well-documented history of conditioning issues like the New Orleans Pelicans star Williamson. But other than an inconsistent motor, Duren has no such known history as a muscular 6-foot-10 big man who is officially listed at 250 pounds.
We learned earlier this month that the former lottery pick Duren was feeling disrespected by the Pistons and was even potentially looking to play out next season on the one-year, $9.6 million qualifying offer. That is because Duren reportedly believes that one particular rival team will give him a max contract next summer.
Detroit also recently gave out a rich $155 million contract to another supporting player. That would make it seem even more unlikely now that the Pistons end up giving Duren his desired payday.
