Jalen Duren may be inching ever so closer to … staying put.
Duren and the Detroit Pistons have made “modest” progress on a new deal that would keep the restricted free agent center with the franchise, veteran NBA writer Marc Stein reported this week. Stein adds that the Pistons “continue to brush aside” the possibility of a sign-and-trade that would land Duren elsewhere.
The 22-year-old Duren has been a restricted free agent for the last several weeks now with little-to-no movement in his market. Most recently, we heard that Duren’s future with Detroit was in doubt as the former lottery pick had reportedly grown frustrated with contract negotiations.
Duren represents a very interesting case as the upside is there after he averaged 19.5 points and 10.5 rebounds per game during the regular season en route to both All-Star and All-NBA honors. But Duren blew his shot at a max contract with an unimpressive performance during the postseason (just 10.2 points and 8.2 rebounds per game). Now he has to play the waiting game to try to get as much money as possible.
We know that Duren is seeking a specific high number in free agency. But up to this point, it looks like neither the Pistons nor any other outside suitor is willing to meet that figure.
It is overall a pretty cold market for restricted free agents right now as other notable NBA talents such as Peyton Watson and Bennedict Mathurin remain unsigned as well. With that in mind, it appears that the likeliest scenario is for Duren to return on a long-term contract to the Pistons (if and when both sides come off their respective numbers a bit).
