Last season, it felt like Jalen Duren finally arrived. He was a walking 20 and 10, he was an All-Star for the first time in his career and he was an All-NBA member as well. He was nothing short of stellar in the regular season.
However, in the playoffs he completely faltered. He was getting outplayed by Wendell Carter Jr., Evan Mobley, and Jarrett Allen in the Pistons’ two playoff series. He looked limited as a creator, he was lost defensively, and was getting outworked in every aspect of the game.
It has led to a stalemate in contract negotiations between Duren and the Detroit front office. They have recently upped their offer, which makes the choice for Duren extremely clear.
Jalen Duren needs to end this saga and sign the $200 million deal the Pistons are offering
There is simply no point in dragging this out. Training camp is open. The season starts in a few weeks. It’s time for this to end.
It may not be the full $287 million Duren is eligible for, but he still becomes a $200 million player. He is also super young and will likely have another payday during his prime. This won’t be the last time.
And honestly the Pistons are doing Duren a huge favor by still being willing to commit $40 million a year to him after his playoff showing. He still has a lot of developing to do as a player in a postseason environment and he has to prove that he can be a co-star next to Cade Cunningham.
There have been reports about Duren being willing to take the qualifying offer, but leaving $200 million on the table would not be smart. Detroit also removed the reported weight clause that was in the contract, showing that they are more than willing to move past this.
Duren hasn’t been around the team all summer and even skipped media day. He is now becoming a distraction to the team and the longer this draws out, the worse it gets for him.
The East is loaded and the Pistons are going to need all the help they can get to compete. A motivated Duren would help that cause and if he ends this now, then he can focus on proving that he can be the All-NBA player he was not only during the regular season, but during the playoffs as well.
