One of the more interesting situations in the NBA that still hasn't been resolved is that Jalen Duren is currently unsigned.
The Detroit Pistons seemingly aren't in a hurry to go out and give him as much money as he's looking for, which doesn't really come as much of a surprise at the moment. Unfortunately for Duren, he has to hope that Detroit eventually gives him exactly what he wants. There were reports throughout the offseason that teams around the NBA actually had interest in the potential star big man, including the Los Angeles Lakers. Per the latest report, the Lakers actually liked him a lot, but felt that Walker Kessler was more obtainable.
“I think he was involved, fairly involved, 100%,” she said. “(Walker Kessler) I think, that one was a Luka move. I think he also liked Jalen Duren a lot, too.
“But, who was more gettable? If you’re the Lakers, restricted free agency, you’re going to pay a premium for somebody. Either you’re going to pay it by paying them more money than the other team, forcing them not to match, or you’re going to make a trade and do a sign-and-trade that guarantees you get the player,” Ramona Shelburne of ESPN said, H/T Heavy.
The Lakers gave up a ton for Kessler, so I don't know if saying Duren wouldn't have been as obtainable is realistic, but there was a lot more on the table than just making a play for Duren, unlike Kessler.
It remains uncertain whether the Pistons would ever have moved on from him, so the Lakers went in a different direction and got a player they knew could be had.
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