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The Detroit Pistons have been trying to negotiate a contract extension with star Jalen Duren. Duren is coming off the best season of his career. He was named Third-Team All-NBA and made his first All-Star team. He wants a massive raise off that regular season.
However, the Pistons are trying to keep Duren’s costs down. Duren had a horrible postseason and was one of the reasons they were eliminated in the second round by the Cavaliers. Now, Duren has rejected yet another contract offer from the team.
GettyDetroit Pistons center Jalen Duren dribbles the ball during a game. (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images)
Pistons Still Can’t Strike a Deal with Jalen Duren
According to Sam Amick and Hunter Patterson of The Athletic, Duren has rejected yet another contract offer from the team. This time, he rejected an offer in the range of five years and $190 million. It seems that the two sides are still not close to a deal.
Duren is eligible for a five-year extension worth $287 million. According to Amick and Patterson, Duren is looking for at least $200 million. They also indicate that Duren should still be wary of taking the qualifying offer, which is worth $9.6 million for next season.
“Yet no matter how much conviction Duren might have in his case, there’s a very simple reason the vast majority of players avoid taking the qualifying-offer route. The money lost in that QO season, as well as the health concerns that come with forgoing the security of a long-term deal, add up to a great deal of risk,” Amick and Patterson write.
If no deal emerges before the season begins, Duren will have to play on the qualifying offer. That would make him an unrestricted free agent next season. At this point, Duren seems to be so unhappy with the Pistons that he could decide to take that route unless something changes.
GettyDetroit Pistons center Jalen Duren dunks the ball. (Photo by Jason Miller/Getty Images)
Other Suitors Have Emerged for Jalen Duren
Amick and Patterson have also reported that other suitors have emerged for Duren. They believe the Sacramento Kings are one team that has interest in Duren, who could be a perfect fit for him.
“There’s one team, in particular, that appears perfectly positioned to pluck Duren if he should be available next summer: the Sacramento Kings. As The Athletic reported in early July, when Duren began taking meetings with other teams as a restricted free agent and made it clear he was interested in playing elsewhere, the Kings were at the front of that line.”
Sacramento has Domantas Sabonis as the starting center right now. He lacks the ability to protect the rim and be an alley-oop threat. Duren is younger and has more potential, so that is why they are interested in possibly bringing Duren in. At this point, it would have to be a sign-and-trade.
There are three serious suitors for Duren, according to Amick and Patterson. If things continue to deteriorate, Detroit may have no choice but to look at that possibility.
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Ryan Stano Ryan Stano covers the NBA and College Football for Heavy.com. He has been covering sports since 2017, covering the NFL, College Football, College Basketball, and the NBA. His work has been featured on Yahoo, Bleacher Report, FanSided, and Sports Illustrated. More about Ryan Stano
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