Jalen Duren #0 of the Detroit Pistons during warmups against the Philadelphia 76ers at Xfinity Mobile Arena with Lakers' Walker Kessler in the background
Eric Hartline-Imagn Images
The Detroit Pistons have been locked in a valuation battle with restricted free agent Jalen Duren, with both sides reported to still be far apart as far as an agreement is concerned. The 22-year-old center earned his first All-Star appearance in 2026 after averaging 19.5 points, 10.5 rebounds and two assists per game last season.
And while he remains eligible for a supermax contract worth up to $287 million over five years, the Pistons have shut down those talks and are attempting to negotiate a much-lower annual salary. And well, according to Locked on Pistons podcast host Ku Khahil, Detroit is looking at a range of $35-38 million annual salary, which falls well short of the $50 million+ range that the supermax would have resulted in.
Report in here says Jalen Duren taking the QO is basically a non-threat and he’s not going to take it. https://t.co/MJGqXJIMK0
Further, Khahil reported that Duren has no intention of signing the qualifying offer that the Pistons have put out, reportedly a one-year, $9.6 million deal. Instead, the player appears to be intent on signing a multi-year contract, and a resolution is expected much closer to the offseason deadline of October 1.
Picked 13th overall in the 2022 draft, Duren has spent his entire career thus far in Detroit. Shams Charania recently reported that he expects the player to remain unsigned at least until August, when the two parties will feel a greater urgency to get a deal done.
The Pistons entered the postseason last campaign as the No. 1 seed from the Eastern Conference after finishing the regular season with a 60-22 record. And while they have added the likes of John Collins, Isaiah Joe and Ebuka Okorie, things have changed drastically in the East with the Philadelphia 76ers making multiple moves.
Duren may have been one of Detroit’s most important players after Cade Cunningham, but also suffered a drastic drop in the playoffs. He averaged just 10.2 points and 8.5 rebounds per game through his 14 postseason appearances, which may as well have played a role in Detroit holding out on the max contract.
Still, Duren can be expected to have multiple takers considering he is one of the league’s leading young centers, with the likes of the Sacramento Kings and the Los Angeles Lakers already said to be interested. However, as things stand, there is no indication that he is prioritizing a move, although no resolution is expected in the coming days.