Jalen Duren is a restricted free agent this offseason, and the Detroit Pistons will have a big decision to make regarding the big man. Duren’s brilliance helped the Pistons post an outstanding 62-20 record in this 2025-26 season, but he has been a no-show in the first round of the playoffs against the Orlando Magic.
Duren’s play during the regular season had meant that, for the longest time, it looked like the Pistons would offer him a max contract, currently five years and about $239 million, in the summer. The 22-year-old’s struggles against the Magic might give the front office some cause for pause, though.
If the Pistons don’t give Duren the max, then Bleacher Report’s Epic Pincus had previously floated the Los Angeles Lakers as a potential landing spot for him.
“Along with MVP candidate Cade Cunningham, Duren has emerged over the last two years as a true game-changer in Detroit. He’s grown on both sides of the floor, especially defensively on a very stingy Pistons squad.
“A first-time All-Star, Duren is averaging a career high of 19.5 points a game for the best team in the Eastern Conference by record (60-22). Duren should get a sizable raise to stay, but if the Pistons aren’t willing to max him out, the Lakers have plenty of cap room for an offer sheet.”
The Lakers will be looking for a long-term solution at the center spot in the offseason. Deandre Ayton has been a bit hit and miss, and you doubt they’re going to be interested in handing him a multi-year contract.
Duren would be an interesting option for the Lakers. The maximum they can offer him is a four-year contract worth about $177.4 million, and CBS Sports’ Sam Quinn believes they should put that deal on the table if the opportunity arises.
“Counterpoint: if the Pistons are at all hesitant, Lakers should roll in with the max offer. That’s the center you want for Luka, and the paint would be so much cleaner for him on a Luka/Reaves team than it is in Detroit.”
Now, Duren isn’t a great defender, but is a fine rim-runner and rebounder, and would be a good fit offensively next to Luka Doncic. The one-time All-Star had averaged 19.5 points, 10.5 rebounds, 2.0 assists, 0.8 steals, and 0.8 blocks per game in the regular season.
While that is pretty good, Duren is putting up 9.8 points, 8.3 rebounds, 2.3 assists, 0.5 steals, and 1.8 blocks per game in the playoffs. His struggles are a big reason why the Pistons are down 3-1 to the Magic. Quinn doesn’t believe this should dissuade anyone from signing Duren, though.
“I think people are overreacting to one bad series. I think Duren is gonna be fine. I’d still be very optimistic about his future. I think he has no space to operate with in this series, and he’s letting that affect the rest of his game.”
Duren should do much better alongside Doncic and on a team that has more offensive talent around him. You doubt the Pistons will let him walk out the door for nothing, though. For starters, they can obviously match any offer that is put on the table. If they don’t want to, they could still explore a sign-and-trade to get something in return.
The question would be what the Pistons would want from the Lakers. Would Rui Hachimura and multiple first-round picks be enough? The Lakers can offer up to three in the offseason, and while those picks are valuable, the Pistons might want a better player. Austin Reaves is the one who immediately comes to mind. If Reaves is who the Pistons want, though, the Lakers probably shouldn’t go through with it.
So, it will be quite fascinating to see how this Duren situation pans out in the summer.
