The Detroit Pistons ended the 2025-26 regular season as the top team in the Eastern Conference. Led by the star duo of Cade Cunningham and Jalen Duren, the Pistons looked like one of the most promising young teams in the league. However, this year’s offseason could cause all of it to come crumbling down.
The Pistons were viewed as one of the favorites going into the playoffs. Unfortunately, the team’s shortcomings, especially the disappearance of players like Jalen Duren, raised questions about their roster. Although Detroit intends to keep its core together, contract negotiations with Duren have not gone according to plan, as talks seem to have stalled again.
To address this discrepancy, The Athletic conducted a poll of rival executives around the league to gauge how much the Pistons’ big man deserves in his next contract extension. While the figures were all over the place, Fred Katz noted one that could be viewed as a solid baseline. He wrote:
“The largest proposed deal was $230 million over five years. Two executives considered $200 million over five years to be fair. The two other five-year deals were for $190 million and $180 million. The person who suggested the $190 million contract referenced the Pistons’ other priorities from earlier in the summer, when they were reportedly preparing to offer guard Austin Reaves a four-year, $177 million contract before he re-upped with the Los Angeles Lakers.”
“‘If they were willing to give a max to Reaves, then they should be willing to do five years, $190 million for a younger player who made All-NBA at a more valuable position,’ the respondent said,” added Katz.
The front office executive in question raised an intriguing point. Earlier in the offseason, the Detroit Pistons had emerged as a serious suitor for Los Angeles Lakers guard Austin Reaves in free agency. Given their inclination to provide Cade Cunningham with more offensive support, a player like Reaves seemed to fit the bill.
Although Reaves eventually signed a four-year, $180 million deal with the Lakers, it is worth noting that the Pistons were reportedly willing to offer a four-year, $177 million deal, similar to the Nets’ offer.
This could set a unique template for how the Pistons should approach contract negotiations with Jalen Duren.
After earning his first All-Star nod and even being selected to the All-NBA third team, it is safe to say that Jalen Duren is more accomplished than Austin Reaves. When also factoring in his averages of 19.5 points, 10.5 rebounds, 0.8 steals, and 0.8 blocks per game, the 22-year-old was also one of Detroit’s most impactful players last season.
On that note, the big man definitely deserves a bigger deal. But when factoring in how disappointing he was in the playoffs, a five-year, $190 million deal also seems justified in some ways.
Given Detroit’s total payroll of $136.2 million, the Pistons should have no issues with offering him a contract worth $40-$45 million annually. Therefore, it appears that the current discrepancy lies in how Duren perceives himself against how the Pistons assessed his performance.
While this principled stance from the Pistons seems valid, it doesn’t necessarily give them enough leverage in further discussions. Given earlier reports about Jalen Duren’s growing dissatisfaction with the current situation, the Pistons could be on the verge of doing irreversible damage to this relationship.
The tipping point, as many sources have mentioned, is the $9.6 million qualifying offer.
As long as the negotiations are stalled, there remains hope to find a middle ground. However, if Jalen Duren accepts the qualifying offer, it is a clear communication that he is “fed up” with the Pistons’ front office and would prefer to leave as an unrestricted free agent in the summer of 2027.
Needless to say, losing Jalen Duren to free agency would not be in the Pistons’ best interests. Hence, it would be advisable for Detroit to align with the big man’s wishes.
