The Pistons increased their offer on the restricted free agent center Jalen Durenaccording to ESPN’s Shams Charania, but both sides remain deadlocked in contract talks.
Charania broke the news on Monday’s episode of NBA Today (Link to YouTube).
“It is not known if (Duren) will report and appear at Media Day just seven days later.– said Charanya. … When you talk to people close to him, (Duren) has a certain level of respect the Pistons have for him. Everything was respect for him. It’s just business for the team.
“It all started 12 months ago when Jalen Duren was eligible for an extension … and was offered $20 million (per year) in a take-it-or-leave-it deal. And that started a thread of disrespect that he felt like he got from the Pistons.
“During this offseason, his offer was (in the range of) $180-190 million over five years. I understand it also included incentives such as weight points. And that played a part in that, too.
“It (has been) quiet on that front for the past few weeks. The parties have been in communication and I am now told that the Pistons’ offer to Jalen Duren is $200 million over five years. … Obviously, there is no deal.”
What did Charanya pay attention to Amin Thompson recently signed a five-year, $208 million rookie scale extension with the Rockets, a contract that is expected to be settled in negotiations between the Pistons and Duren. Thompson’s contract is fully guaranteed, but it appears that Duren’s offer is not.
As Tim McMahon pointed out, Duren telling the media on the day or not is not a big deal. The more important date is Oct. 1, the deadline for Duren to accept his $9.6 million qualifying offer — essentially a one-year contract with a no-trade clause.
The The necklaces have been connected to Duren throughout the offseason, Mark Spears noted, but McMahon said the 22-year-old will have suitors other than Sacramento if he signs QO to become an unrestricted free agent next summer.
Duren is coming off his fourth season in which he averaged 19.5 points, 10.5 rebounds and 2.0 assists while shooting 65.0% from the field and 74.7% from the foul line in 70 regular season contests (28.2 minutes per game). He was named to his first All-Star Game and earned a spot on the All-NBA third team, making him eligible for a five-year, $287 million contract with Detroit (as opposed to the 25% maximum at $239.2 million over five years).
While he was productive during the regular season, Duren’s disappointment in the 2026 playoffs somewhat clouded his prospects. He averaged 10.2 ppg, 8.5 ppg and 2.1 ppg while shooting 51.4% from the floor and 67.4% from the line in 14 postseason appearances (30.1 mpg). The top-seeded Pistons were eliminated in the second round by Cleveland.