NBA training camp is here, and Jalen Duren is nowhere to be found and skipped the Detroit Pistons’ media day.
The two sides are currently in a dispute over a contract extension, with Detroit offering Duren a five-year, $200 million deal even though he’s eligible for a super max of $287 million.
If the stalemate continues, the Pistons might need another center who can rebound and thrive next to their franchise superstar, Cade Cunningham, without paying having the same contract Duren demands.
The talks stalled after he had a dramatic drop in playoff production compared to his regular-season averages. Duren averaged 19.5 points and 10.5 rebounds, while shooting 65.0% from the field in the regular season. However, during their postseason run, he only produced 10.7 points and 9.2 rebounds on 51.4% from the field.
Despite the disappointing performance, Duren still feels Detroit is lowballing him and believes it’s a take-it-or-leave-it deal. But Detroit can use his contract as leverage in a sign-and-trade to his preferred destination if the saga continues.
Three other bigs in the league could replace the 22-year-old if he decides to move on from the Pistons.
First is Domantas Sabonis of the Sacramento Kings. He could be a solid running mate for Cunningham because of his playmaking. His stats are almost the same as Duren, who was also a double-double machine with 15.8 points and 11.4 rebounds last season. However, his offensive bag is slightly better than Duren.
Next is Milwaukee Bucks’ Myles Turner, who can space the floor with his three-point shooting and has elite rim protection. Turner will let Cunningham and Ausar Thompson attack the paint more, while his shooting pulls the opponents’ bigs out.
But the only downside is his current four-year, $108 million fully guaranteed contract, which won't help Detroit’s salary cap situation.
Finally, Trey Murphy of the New Orleans Pelicans. He mostly plays the three-spot but is also capable of serving as a small-ball power forward, especially with his scoring prowess inside and outside the paint.
Murphy can hold down the paint, rebound, and be a reliable pick-and-roll partner for Cunningham, but with the cheaper price tag. His potential acquisition will also pave the way for Paul Reed to become the starting center. The question is if Detroit can match what New Orleans asks in return.
The most realistic path for the Pistons is a sign-and-trade with the Kings for Sabonis. An ideal exchange for the Pistons is Sabonis plus several future draft picks to balance out the youth and cap.
If this happens, it will be a win-win for both teams, with Detroit remaining a top contender in the East and Sacramento acquiring a younger center for its future.
The only fallback in a potential trade is the Kings’ hesitation to add future draft picks, but Detroit could still go with the Turner route to add spacing around Cunningham.
The 13th pick in the 2022 NBA Draft still has the option to sign a one-year qualifying offer or work out a multiyear agreement until Oct. 1. However, if he still declines the Pistons’ offer, we'll likely see him on another team in the next few weeks.
