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We’ve reached the inevitable almost-conclusion of the standoff between Jalen Duren and the Detroit Pistons as the young center looks to secure a lucrative long-term contract. The latest is a threat that has been levied before — Jalen Duren is seriously considering signing the $9.6 million qualifying offer so he can be an unrestricted free agent next season.
The threat might not be new, but it is being treated with more urgency because we truly are running out of time for a resolution to the JD situation. The deadline for him to take his qualifying offer is Oct. 1. That means one of the following is going to happen:
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Jalen Duren signs his qualifying offer, plays out the season in Detroit, and leaves in the offseason.
Jalen Duren signs his qualifying offer, plays some of the season in Detroit, and is traded for a marginal return to a team that wants to re-sign Duren in the offseason using their cap space.
The Pistons believe so deeply that Jalen Duren is going to sign his qualifying offer that they organize a sign-and-trade now to get a bit of a better return instead of losing him for nothing.
The Pistons sign Jalen Duren to a new multi-year deal.
Which is the most likely? I have no reason to believe that it is still not No. 4, especially in light of the standoff being quantified with alleged contract numbers.
The Athletic reports that the Pistons’ offer to Duren stands at five years and $190 million for an average annual value of $38 million. Duren’s camp wants a contract at or beyond $200 million. That would be an AAV of $40 million. So we’re arguing over something that could be as little as $2 million per year.
However, the Athletic story goes a bit further in contextualizing what might make Duren’s willingness to sign the QO more realistic. The story notes that Duren opted out of a minicamp Cade Cunningham organized. On the one hand, you don’t want to run afoul of a franchise cornerstone. On the other hand, Cade knows Duren’s just trying to handle his business.
Perhaps more significantly, the Athletic reports that the Kings are interested in signing Duren to a max contract next offseason. The story…
Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/reports-jalen-duren-threat-qualifying-162503083.html
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Publish date : 2026-09-11 16:25:00
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