Deep into the offseason, there's still some unresolved business for the Detroit Pistons.
Most important on their list? Solving Jalen Duren's ongoing restricted free agency. After an All-NBA season, the 22-year-old remains unsigned in a bid to increase the value of his extension. The Pistons have maintained their desire to keep him with the franchise long-term but have drawn a line in the sand with the dollar amount.
There are also still matters to solve regarding the rest of the roster. Here are three questions for the Pistons nearly two months out from training camp:
1. How long will Jalen Duren’s free agency standoff last?
The restricted free agent’s options haven’t changed. He has until Oct. 1 to sign the qualifying offer, a one-year
deal that would allow him to become an unrestricted free agent in 2027 and determine his own future. Or, he can sign an extension and secure his long-term future in Detroit.
Unless an outside team clears salary with the intent of making a run at Duren – which is unlikely – the market won’t force the Pistons to meaningfully increase their current offer. So the qualifying offer is Duren’s sole source of leverage. It would be a tremendous risk for him to go that route– an injury, or underwhelming season, would dash his hopes of landing the contract he’s seeking. He’d also be leaving money on the table next season.
The Pistons and Duren can agree to push the qualifying offer deadline back as far as March 1. There’s little incentive for either side to let it fester into the season. This eventually will resolve, but it might take until the Oct. 1 buzzer sounds.
2. Who’s the odd man out on the roster?
Including Duren, the Pistons have 16 players. They have until the eve of opening night to trim it to 15. Eventually, they will have to cut or trade someone.
The obvious candidates are one of the two veterans they acquired from the Milwaukee Bucks – Taurean Prince and Gary Harris, whom they swapped Caris LeVert for in order to clear cap space. Though Prince and Harris both bring outside shooting, they’re on expiring minimum contracts and aren’t in the franchise’s long-term plans.
Otherwise, the Pistons are facing parting with one of their inexpensive young players – such as former two-way players Daniss Jenkins and Tolu Smith, whose 2026-27 options were picked up this summer, or 2025 second-round pick Chaz Lanier, who is coming off of a strong summer league showing.
Waiving one of Prince or Harris, it seems, is more palatable than trading or cutting a player they’ve invested draft capital and/or G League resources into.
3. Can their point guard rotation endure an 82-game season?
The Pistons have three primary ballhandlers in Cade Cunningham, Jenkins and No. 17 overall pick Ebuka Okorie. Jenkins earned the backup point guard job last season, but he’s their only player besides Cunningham who’s proven they can handle the responsibility fulltime. If Okorie needs time to acclimate, as most rookies do, it’ll leave them thin and vulnerable to injuries.
There are other creators on the roster who can pick up the slack, most notably Ausar Thompson. The Pistons had some success with putting the ball in his hands more early last season, before Jenkins broke out and while Jaden Ivey and Marcus Sasser nursed injuries. After Jenkins emerged, he became the more trusted option, and Thompson’s halfcourt opportunities were limited.
Out of necessity, the Pistons may have to lean on Thompson again. He’s turnover-prone, but also among their best at penetrating the defense and finding teammates in transition or for second-chance opportunities. Duren, too, has flashed playmaking chops in the past and could be given more passing responsibilities out of the post.
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Contact Omari Sankofa II at osankofa@freepress.com. Follow him on X and/or Bluesky.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: 3 Pistons questions: When and how will Jalen Duren standoff resolve?
