Jalen Duren missing Pistons media day, but team is confident he'll sign eventually

Media day starts on Monday, Sept. 28, for the Detroit Pistons. But Jalen Duren isn’t expected to attend. The 22-year-old restricted free agent will sit out of team activities amid the ongoing contract standoff with the Pistons. According to a report from ESPN, Duren has yet to accept the fully guara

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Media day starts on Monday, Sept. 28, for the Detroit Pistons. But Jalen Duren isn’t expected to attend.

The 22-year-old restricted free agent will sit out of team activities amid the ongoing contract standoff with the Pistons. According to a report from ESPN, Duren has yet to accept the fully guaranteed five-year, $200 million offer on the table. The deadline to accept his $9.6 million qualifying offer is Thursday, Oct. 1.

NBA rules prohibit unsigned players from participating in team activities, meaning Duren will also miss the first day of training camp on Tuesday if he doesn’t reach an agreement beforehand. But the Pistons remain confident that Duren eventually will sign, and they currently have no plans to pursue sign-and-trade opportunities,

according to team sources.

Media day kicks off at 1:30 p.m. on Monday, meaning team president Trajan Langdon and coach J.B. Bickerstaff will have to address Duren’s absence. It has a chance to hang like a gray cloud over training camp, since Duren’s teammates also likely will be asked about the standoff.

Duren is eligible for a five-year extension worth up to $287 million after reaching supermax eligibility by making All-NBA third team last season. The Pistons can match any outside offers, and outside teams are capped at $177.4 million over four years. However, an offer sheet was never presented to Duren this summer, giving the team maximum leverage.

The Pistons’ trepidation about paying Duren the max stems from the second apron, which severely punishes high-payroll teams. They already are paying Cade Cunningham a supermax contract and recently reached a five-year, $155 million extension with Ausar Thompson.

After failing to reach an extension agreement with the Pistons last summer, Duren averaged a career-best 19.5 points and 10.5 rebounds on 65% shooting and co-led the Pistons to a 60-win regular season, only the third-ever in franchise history. That was followed by a playoff disappearance, though, averaging 10.2 points, 8.5 rebounds and 1.2 blocks on 51.4% shooting through 14 games.

Preseason tips off next Monday, Oct. 5 at home against the Phoenix Suns. The regular season begins Oct. 20 at home against the Boston Celtics.

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