Jalen Duren speaks: 'I want to be a Detroit Piston for life'

Jalen Duren finally got to share his side of the drawn-out contract negotiations with the Detroit Pistons. Duren spoke Sunday, Oct. 4, at the Pistons' practice facility in Midtown, three days after agreeing to a five-year, $200 million contract and missing most of the first week of training camp. Du

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Jalen Duren finally got to share his side of the drawn-out contract negotiations with the Detroit Pistons.

Duren spoke Sunday, Oct. 4, at the Pistons' practice facility in Midtown, three days after agreeing to a five-year, $200 million contract and missing most of the first week of training camp.

Duren, sitting next to president of basketball operations Trajan Langdon – who told reporters Monday he hadn't spoken to Duren all summer – started by reading a long, written statement accepting his own flaws while also acknowledging that a lot of the rumors about him this summer didn't come from him.

"I am a Detroit Piston," Duren said. "I want to be a Detroit Piston for life. I want to give everything I’ve got to the Pistons and the fans."

Jalen Duren's

here alongside Trajan Langdon. His agent, Chafie Fields, is also here. Duren started with a long, written statement accepting his own flaws while also acknowledging that a lot of the rumors about him this summer didn't come from him. pic.twitter.com/ybrrekgdVs

— Omari Sankofa II (@omarisankofa) October 4, 2026

"We’re excited to have Jalen in Detroit as a core piece of our team for years to come," Langdon said in a statement Saturday when the team officially announced the re-signing.

Duren averaged a career-high 19.5 points and 10.5 rebounds while shooting 65.0% from the field in 70 games last season.

But was outplayed in the playoffs and benched at times for third-stringer Paul Reed. Duren averaged just 10.2 points (9.3 fewer than his regular-season average, the second-biggest drop by an All-Star in NBA history), 8.5 rebounds, 2.1 assists to 2.3 turnovers, and 1.2 blocks on 51.4% shooting in 30.1 minutes over 14 playoff games.

The Pistons open a four-game preseason schedule Monday against the Phoenix Suns at Little Caesars Arena (7 p.m., The Spot – Detroit 20/DAZN-DET). Their regular season begins Oct. 20 against the Boston Celtics.

[ MUST WATCH: Make "The Pistons Pulse" your go-to Pistons podcast, listen available anywhere you listen to podcasts (Apple, Spotify) or watch live on YouTube. ]