Jalen Duren wanted to make one thing clear — he’s happy to have signed his long-term deal with the Detroit Pistons and wants to finish his career with the team that drafted him.
That might come as a surprise to many fans, who have been living and dying by unsourced media reports about him angling for a trade out of Detroit, feeling disrespected by the franchise, and the relationship being beyond repair.
During his introductory press conference following signing his five-year, $200 million deal to return
to the Pistons, Duren said those reports certainly didn’t come from him.
“I’ve never spoken to anyone in the media, made any statements or comments about anything or everything that’s been out there, so you can accept those as rumors,” Duren said. “They do not represent how I feel or what I think.”
So what does Duren think?
That he loves his teammates, loves his team, loves his coaching staff, and sees himself in the Motor City for the long haul.
“I’ve built lifelong bonds and relationships with the people here, and I’ve always seen myself finishing my career here, leaving a legacy in an already legendary organization and city,” Duren said during his opening statements.
The bottom line for Duren?
“I am a Detroit Piston. I want to be a Detroit Piston for life. I want to give everything I’ve got to the Pistons and the fans.”
So how did we get here? Well, Duren said he also learned how much of a business the NBA is, and that all sides are working for the best situation for their respective sides. The Pistons certainly didn’t handle everything perfectly. Perhaps if they started out negotiations much closer to a $200 million number, we never would have gotten here. Duren’s camp seemingly did everything in its power to extract every potential dollar for Duren. That’s their job. But it can also lead to contentious negotiation and some fractured relationships.
If I were going to extrapolate from that just a bit further, I’d say it’s pretty clear where those unattributed comments were coming from that just kept finding their way into reporters’ notebooks, but it’s best to move on. Because there is no reason we all shouldn’t move on.
Jalen Duren wants to be a Piston. The Pistons want Jalen Duren to be their starting center in a legitimate title window. They made a deal that brings the big man back for the next five years. Nothing else really matters.
