Jalen Duren might have been eager to test the free agent market in a search to maximize his earnings on a new long-term deal, but that market has all but disappeared two days into free agency. There were few teams with salary cap space to spend, but there were plenty of teams interested in landing a difference-making center.
When it was reported that Duren was interested in meeting with the Sacramento Kings, it made sense because, well, Kangz. When LeBron James made it clear he was moving on from
the center-needy Los Angeles Lakers, the fit didn’t seem like it could get better. It was clear during the season that the Boston Celtics viewed center as the weakest spot on their roster, and the organization telegraphed that they would be working to land a permanent solution in the offseason. You can toss some teams with money to spend and the ability to create more in the mix — the Chicago Bulls and the Brooklyn Nets chief among them.
In the two days since free agency began, all those teams (save the Kangz) have found their answer at center and it wasn’t Jalen Duren.
The Lakers swung a huge trade to land defensive powerhouse Walker Kessler from the Utah Jazz. The Boston Celtics landed New York Knicks champion Mitchell Robinson on a new three-year deal. The Bulls and Nets went bargain shopping and signed Zach Collins and Moe Wagner, respectively.
Restricted free agency is a nasty piece of business from the player’s perspective. Your team holds all the leverage and you have few avenues to dictate your own market. Jalen Duren is coming off an All-NBA season and technically qualified for a supermax contract. The Pistons are reportedly not even offering him the standard max. They telegraphed that even if Duren found a team willing to offer him a deal, they would match it. They made clear that any sign-and-trade would have to blow them away to even entertain the possibility.
I’m not surprised Duren is unhappy with the contract Detroit has put in front of him, and I understand he was trying to create leverage by exploring the market for a team that would pay him more. But it appears the league either values Duren differently or fully understands the strong position Detroit found itself in.
Duren now finds himself as the lone starting-level center still on the market. And there is one team he will likely be starting for — the Detroit Pistons.
What that contract arrangement looks like remains to be seen. Will a livid Duren do something as drastic as signing his qualifying offer, playing out one more year in Detroit and getting out at the earliest convenience? Probably not. That would be leaving more than $150 million dollars on the table.
He could sign for the full five years at between $32-38 million, have generational wealth and still be in his prime when he is up for his next monster deal. Or it could fall somewhere in between, fewer years, quicker pathways to a big payday, player options, etc.
But it appears that for all his agent’s posturing and trying to work the media to their fullest advantage, this is going to end up where it was always most likely to land — with Jalen Duren catching lobs from Cade Cunningham and Duren looking at another year in the playoffs where he can really show what he can do.
