It wasn't that long ago that there was rumored mutual interest between Jalen Duren and the Sacramento Kings. That being said, it's not a move that really makes sense for Sacramento. They have four bigs at this point, more than enough to cover them at the five, and no need for another.
In case you don't follow Detroit basketball, the Pistons have been having some problems with their star center. He had his best season ever in 2025-2026, being selected for both the All-Star team and the All-NBA Third Team for the first time. He more than earned those honors.
As such, he's requesting a massive salary upgrade, one that has been enhanced by the All-NBA selection. The Pistons are not quite sure. His performance in the playoffs was inconsistent, if not outright weak at times. They don't want to pay him the big money he's asking for.
This impasse caused Duren to try shopping his services around as a restricted free agent. The only team reported to show serious interest was the Kings. Unfortunately, they had no salary cap space, and the Pistons didn't want a sign-and-trade for Domantas Sabonis. So, that fell apart.
Do the Kings really need to make a move on Duren?
As Sacramento Kings on SI recently pointed out, the negotiations between Duren and Detroit have gotten ugly. If Duren signs the qualifying offer for 2026-2027, he'll be an unrestricted free agent in 2027. With Zach LaVine's contract expiring at that time, the Kings could then go after Duren.
They probably shouldn't. The Kings' biggest problem has been the lack of flexibility created by expensive, long-term contracts. That is exactly what Duren will be looking for. Finally moving on from LaVine only to repeat a similar mistake with Duren makes no sense at this point.
On top of that, the Kings already have a center with a massive paycheck in Sabonis. He won't leave until his contract expires in 2028. Plus, Sacramento also has three other bigs to work with in Maxime Raynaud, Dylan Cardwell, and Precious Achiuwa. Adding Duren just increases the logjam.
The Kings don't have a problem at center. What they need is more point guards, not to mention cutting back on shooting guards. Duren is a good player, but it's hard to see him being worth the money he's looking for to a rebuilding team that has no shortage of options at his position.
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