The Detroit Pistons and Jalen Duren have finally ended the biggest saga of the NBA offseason by signing a five-year $200 million contract. This seemingly ends the Sacramento Kings' pursuit of Duren. But if Scott Perry is locked in on the big man, expect trade talks to continue.
For the past few months, Duren and the Pistons' front office have been at odds over his rookie contract extension. He wanted a lot of money because of his All-Star, All-NBA season. Detroit didn't want to give him a lot of money because he kind of fell apart in the postseason. It was a whole thing.
It was beginning to look like Duren was going to sign a qualifying offer that would have made him an unrestricted free agent in the 2027 offseason. That's where the Kings entered the conversation. They quickly became the number one contender for Duren's services, assuming he became available.
That's not happening. Duren has reached a last-minute deal with the Pistons after they removed the weight clause from their proposed contract. It's a fully guaranteed five-year deal that will pay Duren $200 million over that time. This secures their frontcourt. Well, unless a trade happens.
Duren might not stay in the Motor City permanently
Sure, the most contentious negotiation in the NBA this offseason has ended. That doesn't mean it's completely over. Duren could still push for a trade from the inside, depending on how disrespected he felt by the entire situation. Another team could also make the Pistons an offer they can't refuse.
While both sides came to an agreement, everyone isn't necessarily happy about it. All that happened is that Duren locked in his value for the next five seasons. If a trade becomes a reality, the team acquiring him will be on the hook for that same salary. And here come the Kings.
Perry has reputedly been working hard to build a relationship with Duren to get him to Sacramento. If he still wants to bring Duren in, there could be an opportunity to try to build a trade for him. It just won't be for Domantas Sabonis, as the Pistons have already shut that one down.
The upside for Sacramento is they can now wait to sort their Sabonis situation out. If the Kings went after Duren when the potential window opened in the 2027 offseason, there was a real chance they ended up with both him and Sabonis. Now, they can take their time and make it happen the smart way.
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