The Detroit Pistons just signed Ausar Thompson to a five-year, $155 million extension. They still have not resolved the Jalen Duren stalemate, but they can at least feel confident that one of the key members of their core will remain in Detroit for the foreseeable future.
What does Thompson's new deal mean for the negotiations between the Pistons and Duren?
Detroit signed Ausar to a more favorable deal than many had feared. After Amen Thompson landed a five-year, $208 million contract earlier in the offseason, some wondered whether his twin would warrant a deal in the high-30 million range in average annual value.
Instead, he will get $31 million per year. The estimate is that his contract will start at $26.7 million in the 2027-28 season and gradually go up to $35.2 million in the 2031-32 season.
This can be interpreted as both a good sign and a bad sign for Duren.
Thompson's $26.7 million salary for the 2027-28 campaign means that the Pistons will have more cap space and flexibility than they may have initially thought.
That will be the second season of Duren's new contract. That means that if the Pistons can keep Duren's contract in the low-30s for that season, they should be able to build out the rest of their roster without going deep into the luxury tax. If Thompson was on a deal that paid him in the mid-30s, also paying Duren in that range would make it difficult to avoid the first or second apron.
Having Cade Cunningham making $53.8 million and Ausar $26.7 million makes it more palatable to fit Duren in.
At the same time, the Pistons can point to Thompson's new contract in negotiations with Duren as a template. If the reporting from earlier in the offseason is correct, the Pistons see Ausar as the second-best player on the team over Duren. If that's true, then the Pistons may be less willing to pay Duren significantly above what Thompson is making.
Detroit could use Thompson's contract as leverage in negotiations, but there is no guarantee that this will work. Duren will almost certainly get a more lucrative contract than Thompson. Detroit has reportedly gone all the way up to five years and $190 million. They may be hesitant to increase their offer further and pay Duren $10 million more per year than Ausar if they don't think that he is better.
Thompson's new deal adds a new twist to already fascinating negotiations between Detroit and Duren. Whether it will help the Pistons sign Duren to a more team-friendly contract remains to be seen, but the Pistons may now be in a better financial spot to fit their All-Star center.
Add us as a preferred source on Google