The Detroit Pistons' offseason has gotten significantly more complicated after the latest reports. All signs were pointing towards Jalen Duren returning to Detroit in free agency, but that is now far from a sure thing. In fact, The Athletic's Sam Amick reported on Friday morning that Duren is "planning to explore sign-and-trade scenarios" once free agency officially kicks off.
Amick said that the All-Star center was underwhelmed by Detroit's initial offer, and the difference between what Duren is asking for and what the Pistons are offering is so large that he "is considering ways to land elsewhere."
Pistons-Jalen Duren may be headed to an unexpected divorce
This is a shocking development. The Pistons can pay Duren so much more than other teams that it seemed highly unlikely that the 22-year-old center would head elsewhere.
Detroit can pay Duren a maximum of a five-year, $287.1 million deal, while the most he can get on the market is a four-year, $177 million contract. The Pistons surely wouldn't offer him that five-year max after his immense playoff struggles, but the consensus was that he would still get a five-year deal worth around $40 million per season.
Especially after Detroit opened up more cap space in the Isaiah Stewart trade, the expectation was that re-signing Duren would be a no-brainer.
We currently don't know the terms of the Pistons' offer, but perhaps Duren feels disrespected after making an All-NBA team. There is also a chance that this is a leverage play from the talented center.
If Duren signals that he is a flight risk, the Pistons are more likely to give him the deal he is looking for. Duren can presumably sense that the Pistons are desperate to keep him since it would be very difficult to find a center who can replicate his production. Using this leverage, Duren may be trying to force the Pistons to increase their offer.
What if he isn't bluffing? What paths can the Pistons take then?
Duren can still sign an offer sheet with another team. The problem here is that the Pistons would likely match it and keep him on the team, creating an awkward situation with an unhappy Duren.
That is why a sign-and-trade scenario may be more likely. This would allow another team to pay Duren more than they legally can in restricted free agency.
Amick names Jaylen Brown, Kawhi Leonard, and Tyler Herro as potential targets in the sign-and-trade scenarios. If the Pistons can indeed acquire Leonard and Brown in a Duren trade, that would be worth exploring. Otherwise, it's hard to imagine the Pistons not taking a step back after Duren's departure.
This could force the Pistons' hand. They may have no choice but to give Duren the contract he is looking for, but there is surely a walk-away price.
Tuesday marks the start of free agency when teams can officially begin to negotiate with players on the market. We should have a clearer idea about what the future holds for Duren then, but a return to Detroit doesn't seem like as clear-cut an outcome as it once did.
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