The Detroit Pistons have yet to resolve the Jalen Duren saga. The stalemate continues, and it looks like it will continue all the way into September and potentially training camp.
While this is not an ideal situation, it is far preferable to some of the alternatives. One of those is the possibility of a sign-and-trade with the Sacramento Kings where the Pistons would get Domantas Sabonis back.
This was reportedly a discussion earlier in the offseason. ESPN's Anthony Slater reported on Wednesday that the Kings engaged with Detroit on a Duren-for-Sabonis swap, but the Pistons had no interest in the trade.
This was the correct stance by GM Trajan Langdon and should continue to be the case, regardless of how long negotiations with Duren take.
Pistons shouldn't engage with the Sacramento Kings in potential Jalen Duren talks
This isn't to say that the Pistons should not be open to any sign-and-trade scenarios for Duren under any circumstances. If Duren insists on getting at least his 25% max and is threatening to accept his qualifying offer, then it behooves the Pistons to explore sign-and-trade opportunities.
However, under no circumstances can the return in this trade be Sabonis.
The Kings will certainly try to engage with the Pistons if the stalemate between Detroit and Duren continues. They were one of the few teams to have a ton of interest in the restricted free agent and one of the two teams that Duren met with this summer outside of the Pistons.
The idea of getting back a starting center in a Duren trade may seem appealing for Detroit. Even though Sabonis is technically a Duren replacement as an offense-first center, his game isn't suitable for winning at the highest level.
There is a reason Sabonis has played on non-playoff teams for most of his career. Over the last seven years, he made the playoffs once and lost in the first round in that appearance. He is one of the worst defensive centers in the league. He is too slow to switch out on the perimeter and doesn't have the length or athleticism to protect the rim in the backline.
Offensively, he is a very good passer and playmaker, but he needs the ball in his hands to be effective. He can have a decent two-man game with Cade Cunningham, but he doesn't solve Detroit's spacing concerns. If anything, he could exacerbate them because he isn't the lob threat that Duren is around the basket. He doesn't have the athleticism and vertical spacing to overcome the cramped Pistons' spacing.
Moreover, Sabonis is 30 years old. He will make $94 million over the next two years. He is way more overpaid on his deal than whatever contract Duren ends up signing with the Pistons. Detroit should be more willing to pay Duren around $45 million per year over the next five years than the same amount to Sabonis over the next two.
There can't be any draft capital that the Kings can throw in the deal to make it worth Detroit's while. The Pistons are trying to win a championship now, and Duren will help in that goal way more than Sabonis can.
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