The Detroit Pistons have yet to end the Jalen Duren stalemate. The negotiations between the restricted free agent and the Pistons are ongoing. The hope is that the All-Star center will sign a new multi-year deal that will keep him in Detroit. That will presumably happen between now and the deadline to accept his qualifying offer on October 1.
This means that there has to be one departure in Detroit. The Pistons currently have 15 players under contract. Teams are not allowed to have more than 15 players on their rosters, meaning that Duren's return will force someone out.
Gary Harris is the most likely Pistons player to be elsewhere before the start of the season
There are several departure candidates, but the decision will likely come down to Gary Harris, Taurean Prince, Chaz Lanier, and Tolu Smith. Every other player on the team either just arrived or is expected to have an important role in the rotation.
Lanier is only entering his second season in the league. He didn't do much in his rookie campaign, but he hit a ton of shots during the Summer League. There is little reason for the Pistons to part ways with him now.
Smith is the third-string center on the roster. Given the lack of frontcourt depth and abundance of backcourt options in Detroit, it's unlikely that the Pistons would let him go over some of the guards on the roster.
This leaves Harris and Prince as the most realistic departure candidates. They are on identical contracts and are essentially the same age. The difference is that Prince plays a more premium position. He has good positional size and length and can defend forwards. Plus, he has hit 42% from downtown over the last three seasons.
Given the state of Detroit's roster, there is more of a need for Prince than Harris. Prince can be a three-and-D option off the bench in limited minutes. How Harris carves out a rotation role for himself, however, is difficult to see.
There are simply too many guards on Detroit's roster to justify keeping Harris around. Between Duncan Robinson, Isaiah Joe, Kevin Huerter, Daniss Jenkins, Ebuka Okorie, and Lanier, is Harris, a shooting-guard-only player, really going to get any minutes?
Harris can still play. He could be a deep bench option elsewhere, so there could be a team willing to take him on as a competent veteran. No one is giving up anything to trade for him, but the Pistons could avoid having dead salary on their books in this scenario. Otherwise, they will have to cut him before the start of the season.
Fortunately, they are in a good financial place, even if we assume they sign Duren to a fair-value contract. So, cutting Harris will not hurt them all that much. Barring an unexpected trade or two, it's only a matter of time before Harris will be out the door.
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