[The Athletic] Duren believes his All-Star/All-NBA season puts him above the Thompson twins’ \(155M and \)208M deals
With training camp a week away, there is finally movement in the strained negotiation between restricted free-agent center Jalen Duren and the Detroit Pistons.
Yet still, with the Eastern Conference contender showing renewed interest in getting a deal done and the 22-year-old, All-NBA center pushing for a bigger payday, the gap between the sides remains. Per league sources, the Pistons upped their offer by \(10 million in recent days – from the five-year, \)190 million proposal that was put forth in August to a five-year, $200 million deal that has no team or player options and is fully guaranteed. Those sources, like others in this story, spoke on the condition of anonymity.
With Duren known to be displeased during the process, in addition to the prospect of him taking a one-year qualifying offer (\(9.6 million) before the Oct. 1 deadline, the move marked the first sign of progress in nearly six weeks. But Duren, who is eligible to receive a five-year, \)287 million deal and was known to be seeking a contract worth at least $200 million, has thus far rebuffed the offer. With the two sides having gone weeks on end without communicating during this process, the waiting game continues as the season nears.
ESPN was first to report the Pistons’ $200 million offer.
Barring another change in the talks, per league sources, Duren might be missing in action when the team reconvenes in Detroit. The team holds its media day on Monday and would have two days of training camp before the Oct. 1 qualifying-offer deadline arrives. The Pistons have the ability to push the deadline back, but it remains unclear if they have any plans to do so if needed. They could also engage with teams regarding sign-and-trade scenarios, but they have been staunchly resistant to that possibility throughout the offseason.
While taking the qualifying-offer route would allow Duren to become an unrestricted free agent next summer, it comes with substantial risk. There’s the omnipresent health factor, the reality that he would spend the entire season auditioning for his next contract, and the historical fact that players typically don’t leave this amount of guaranteed money on the table.
Still, Duren’s confidence is born out of the fact that his market for next summer looks quite robust. As The Athletic previously reported, the Sacramento Kings have signaled a willingness to pay him a max-salary deal next summer. That alone has aided his leverage, but there are at least two other teams — including the Milwaukee Bucks — that are known to have serious interest in Duren (both now and, potentially, next summer).
What’s more, the league’s recent announcement that the salary cap had increased by \(2 million for the 2027-28 season changed the math in his favor as it relates to future finances. If he were to take the qualifying offer for next season and secure a four-year, max-salary deal elsewhere next summer, for example, the combined earnings in that five-year period would be nearly as much as what Detroit is currently offering (\)198.8 million versus $200 million).
That revelation begs a relevant and obvious question: Does Duren still want to play with the Pistons? Rival teams have indicated for quite some time that Duren is very interested in playing elsewhere, and his absence from multiple team events in the summer is certainly a sign of his discontent.
While, on the surface, it may seem Duren’s contract negotiations with the Pistons have dominated the 2026 offseason, the disagreement dates back roughly a year. Had Duren and the Pistons come to an agreement on a rookie-scale extension last summer, the way they did with Ausar Thompson last week, this situation would cease to exist.
Duren has been away from the city for much of the offseason, with the exception of his mid-August children’s basketball camp in Shelby Township, Mich. He was absent for fellow All-NBA teammate Cade Cunningham’s minicamp in San Diego and Pistons owner Tom Gores’ annual summer team event in Southern California.
Detroit inking Thompson to a five-year, \(155 million deal, which will begin paying him an average annual value of \)31 million, added a layer to Duren’s contract negotiations. As did Thompson’s twin brother Amen, who agreed to sign a five-year, $208 million contract to stay with the Houston Rockets earlier this month.
While Amen Thompson was a Defensive Player of the Year finalist, neither Thompson twin earned an All-Star or All-NBA selection last season, while Duren got the nod on both. For Duren, it’s quite clear he sees his value in a higher tier than both twins considering last regular-season’s accolades. Yet, as the Pistons could certainly contest, Duren’s well-chronicled postseason struggles changed the way he was perceived around the league just as the negotiations were about to begin.
On the Pistons’ end, it’s understandable they don’t want to financially overcommit to a player they aren’t convinced will recreate his regular-season effectiveness in the playoffs. That’s especially so when Cunningham, who was given a five-year, \(269 million extension two summers ago, is set to make \)50.1 million next season and $53.8 million in 2027-28.
There’s a steep price to be paid no matter which direction it goes. And less time than ever for Duren and the Pistons to get a deal done.
Source:https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/7618603/2026/09/21/jalen-duren-pistons-contract-extension-nba/ unlocked_article_code=1.C1E.8e1p.y0ozxPXTSug8&source=user_shared_article&smid=ta-ios-share