Duren Ends Summer-Long Negotiations and Stays a Piston
Per Shams Charania of ESPN, All-NBA and All-Star center Jalen Duren has agreed to sign a five-year, $200 million fully guaranteed contract to return to the Detroit Pistons.
The agreement ends a summer-long contract dispute between Duren and the Detroit Pistons. Duren also didn’t attend Media Day and the start of training camp. The contract negotiations dragged on for multiple reasons. Not only the amount of compensation, but Duren felt he was undervalued, with offers starting at a reported $170 million range. The Pistons also initially included weight clauses that were removed from the contract he eventually signed.
Duren had until 11:59 p.m. ET Thursday night, October 1, to either accept the five-year, $200 million deal or the $9.6 million qualifying offer that would make him a free agent heading into the 2027-28 season.
In the 2025-26 regular season, Duren was one of the best centers in the NBA. At just 22 years old, he averaged 19.5 points and 10.5 rebounds. He was named to his first All-Star Team and was named Third Team All-NBA. He would have been the first player to ever sign a qualifying offer after being named an All-Star or to an All-NBA team.
Before the playoffs, a number of $200 million or higher wouldn’t have been a negotiation. Though Duren’s performance dropped in the playoffs, his points per game fell to 10.2 and rebounds went to 8.5 in 14 games. The Pistons eventually lost to the Cleveland Cavaliers in seven games in the Eastern Conference Semifinals.
Over the course of negotiations, the Pistons seemed committed to doing all they could to keep Duren a Piston for the foreseeable future, to pair with his running mate Cade Cunningham.
The Pistons open the regular season Tuesday, October 20, against the Boston Celtics at Little Caesars Arena at 3 p.m. ET on NBC.
