Clippers, Kings predicted to battle for $19M Pistons’ former first-rounder, elite versatile athlete

Clippers, Kings predicted to battle for $19M Pistons’ former first-rounder, elite versatile athlete originally appeared on The Sporting News.
Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

Early in the summer, it was hard to tell what was going to be next for the Detroit Pistons and Jalen Duren as they worked through their contract negotiations. The two sides were warned that it could be a long process because of Duren’s camp and other factors.

It was known that the center wanted a max contract. It was his postseason play that had Detroit skeptical about giving him everything he wanted in a contract.

“The longer Jalen Duren remains unsigned in free agency, the Detroit Pistons will be forced to reconsider whether the hassle is worth the reward. Duren’s All-NBA season officially made him eligible for a five-year supermax extension, but his underwhelming play in the postseason immediately made the chances of the big man landing that payday at an all-time low,” Pistons Powered’s John Canady wrote.

The latest update for Duren and the Pistons is not good. Both sides currently sit at a $5 million contract rift.

“The Pistons offered Jalen Duren a five-year contract averaging around $35 million annually, per ESPN. Duren’s camp continues to believe he is worth more than $40 million per year.. If Duren continues to be unsatisfied with Detroit, he could take the qualifying offer instead,” NBA reporter Evan Sidery wrote.

If the negotiations continue to go in the wrong direction, Duren can accept the qualifying offer. CBS Sports’ Sam Quinn sees a world where Duren accepts his qualifying offer. Then, next summer, he becomes an unrestricted free agent, with the Los Angeles Clippers and Sacramento Kings potentially battling it out for him.

“Obviously we’re in full on speculation mode here, but the reason I haven’t dismissed the possibility of Duren taking the qualifying offer is that the Kings and Clippers are both so desperate that I could see either of them just blindly maxing him next summer as a UFA,” Quinn wrote.

At this point, if Duren wants his max that badly, he needs to take the qualifying offer. It is clear Detroit isn’t willing to give him a full max contract. The only risky thing is that anything can happen during a season.

Duren has made $19 million in his young career. The center would be a great fit for the Clippers, especially after trading away Ivica Zubac and Brook Lopez on an expiring deal this season. The Kings are likely to deal Domantas Sabonis at any point as well. It looks like there will be a big need on both teams next summer.

More NBA news: