Report: Jalen Duren to meet with Lakers Tuesday

Contract negotiations between Duren and the Pistons have dragged into September, just weeks before the team is scheduled to begin training camp. According to MacMahon, Detroit has offered the All-NBA center a five-year contract with an average annual salary of $35 million, while Duren is seeking an AAV of over $40 million. While he is coming off the best season of his NBA career, the 6-foot-10 center struggled in both of Detroit’s playoff series, which has likely factored into the contract negotiations. Also, the Pistons already have Cade Cunningham on a max deal, and they’re negotiating with Ausar Thompson as he enters the final year of his rookie deal. Duren is a top-50 fantasy player, but it’s fair to wonder how the contract talks will affect his performance in 2026-27 if the hard feelings linger.

Coming off the most productive season of his NBA career, Duren appeared to be in line for a significant payday this summer. However, a subpar showing in the postseason cast doubt on whether the center was worth the max contract that he hopes to land. With Duren a restricted free agent and few teams having the cap space to meet his asking price, the Pistons held the leverage when free agency began in late June. Rumors suggested the Lakers and Kings were interested in a sign-and-trade, but the former added Walker Kessler and the latter has not moved Domantas Sabonis. So, the staring contest between Duren and the Pistons continues, and it’s fair to wonder if the nature of the negotiations will affect the center’s production in 2026-27. As he showed last season, Duren has top-50 value in fantasy basketball, but he has to agree to a deal first.

By playing under the qualifying offer next season, both Duren and Watson, who are currently restricted free agents, would leave millions on the table to become unrestricted free agents next offseason. Stein reports Denver’s initial contract offers to Watson were believed to be in the four-year, $70 million range. While that offer is certainly less than Watson wants, at least the sides are talking. Duren and the Pistons appear to be at a stalemate as Detroit has no interest in trading him or giving him the max contract he desires. While it’ll be interesting to see how both of these situations ultimately resolve themselves, it remains unlikely that either player will actually resort to accepting the qualifying offer.

Duren is set to meet with the Kings and Lakers as free agency opens Tuesday evening, but it takes two teams to complete a sign and trade and the Pistons are saying they’re anything but a willing participant. Detroit has said Duren is part of the team’s core and isn’t interested in trading the 22-year-old center. The Pistons are even prepared to match any potential offer sheets Duren might sign with another team as a restricted free agent. Duren staying with the Pistons has been the most likely outcome heading into the offseason and that remains the case.

For quite some time now, it has been believed that Duren and the Pistons were far apart in their negotiations on a new deal. While the 2026 All-Star struggled during the postseason, Monday’s report is shocking. Not only will Duren meet with the Kings at the beginning of free agency, but he’ll do so to work out a sign-and-trade with the Pistons. According to Sam Amick of The Athletic, the Kings plan to offer Domantas Sabonis to the Pistons to get a deal done. Of course, Detroit can always refuse to do so, especially if they decide to simply match whatever offer sheet Duren signs. If Duren were to move on, that would put the Pistons in the market for a new starting center, which could affect the market for a player like New York’s Mitchell Robinson.

Duren was named to the All-NBA third-team last week, making him eligible for a max contract worth up to $287 million over five years. Amick, who appeared on the Run It Back show Friday, said he has a hard time seeing the Pistons offering that much, which potentially could leave the organization and the player far apart in negotiations initially. With only a handful of teams with cap space this offseason, Duren, a restricted free agent, may still get his best offer from the Pistons, even if it isn’t a max deal.

All five third-team selections were named All-NBA for the first time in their respective careers on Sunday. Duren’s selection may be the most impactful, as he’ll hit restricted free agency next month. The All-NBA selection makes him eligible for a max deal worth up to $287 million over five years. However, given his struggles during the postseason and the Pistons’ need to also address Ausar Thompson’s future, Duren may not strike it that rich this summer. Especially with other teams unable to offer a deal on par with what the Pistons can.

Sunday’s defeat was the painful conclusion to Duren’s disappointing playoff run. While active on the boards, the Pistons’ center did not offer much value in Game 7. After averaging 19.5 points per game during the regular season, that number dropped to 10.2 in the playoffs. And with Duren hitting restricted free agency next month, the question is how these playoffs will affect his market. From a fantasy standpoint, Duren has top-50 potential, and he can be even more valuable to managers willing to punt free-throw percentage.

Benched for most of the fourth quarter and the entirety of overtime of Game 5, Duren hit his low point in these playoffs. Give him credit for bouncing back in Game 6, picking a great time to record his first double-double since Game 2. Duren was also impactful as a rebounder and defender, with the three blocks matching his total from the first five games. For the Pistons to win Game 7 and advance to the conference finals, they’ll need a similar performance from Duren on Sunday.

Duren played 25 minutes, but was -16. The 22-year-old center sat on the bench for most of the fourth quarter and overtime in favor of Paul Reed. Reed had 10 points, eight rebounds and two blocks in 17 minutes. The Pistons have stuck with Duren for the entire playoffs up to this point. With Detroit on the brink of elimination, it’s entirely possible Reed draws the start in Game 6 in Cleveland on Friday.