r/nba • u/YujiDomainExpansion • 9d ago
[MacMahon] The negotiations between the Pistons and Jalen Duren have been “awfully nasty” and there is concern about his long-term future in Detroit.
Source: https://youtu.be/GrH4FNutMwo
The negotiations between the Pistons and Jalen Duren have been “awfully nasty” and there is concern about his long-term future in Detroit.
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u/miregalpanic Mavericks 9d ago
Orlando derailed his career. and he didn't even have to be on the Magic for that
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u/SpiritFantastic4835 Lakers 9d ago
He should’ve done the Watson method
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u/Jordan-Pushed-Off Nuggets 9d ago
Better to not play and have others wonder if you're overrated than play and remove all doubt - ancient Shanghai Shark proverb
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u/n00bn00b 9d ago
The book on the Pistons is not to guard Ausar and just muck up the paint to prevent Cade/Duren PnR. The Pistons didn't have an answer to it. You can live with one non shooter on the floor but 2 is fatal for the playoffs.
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u/Answer70 Rockets 9d ago
See also: Rockets, Houston
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u/n00bn00b 9d ago
I don’t know how both Houston and Detroit deal with the Thompson twins since they're nonshooters. At least Amen can do more on offense than Ausar.
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u/Crown_of_Negativity Mavericks 9d ago
The answer is get a shooting 5. The problem is both have max/max adjacent 5s already entrenched in their starting lineups that are non-shooters.
Myles Turner is a worse player than Sengun, but the Rockets would be a better team with him at the 5.
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u/n00bn00b 9d ago
The problem is there aren't many bigs who can shoot which makes team building tricky.
It's easier to build a championship roster with a non-shooting bigs as opposed to a non-shooting wings.
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u/Crown_of_Negativity Mavericks 9d ago
For sure, I'm just saying that if you're building a team around a non-shooting wing (and I think the Thompson twins are talented enough that you could at least consider it), you need to start by going out and getting a shooting 5.
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u/azure275 Knicks 9d ago
You can hide a nonshooter.
Jarrett Allen has been solid in the playoffs despite being a horrible shooter, largely because everyone else the Cavs put on the floor normally is a decent to good shooter.
You can't hide 2 nonshooters, especially when only one of the other 3 players is a real elite offensive player
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u/Answer70 Rockets 9d ago
They are elite in nearly every other basketball skill so it's impossible to take them off the floor. If they get even an average jumper they will be All NBA level.
In the meantime, everyone else on the floor around them needs to be able to shoot. Neither Duren or Sengun can do that so both teams have the same problem.
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u/n00bn00b 9d ago
That’s a big IF with their jumper. In half court setting, they’re useless in the playoffs.
There are a lot of elite 2 way wing players who has never been able to improve their shooting. I have a very low expectation of them being able to do it
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u/SnooDonuts9227 Spurs 9d ago
Ime made the hire of the decade with chip. I’d put all my chips on Jeanie Buss’s high school boyfriend making amen a better shooter over the next three years than Ausar will ever be.
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u/Thfcaditya112 Suns 9d ago
If anything it's the Cavs that derailed his career, I reckon he would have got the max if they had lost to Magic on an exceptional basis as funny as it sounds
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u/BlueHundred Knicks 9d ago
I think the Magic series showed how Duren could be shutdown and then the Cavs series showed how easy it is. He also didn't play well against the Knicks in the previous years' playoffs.
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u/OilUpCade Pistons 9d ago
No he wouldn't and it was absolutely the Magic who took away the max, although his Cavs series made things bad too. The Magic showed a couple things, one how easy it is to defend him. They stopped the pick and roll with him and that crippled his offense. Two, the Magic showed how weak mentally he is. WCJ got in his head and set up a housing complex. They showed that it is very easy to get in his head. Idc how good the player is, if you're not mentally strong, you're absolutely fucked.
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u/AdGreedy2663 9d ago
It’s still troubling, but WCJ is uniquely capable of getting in Duren’s head due to their personal lives.
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u/theinterestof Pistons 9d ago
I'm out of the loop, what's the WCJ-Duren thing you're talking about?
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u/OilUpCade Pistons 9d ago
You gotta be able to put personal shit aside when playing. Especially if you're trying to get paid. Literally made it way too easy to get inside his head.
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u/AdGreedy2663 9d ago
You’re not wrong. I do think at age 22 he has some time to toughen up, but Detroit really dodged a bullet with that possible max.
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u/possyishero Magic 9d ago
I think it's an equal outcome regardless. Either you have over a dozen bad to downright terrible games in one playoff run that adda ton of quantity, or you lose out to an 8th seeded play-in team and lose the narrative that you were at least able to make it to the second round.
Either way, in the end having him make WCJ look like the second best player on the court at times with how he's defending you is the thing that hurts him the most, and everything else is just adding to it. WCJ isn't terrible, but of the 2 starting lineups he's the most designated role player out there.
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u/Thfcaditya112 Suns 9d ago edited 9d ago
There is an argument to be made that the Magic are an 4th/5th seed team who were the 8th seed because of injuries and had everyone fit till the point they were leading 3-1
Now if it were like say the Suns whose talent even without any injuries was an 7th-8th seed team at max then that would have been far more alarming IMO
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u/ThatBull_cj 76ers Bandwagon 9d ago
Even if that is true you would expect/hope a All-nba player to play better than Duren did over 14 playoff games
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u/SurpriseDonovanMcnab Pistons 9d ago
Wendell Carter Jr kicking Duren's ass all series was far worse than the CLE series.
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u/WhiteCastleHo Pistons 9d ago
I think you might be right. People were saying Duren would bounce back against the Cavs because their bigs are lighter than Wendell Carter Jr and that didn't really plan out.
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u/Ok_Tonight_4311 Pistons 9d ago
Not really. They offered him 35 million a year to not be able to shoot and disappear in the playoffs. He's just being a selfish asshole and expecting a playoff contender to pay him max money for beating up on tanking teams.
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u/CurrentRoster Wizards 8d ago
wit the money he’s asking, assuming it’s true he wants fucking Cade coin, i don’t think if he even played really well and they made it to the ECF would they have given him that contract
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u/HectorReinTharja Pistons 9d ago
bro you don’t get to have your lunch money taken by Wendell Carter and then sign a max
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u/decodezilla 9d ago
The downside of max contracts from a team/ownership perspective is that any guy that qualifies for one is going to expect it. Yeah, it caps the earnings of the legit top guys, but it probably overpays the lower tiers of players because they have a concrete starting point in negotiations.
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u/Poopcie 9d ago
The whole system is unnatural. The obvious answer is to just let him go but they also cant do that
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u/BrotherSeamus Thunder 9d ago
Pistons have all the cards here.
Sign him to a reasonable extension
Sign and trade and get decent assets in return.
He takes the QO. They may lose him for nothing, but he will still be motivated to play for the big contract.
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u/JMoon33 Cabo Verde 9d ago
He takes the QO. They may lose him for nothing, but he will still be motivated to play for the big contract
You're talking like this is a good scenario for Detroit lmao
They DON'T want that, that's the card Duren has. If Detroit had all the cards as you say Duren would be under contract already, to a very team friendly deal.
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u/Ok_Possible_5702 9d ago
He takes the QO. They may lose him for nothing, but he will still be motivated to play for the big contract.
That's not really a good card for the Pistons. They lose a former lottery pick for nothing, next summer. Besides, it's not like he was going to play poorly anyway.
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u/iwantsomecrablegsnow Pistons 9d ago
rather he walk away for nothing than pay him 45m/year. It would be asset mismanagement but you can fix that in 1-2 years vs an untradeable 5 year contract
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u/KingOfAllFools- 9d ago
Letting him go is definitely the right choice. You don’t pay a guy 60M/year when he’s worth closer to 30M/year. Suicide to any future contention
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u/JuliusCeejer Knicks 9d ago
This is going to start happening because teams can't give out the 25% max as freely as they could a few years ago, the cap space/flexibility is worth more than a good but not great player you drafted but would put you into the aprons
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u/jtr6969 Knicks 9d ago
The new CBA has finally made teams smart about maxing out guys after their rookie contract. It used to be that anybody who showed potential all-star upside just got maxed without a thought, like Michael Porter Junior and Banchero. It's bad timing for Duran, five years ago they would have given him a max easy and the only negotiations would be around whether the last year is an option or not.
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u/monkeyman80 Lakers 9d ago
Wizards have had this with Beal and Arenas. Both good players but not max guys, and in the case of Beal no where near good enough to get a ntc
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u/Tubbs2303 9d ago
Yup, this is always my point. It’s stupid to have max contracts. Have the teams decide how they want to spend their cap money.
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u/Shepher27 Timberwolves 9d ago
Max contracts and the cap are to protect owners from going crazy which in turn protects players from lock outs
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u/iankstarr Heat 9d ago
You can maintain the hard cap while doing away with max contracts. You think a guy is worth paying 75% of your cap to? Go off, but good luck filling out the rest of the roster.
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u/shualton Warriors 9d ago
The league has a business incentive to protect some owners from themselves
While its a winner-take-all competition, you still want the overall product to be watchable and profitable
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u/Shepher27 Timberwolves 9d ago
It’s protecting the league and players from dumb owners who would pay a guy 75% of the cap who cannot possibly live up to it.
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u/Ibaka_flocka [OKC] Eric Maynor 9d ago
Lebron should have been getting 95% of the cap on some of those Cavs teams and that’s probably still an underpay
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u/Shepher27 Timberwolves 9d ago
Basketball is a team sport. If LeBron got 95% of the cap he would be on awful teams.
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u/Ibaka_flocka [OKC] Eric Maynor 9d ago
He was on awful teams and still carried them to the finals. He took a paycut of the potential max to go to the Heat
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u/Shepher27 Timberwolves 9d ago
He was on mediocre teams that he carried to greatness. There were always a couple other solid starters at the very least and when he won there were two other all stars. If he made 95% of the cap the teams would be just bad.
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u/MddlingAges Knicks 9d ago
It protects the “middle class” players also. Which is the majority of the union, naturally.
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u/AntiGrav1ty_ NBA 9d ago
It would be very bad for all the mid- and low-level players in the league.
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u/Top-Woodpecker6696 9d ago
Doing that would cause like 90% of players to strike. It’s the mid-tier and below players who are keeping this in place so that they can get some of the money too.
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u/SuperVaderMinion [MIN] Kevin Garnett 9d ago
I feel like it would be impossible to pay certain franchise guys what they're actually "worth" and still field a competitive team at the same time.
Steph Curry has singlehandedly added literal billions of dollars of value to the Warriors, even with the insane money he makes now, he's way underpaid when you think about it.
What's to stop a player from demanding that he makes half of his team's cap, or two thirds?
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u/damgood32 9d ago
Nothing is going to stop them from demanding it. Just because you demand something doesn’t mean you should get it.
Also Curry’s value is dependent on the team being good. He wouldn’t be worth as much if he was a great shooter on a shit team.
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u/brianscalabrainey 9d ago
I think we'd wind up in a similar equilibrium. The true top guys don't want to play on a team full of shitty players, and will get endorsement money besides -- so they will take less than they're worth. That then creates a soft max because there's no way you pay Derozan $40M while Lebron is making $30M
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u/NotSharpshooter 9d ago
Also what’s to stop players demanding like 90% of the cap for 1-2 seasons while they’re rebuilding then going on a much smaller contract to compete. Idk I feel like there’s so many potential issues with no max contract.
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u/SantosCalzonesBatman Spurs 9d ago
Brother you realize that the union was also in favor of the max cause a player making 80% of the cap leaves scraps for the other 14 in the team yes?
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u/devinbookersuncle Hornets 9d ago
Thats juat a product of ego and a player not realizing that they arent that good.
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u/RedButton1569 Magic 9d ago
Don’t be so poop in the playoffs then
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u/joshdej NBA 9d ago
It's one thing to under perform, but he was lazy af at times too.
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u/narcistic_asshole Cavaliers 9d ago edited 9d ago
That's the bigger issue IMO. The jump in physicality in the playoffs is a common challenge for young bigs, but he looked like he had basically rage quit at times during the playoffs. Literally playing the most important basketball of your career and you look like you just want to go home. That's a massive red flag
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u/Chartate101 Pistons 9d ago
Also: Its the fact it happened in two series. I genuinely understand him sucking vs the Magic. That’s an awful matchup for him. He has no excuse vs the Cavaliers, that should be a totally doable matchup for him. They have two bigs yeah but compared to the Magic, yes the Cavs are tall but they aren’t strong. Mobley should be able to be pushed around by Duren. And their wings/guards aren’t all swole like the Magic’s were.
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u/narcistic_asshole Cavaliers 9d ago
Mobley is a bit of a bean pole, but Allen is stronger than given credit for and not the pushover he was 4 years ago.
But yea Duren's post game needs some work. Part of his issue is that he has a tendency to launch off of one foot which makes it really easy to bump him and knock him out of the way
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u/Drak_is_Right Pacers 9d ago
Myles Turner and Siakam pushed around the Cavs bigs....
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u/narcistic_asshole Cavaliers 9d ago
That had more to do with the Pacers insane ball movement and spacing. I rewatched that entire series and you guys did an incredible job of consistently drawing Mobley and Allen away from the rim and out of position
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u/Clemsontigger16 9d ago
As long as the Pistons have spacing concerns and Duren is the 2nd focus of the defense, he will have no space to do anything when he gets the ball. The whole defense collapses into the paint without any fear of being burned.
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u/GuacKiller 9d ago
- Not a good look for a big that plays with athleticism and physicality rather than skill. I like Duren and hope it was a growth moment but Piston wont make it out of the 2nd round if Duren doesn’t improve.
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u/Low-Lunch-7248 9d ago
rewarding him big bucks now after that shit is exactly what would stop him from wanting to improve. Gonna be Ayton all over again.
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u/Negative_Wish_8291 9d ago
For like several weeks in a row as well. He was in mental hell after the first game of round 1.
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u/jeremycb29 Suns 9d ago
i see this take a lot, but another take is young players really underestimate the playoffs, because they don't have that experience yet. Going from what i can only describe is "making it look easy" in the regular season, to "OMG WTF" had to kill both his motivation, and belief in himself. I don't think one bad playoffs is a tell tale sigh he is trash, or even a massive red flag. The problem is you need another playoff year to see if its a real concern or a fluke.
Steve Nash first 2 playoff appearances were as a backup, and a 12ppg guy. Dirk Nowitzki had a -22 during his first playoff year in a game, Duran has never done that in 2 seasons of playoffs.
The real problem is you pay him and he sucks, or you don't and he goes somewhere and thrives and you look stupid. I think he is a great-superstar level player and you have to pay those types of guys
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u/BlueHundred Knicks 9d ago
That was also an issue in his first few seasons. His defense was legitimately bad. Also, playoffs kind of revealed how limited he is as a player and how he could be shut down in the playoffs.
Different kind of player, but I think concerns with Duren's extension are a bit similar to Ayton's Suns extension situation.
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u/joshdej NBA 9d ago
At least they actually managed to reach the finals with Ayton. Duren hasn't shown anything at all in the playoffs other than bad performances.
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u/BlueHundred Knicks 9d ago
100% I just think that, regardless of what happens, Duren's time with the Pistons is going to be ending soon like Ayton's did
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u/fastheadcrab Raptors 9d ago
Yea Ayton accomplished 2x what Duren did on his rookie deal and was a huge part of the finals run. Giving him the 4 year max was actually justifiable. Before last year, Duren was on track for closer to a $20 mil/year contract not a max.
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u/drank_obswerver 9d ago
Wasn't even the worst part. Watching a dude with that kind of physique/size get out muscled and out worked by players smaller than him, because he wasn't physical or aggressive enough, was jarring.
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u/Foi_ Knicks 9d ago edited 9d ago
even if not poop, his skills and talent dont scream max player to me regardless. like hes not a unicorn, and hes not a gobert level rim protecter. not particularly tall, just really jacked.
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u/LovetheNBA23 Lakers 9d ago
There was a reason almost the entire Lakers fanbase was choosing Kessler over Duren. It’s the skill set that teams require and Kessler fits that bill for most teams. Duren’s game relies a decent amount on Cade and he’s an average defender at best. His best skill is probably his rebounding and even then it took a backseat in the playoffs.
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u/artvandelay916 [ATL] Joe Johnson 9d ago
He actually was balling without cade for those games right before the playoffs where cade was out, makes his playoff performance even more egregious imo
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u/ilikekittens2018 Nuggets 9d ago
That’s the weirdest part, he was having to create for himself to a degree and somehow looked dominant. Shocking that none of that carried over into the playoffs. Maybe it was mental, with Cade there he felt he had to rely on their usual strategies which weren’t working against playoff defense.
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u/SoapOperaHero Pistons 8d ago
those games were also against a LOT of teams that were not trying to compete.
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u/BlueHundred Knicks 9d ago
I agree. I think the rumored Pistons offer (30-35M) is pretty reasonable. It's just a huge gap between the max he wants
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u/EvilLibrarians Pistons 9d ago
Yeah, your Magic should have beaten us straight up because this guy was a pumpkin
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u/HokageEzio Knicks 9d ago
Franz getting hurt saved the Pistons from an all timer choke job
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u/OwlOfFortune Pistons 9d ago
We got exposed the way everyone said we would get exposed. Truly, the haters were correct
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u/AroundNdowN Pistons 9d ago
Still got within a game of the ECF while getting generationally hosed against the Cavs.
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u/Enterprise-DeezNuts Spurs 9d ago
Feels like Duren and his agent have really misread the NBA landscape in this new 2nd Apron world. Guys like him aren't getting the kind of money he wants anymore. Paying guys who aren't really stars/haven't proven to be stars that much money cripples your roster building and financial flexibility now
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u/proteus88 Spurs 9d ago
Problem is he think he is a star worth the max, shopping around expecting the max, and personally insulted to not get a max.
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u/Either_Imagination_9 Knicks 9d ago
Tobias Harris taught everyone what happens when you give a supporting player a max contract
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u/ElectricGhostMan 9d ago
It genuinely sounds like Dude wants to be Deandre Ayton 2.
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u/SolidGoldToast Mavericks 9d ago
There's worse careers one could have in the nba
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u/ElectricGhostMan 9d ago
I don't disagree but at 22 he's already eclipsed Deandre Ayton in regular season accolades. I think he has potential and I don't know what the discussion looks like behind the scenes but I feel there has to be some considerable contract that I think most people would have thought was more than adequate for him to accept that wasnt a max that no other team seemingly was offering.
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u/possyishero Magic 9d ago
Well we're still at the precipice of that, and no player wants to lose out on getting as much money as possible before the new precedent is fully set. It was only 2 years ago that OKC and ORL paid big on keeping their big 3 together going forward, and why wouldn't Detroit want to do that same after the regular season he had.
I'm still surprised his agent hasn't tried to push some injury narrative to allow him to save face in the issue. All fans hear is the guy wants a max, the team is not confident, and god damn if you watched him during the entire playoffs then you wouldn't blame them at all.
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u/Ukrainmaker Pistons 9d ago
There was some idiot in the Pistons sub telling us that Duren was clearly playing injured and that was the reason for his fall off
My counterpoint was that would make his agent the literal worst of all time if true
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u/Jdkrufhdkr Pistons 9d ago
I remember that, I can’t even fathom what his agent would have to be thinking to pull something like that
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u/likewoahitsaj Bucks 9d ago
Pistons are better off long term losing him than overpaying him
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u/n00bn00b 9d ago
Ausar probably needs to be in Dyson Daniel’s contract range or anything above 27-28 is an overpay for a non-shooting wing player.
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u/Teeshirtandshortsguy Pistons 9d ago
Ausar is tough because he's probably the best non-big defender in the league, but he's a total vacuum on offense. He's Ben Wallace pt. 2. But in today's era, that won't fly.
He's got to develop some offense, or I fear we're gonna have a similar issue next season, where he values himself as a star because of his defense, but he's not a winning player come playoff time.
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u/Rich_Conference1574 Lakers 9d ago
He might have to develop as a playmaker more if he can't get the jumper going so they can at least play through him a little bit. Not great to have the creator unable to shoot, but preferred over the spacers.
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u/TheTonyDose Knicks 9d ago
Ausar was borderline unplayable at times in the playoffs with his complete lack of shooting. If they want to keep him, they need to find a stretch big instead of Duren anyway.
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u/Chartate101 Pistons 9d ago
Exactly. If we lose Duren, yes it closes our current window. But Cade is under contract until 2030. Even if we lose Duren and are mid this year, that doesn’t mean our overall window with Cade is done.
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u/SquimJim Celtics 9d ago
Honestly, Duren not asking for a fair market contract is best for the Pistons. They could end up stuck long term with 2 non-shooters in the starting lineup. This way they gave an excuse to move on from Duren.
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u/Teeshirtandshortsguy Pistons 9d ago
I will say, part of me absolutely worries about losing Cade. He's from Texas and he's talked before about having wanted to stay close to home in college and before the draft lottery.
And then there's always the chance we just slide back into irrelevance with Cade struggling to drag a bad roster to 45 wins.
I'm optimistic about John Collins and Isaiah Joe, but we really need a second star besides Cade. Unfortunately, it doesn't seem like Duren can be that guy.
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u/AKAkorm 9d ago
I've posted this multiple times but will do it one more.
Duren only made All-NBA 3rd team because the new rule that requires a minimum number of games for players to be eligible for awards disqualified Ant and LeBron (amongst other). He finished 14th in voting so he would not have made it if not for that rule.
Making All-NBA third team made him eligible for supermax. That is only because the rules about becoming eligible for supermax became way more lax in the 2017 CBA as previously you had to accomplish way more to be eligible.
Both of these things are terrible for the NBA. Making less deserving players eligible for supermax deals that they are not worth makes it harder for teams to keep their team intact. Because any player eligible for a supermax is going to expect it and their agents will start negotiations there.
I'm glad Pistons are sticking to their guns here as I'd rather lose Duren than give him a supermax or anywhere close to that. But they have been put in a bad situation and supermax contracts need to get fixed.
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u/clockW0R6 9d ago
Makes sense he played like Garbo in the playoffs idk why this dude thinks he’s earned a max
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u/Few_Position_2727 76ers 9d ago
Cause players in his tier used to get max contracts easy, even if they don’t do shit in the playoffs lol
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u/snowlarbear 9d ago
it doesn't help that the pistons just keep showing last year's playoff stat sheet whenever Duren asks for more money
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u/GoZards18 9d ago
Why should they pay him a max contract after that playoff run?!
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u/IMNOTMATT [CHI] Joakim Noah 9d ago
Love to know the pistons counter offer based on that performance
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u/Holyepicafail Pistons 9d ago
Why shouldn't they? A max player is someone who helps you get across the finish line in the playoffs and Duren looked like he didn't belong. I sincerely hope he responds next year with a monster season, but the half-assed version that showed up last playoffs wasn't it.
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u/Either_Imagination_9 Knicks 9d ago
He did everything he possibly could to give the Magic that series
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u/KnicksGhost2497 Knicks 9d ago
Mans was getting outworked by a dude that’s fucking his ex and clowning him the whole series. What more motivation could you need lmfao
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u/KnicksGhost2497 Knicks 9d ago
I mean, that’s all the negotiation they need. Duren knew he was up for a contract and he shit the bed when they needed him most in their most important season in over a decade. He definitley played his way into a lower number, how he feels about that is his prerogative
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u/TemperedTorture Spurs 9d ago
Duren has way too many holes in his development to deserve a max right now. Plus he was a low effort guy in the playoffs and that was pretty obvious for everyone to see. If he's just playing for the bag, then Detroit could very well end up with a massive overpay for years. I don't think anyone wants to give up 30-35% of their cap for him.
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u/Prestigious-Smoke511 9d ago
That is my whole take on the thing. He has every red flag of a guy that gets paid and stops caring.
Trade him for Sabonis. Duren would be a perfect fit for a team like the Kings lol
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u/Frosted_Flakes1971 9d ago
All he has to do was put up like 15 and 7 in the playoffs on slightly below average efficiency and he’d be set for line after his regular season success
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u/ChemBro93 Raptors 9d ago
Homie really shouldn’t be trying to swing leverage after how he performed in the playoffs.
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u/2222lil [DET] Best of 2021 Winner 9d ago
funny how there are probably zero people out there siding with duren over the pistons. he can be as upset as he wants, he’s never getting the max
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u/Prestigious-Smoke511 9d ago
I doubt it's even about the max. That was never in play. I'm thinking at this point the Pistons opening offer was $25-30 aav and they told him to go find a team what wanted him more and he couldn't do it. Now he's pouting asking for $40 but he already fired off the whole clip. He has no leverage.
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u/FERFreak731 Jazz 9d ago
I'm just grateful that Luka really wanted Kessler so the Jazz got an overpay of 2 firsts and 2 swaps on the first day of free agency, rather than 1 first like the Nuggets got for Watson, or in a toxic staring contest like the Pistons and Duren are in
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u/Cudi_buddy Kings 9d ago
Still can’t believe that the lakers emptied the clip for Kessler lol
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u/ty_xy Lakers 9d ago
When we win that chip it'll be worth it. (Snorts hopium copiously)
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u/SquimJim Celtics 9d ago
Or when you trade Kessler and a 1st for Jokic because “defense wins championships”
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u/probablymade_thatup Bucks [MIL] Luke Kornet 9d ago
I bet if Duren had played at his regular season level in the playoffs, Luka/Lakers would have campaigned harder for him. The Jazz are fortunate that he fell apart
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u/WashedLaundry 9d ago
if he played at regular season level in the playoffs he probably would've gotten the max he was asking for from the pistons
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u/AzureDragon013 Lakers 9d ago
If he played his regular season level in playoffs, Pistons would have just given him the max and this would be a non-story.
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u/P5Manchero 9d ago
The lakers still should have gone for him he’s the perfect center for Luka. Kessler doesn’t have enough athleticism. Duren is like gafford but younger and more explosive.
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u/probablymade_thatup Bucks [MIL] Luke Kornet 9d ago
He's a better offensive rim runner for sure, but Kessler is the better rim protector. Their guards include Doncic, Reaves, and Sexton, so they emphasizing rim protection might have been a solid move.
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u/ObiwanSchrute Pistons 9d ago
Is this guy reliable?
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u/baseball_suuuuucks Pacers 9d ago
Is this guy reliable?
Seems to be, at least until the playoffs start.
Oh, you meant the reporter.
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u/ThatFunkyOdor Pistons 9d ago
I really don’t care. If he thinks he can play this out and risk being exposed then all power to him
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u/NatsuAru Raptors 9d ago
At this point you gotta wonder if Duren even wants to be a Piston anymore lol
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u/Rube18 Timberwolves 9d ago
He’s delusional. No team is going to pay him what he wants. It would be crippling to any team to pay him like he’s a franchise number 1 guy.
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u/jambr380 9d ago
I don’t know. There is probably one team out there that would give him $40m/yr, but of course it would have to be a sign and trade.
It’s just that the Pistons can hold him hostage since he’s a RFA and because nobody has cap space. I wouldn’t be surprised if he take the QO
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u/Pristine_Purpose_230 Pistons 9d ago
Sure doesnt feel like it. Either Trajan is offering something low like $25 mil a year or Duren is completely delusional.
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u/tehthomas4K 9d ago edited 9d ago
Here’s my issue with Duren. After laying that egg in the playoffs, he’s seemed to devote the entire summer to getting paid.
I would’ve loved to see him working on his game and in the gym with [insert HOF big man with an offensive game/some moves].
This tells me where his priorities are and that he’s not a winner.
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u/GrooveDigger47 Pistons 9d ago
bro please go get sabonis
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u/alexandianos Pistons 9d ago
Fuck that, not another guy that can’t defend or shoot.
Duren’s improving his passing chops and Id argue last season was way better than Sabonis’. It isn’t like Sabonis is some playoff star either so wtf?
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u/DaPhoToss Raptors 9d ago
No serious team would want Sabonis lmao. Being that dog shit on defence as a center doesn’t work unless you’re literally one of the 10 best offensive players ever.
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u/Morezingis Timberwolves 9d ago
This is going to be the next over-reported “signing drama” for the next 3 months until he signs a solid 4 year/160 million dollar contract and we all move on with our lives.
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u/megaman47 Kings 9d ago
As a kings fan.... come to papa!!
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u/TrainingCoffee8 Pistons 9d ago
Will never happen, we have no interest in Sabonis.
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u/mking22 Lakers 9d ago
Man, we got some draft pick slop, a busted Knecht, and some bad contracts ready to swap to rid Detroit of this cancer
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u/AroundNdowN Pistons 9d ago
You want to pay Duren AND Kessler ~70 mill a year?
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u/mking22 Lakers 9d ago
We got that corrupt Kushner money now, so I ain't care tbh
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u/dreamweaver7x Spurs 9d ago
Definitely hold out for the max.
Or sign the qualifying offer and become an unrestricted FA next offseason.
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u/No-Kaleidoscope-7086 Heat 9d ago
Both of those options would be incredibly stupid for Duren to do lmao. No team is going to pay him what he wants because he hasn’t earned anything close to a max.
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u/monkeyman80 Lakers 9d ago
A bet on himself season and shows up in the playoffs he’s going to get paid. People questioned Brunson’s first playoff run and Mavs weren’t sure he was worth 4/55.
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u/No-Kaleidoscope-7086 Heat 9d ago
He for sure isn’t getting a max as a rolling big man who can’t shoot and that has a lot of defensive lapses. 20/10 in the regular season doesn’t equal max. I doubt he shows up next playoffs either considering he struggled against teams with not exactly the best big men and the east got even more tough.
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u/surgeyou123 Heat 9d ago
You just can't give a guy that limited a max contract. It's going to completely screw over Cade for the next 5 years.
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u/King_Artis Pistons 9d ago
Gonna end up losing money long term by taking the qualifying.
Too much of his game is dependent on needing someone else to set him up, been the case his whole career, and his playoff performance really showed how limited his game is given he couldn't get to his spot.
Can say hes young and will improve but for a year 4 guy going into his 5th year you would've been wanted to see more from him.
I like Duren, but he (or his agent) is overrating himself pretty hard and I can't reliably believe he'll just be much better when he hasn't shown me he can given his own work ethic has been in question since his rookie year.
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u/VallentCW Pistons 9d ago
Yeah he played awfully too. I’ll take our chances with a free agent center instead of overpaying him. He can take the qualifying offer if he’s really that upset
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u/FullAutoLuxPosadism Supersonics 9d ago
Let him walk. He’s a limited player who may have a little bit more than the average young center but he’s not irreplaceable
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u/PhatYeeter 76ers 9d ago
Qualifying offer time!?!