Pistons' Jalen Duren contract squabble over as he finally signs deal
· Yahoo Sports
It went until the buzzer, but the Detroit Pistons have finally reached an agreement with their biggest offseason free agent.
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After a contentious contract negotiation that saw Jalen Duren take free agency meetings with other teams, and leaked reports about his purported desire to play elsewhere, the Pistons' second-best player last season is returning for 2026-27.
Duren and the Pistons agreed to a five-year, $200 million contract on Thursday, Oct. 1, keeping the All-NBA big with the Pistons, a person with knowledge of the deal confirmed to the Free Press. The person was granted anonymity because they are not authorized to speak publicly on the deal.
The decision was first reported by ESPN's Shams Charania.
The 22-year-old had until 11:59 p.m. on Oct. 1 to take the qualifying offer, which was worth $9.6 million and would've allowed him to enter unrestricted free agency in 2027. Unsatisfied with the Pistons' offers this summer, Duren waited within hours of the deadline to accept the extension. He missed Monday's media day and the first three days of training camp, which started on Tuesday.
“He was a huge reason for our success these last two seasons. Had a tremendous season individually last year as well," president of basketball operations Trajan Langdon said Monday.
“We believe he will do the same thing this year, upcoming and are excited to have him back when he gets back. We’ll integrate him and he’s going to have a fantastic season regardless of his decision. We look forward to getting him back.”
Duren joins the organization with just a few days to reacclimate himself before preseason tips off against the Phoenix Suns on Monday (7 p.m., TV 20 - The Spot). He and the Pistons will now try to put a protracted negotiation behind them and build momentum entering the season.
“He knows how I feel about him and I continue to let him know how I feel about him, and that’s really all that matters,” coach J.B. Bickerstaff said Monday. “I love JD. I know how JD feels about me, how he feels about being a member of the Pistons. It’s positive. I know there’s a lot of things out there being said, but he’s a huge part of what we do, he’s a huge part of where we are right now, the steps that we’ve taken to get there. Comes to the work that he’s put in, the effort and the sacrifices that he’s made for this team and his teammates. It’s all love from our standpoint and we look forward to having him back.”
Duren's $40 million average annual value is second on the Pistons, behind only Cade Cunningham's $53.8 million per year on a five-year, $269 million rookie extension signed in July 2024. It also makes Duren the eighth highest-paid center in the NBA in annual value, ahead of Houston Rockets big man Alperen Sengun and Oklahoma City Thunder star Chet Holmgren.
Duren joins Ausar Thompson as the newest Pistons to have their futures locked in. Thompson signed a five-year, $155 million rookie extension that kicks in after this season, and is projected to eat up around 16% of the salary cap annually.
Duren entered restricted free agency after a breakout third-team All-NBA season, followed by a poor playoff performance in two series.
With the two sides far apart in contract talks, Duren took free agency meetings with the Sacramento Kings and Los Angeles Lakers, but his leverage dried up quickly.
Duren stays with the franchise that drafted him No. 13 overall out of Memphis in 2022.
Jalen Duren stats
Duren averaged 19.5 points and 10.5 rebounds per game over 28.2 minute in 70 games, all starts, on 65% shooting with two assists to 1.9 turnovers, 0.8 steals and 0.8 blocks for a 60-win Pistons team that lost in Game 7 to Cleveland in the second round last season.
He played a key role in helping the Pistons lock down the Eastern Conference 1-seed despite Cunningham's collapsed long in mid-March, and scored 22.6 points per game after the All-Star break.
For his four-year NBA career in the regular season, Duren has averaged 13.5 points, 10.3 rebounds, 2.1 assists to 1.8 turnovers, 0.7 steals and 0.9 blocks in 276 games (239 starts) over 27 minutes per game.
Jalen Duren contract
Duren earned All-NBA third-team honors in 2025-26, qualifying him for a contract worth up to $287 million that starts at 30% of the salary cap with 8% raises.
Though the final tally on Duren's new deal fell well short of that max, it commits him to a team that emerged as a contender last season thanks to him and Cunningham, his fellow All-NBA point guard.
Despite reporting that his camp would push for sign-and-trade offers after the Pistons' initial offerings fell short, the Pistons never wanted to engage in a trade.
Jalen Duren playoff stats
The Pistons repeatedly have signaled Duren, who will turn 23 in November, is a priority and one of their three core players they wish to build around, even after his numbers dropped significantly in 14 playoff games this past spring. Duren averaged just 10.2 points (9.3 fewer than his regular-season average, the second-biggest drop by an All-Star in NBA history), 8.5 rebounds, 2.1 assists to 2.3 turnovers, and 1.2 blocks on 51.4% shooting in 30.1 minutes per game. He was outplayed in the playoffs by third-string center Paul Reed.
Duren, who is from a Philadelphia suburb, fared much better in his first playoffs in 2025, a six-game first-round series loss to the New York Knicks in which he collected 11.8 points on 65% shooting with 10.7 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 1.7 blocks in 33.8 minutes.
Pistons center depth chart
Here's the Pistons' new-look center depth chart entering the 2026-27 season:
- Jalen Duren, Paul Reed, Tolu Smith, Ugonna Onyenso (two-way contract),
The Pistons traded backup center Isaiah Stewart to the Memphis Grizzlies on June 24 during the NBA Draft, and traded into the second round to draft Virginia center Ugonna Onyenso and signed him to a two-way contract.
Reed, who is on an expiring $5.6 million nonguaranteed deal for 2026-27 projects as the backup to Duren. The Pistons also picked up a $2.4 million team option on 25-year-old Tolu Smith, who was converted from a two-way contract in April.
Duren will have a new power forward next to him with the Pistons acquiring John Collins in free agency and letting Tobias Harris, their No. 2 scorer in the playoffs, go to the San Antonio Spurs.
Jalen Duren draft pick
Duren was drafted by then-Pistons general manager Troy Weaver in 2022 at No. 13 overall. Duren, the youngest prospect in that draft, played one season in college at Memphis. The Pistons acquired Duren in a three-team deal with the Charlotte Hornets and New York Knicks. The Pistons sent the Milwaukee Bucks' 2025 top-four protected first-round pick (which they acquired from Portland in the Jerami Grant trade one day prior) to the Knicks, and took on Kemba Walker's salary.
Jalen Duren age
Duren, 22 years old, was born Nov. 18, 2003, and grew up in New Castle, Delaware. He turns 23 on Nov. 18, 2026.
Jalen Duren height and weight
Duren is listed at 6 feet 10, 250 pounds with a 7-5 wingspan.
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Contact Omari Sankofa II at [email protected]. Follow him on X and/or Bluesky.
This story was updated to reflect confirmation of the contract.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Pistons' Jalen Duren contract squabble over as he finally signs deal