Jalen Duren Seeking Over $40 Million Annually As Pistons Offer $35 Million

Jalen Duren and the Detroit Pistons are still in a contract standoff, with the All-Star center reportedly wanting more than $40 million per season, while the Pistons are ready to give him an offer in the $35 million per season range.

According to ESPN's Tim MacMahon , league sources say that the Pistons are ready to offer him a five-year contract in the range of $35 million annually, and that would put the contract at around $175 million. But Duren is looking for an average annual salary exceeding $40 million . That means he's seeking a contract exceeding $200 million.

But an executive from an Eastern Conference rival thinks that Duren's camp might just be asking for too much.

"Duren and his agent aren't being realistic. They're anchored to the max-type offer. But $35 million is not a discount. It's a lot of money."

Duren clearly has a good argument after having the best season of his career. The 22-year-old averaged 19.5 points and 8.5 rebounds last season, earning his first All-Star selection and making the All-NBA Third Team, while helping the Pistons finish with a 60-22 record and securing the number one seed in the Eastern Conference.

His postseason performance was less than spectacular. Duren averaged just 10.2 points and 8.5 rebounds during the Pistons' playoff run, which is one of the main reasons the Pistons have yet to offer him the contract that he wants.

Duren is technically qualified for an even bigger payday by making the All-NBA team. The Rose Rule makes him eligible for a five-year, $287 million extension, but the Pistons have reportedly said that figure is a non-starter. The Pistons have made sure that they have kept every team away from any sign-and-trade scenarios , even though there are several teams that have been linked to him .

The comparison with other highly paid centers might also explain the Pistons' position. Only Nikola Jokic , Joel Embiid , Karl-Anthony Towns , Domantas Sabonis , Rudy Gobert , and Alperen Sengun are set to make more than $35 million next season among centers.

Meanwhile, only three players from Duren's 2022 All-Star class, Paolo Banchero , Chet Holmgren , and Jalen Williams , have received a 25% rookie max extension and will make $41.2 million next season.

From Duren's point of view, his All-NBA selection gives him a proper reason to be paid within that same range.

The Pistons' hesitation is about more than Duren. The president of basketball operations, Trajan Langdon, is also trying to keep enough flexibility to make sure that they can pay Ausar Thompson next season and maintain a championship-level supporting cast around Cade Cunningham .

The second apron rule makes overpaying even one member of that core very costly and could possibly force the Pistons to break up their team.

Duren does have a small piece of leverage. He can accept his $9.6 million qualifying offer, play out the season, and become an unrestricted free agent next summer.

But that would mean walking away from $170 million in guaranteed money and accepting a massive risk that he can perform at a high level without injury next season.

With Detroit around $35 million and Duren above $40 million, the middle ground increasingly looks like the most logical way to resolve one of the NBA offseason's biggest remaining contract disputes.