One of the biggest topics of the offseason has been Jalen Duren and his situation with the Detroit Pistons.
Thursday, Oct. 1, is the deadline for Duren to figure out whether to take the qualifying offer and get $9.6 million this season with the Pistons, which would result in him becoming a free agent after the season wraps up. He could also take a five-year, $200 million fully guaranteed deal that Detroit has apparently given him.
That deal doesn't include a weight clause, according to a Sept. 30 report from Sam Amick and Hunter Patterson at The Athletic.
That report also indicates that the Pistons aren't engaging in sign-and-trade talks for Duren with other teams. That's where things get interesting.
Pistons aren't engaging in sign-and-trade talks
In the report, Amick and Patterson explain that "league sources say Detroit has continued to refuse to engage with interested teams regarding sign-and-trade talks."
They say that the Sacramento Kings and Milwaukee Bucks are two teams "seriously interested in Duren."
"The Kings, league sources say, have not spoken to the Pistons since late June," the report adds. "League sources also confirmed an ESPN report indicating that the Washington Wizards would have interest in a Duren-for-Anthony Davis trade, but that scenario - like all the others - does not appear to be of interest to the Pistons."
So, there's still a contract standoff happening between the Pistons and Duren. There are interested teams, but for now, the Pistons seem to want to keep their rising star. The question is whether he wants to stay or get out of Detroit.
