Jalen Duren’s contract talks with Detroit continue to stall in a never-ending saga originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
The 2026 offseason has been filled with storylines, but one that has been prevalent all summer has been Jalen Duren’s contract saga with the Detroit Pistons. After a phenomenal 2025-26 season that saw him become a first-time NBA All-Star and All-NBA player, Duren is now seeking the best contract he can.
He wants a five-year maximum contract extension worth around $287 million, but it seems the Pistons are unwilling to give him that deal. That is because he had an abysmal showing throughout the 2026 Playoffs, and that soured a lot of people on Duren, including the Pistons’ front office.
Jalen Duren’s never-ending contract saga continues to be an issue
Duren had a superb regular season run when he averaged 19.5 points and 10.5 rebounds for the #1 seed Pistons. He was the second-biggest reason behind the Pistons’ rise to become the Eastern Conference’s best regular season team behind superstar guard Cade Cunningham.
Unfortunately for Duren, those numbers took a massive nosedive in the 2026 Playoffs. During the postseason, he averaged 10.2 points and 8.5 rebounds, which is almost unheard of from an All-NBA player. Considering they still won a series, Duren had opportunities to bounce back, but it was quite rare.
MORE: The Pistons’ reality check about Jalen Duren’s contract situation
Throughout the offseason, the talk has been him shooting for that big contract. There was interest elsewhere with the Sacramento Kings, but that has cooled off. This has led to this saga with the Pistons, as they want him to stay, but on a smaller contract than he wants.
“There’s been zero progress. They were having discussions, but they remain far apart. The Pistons’ offer is somewhere around that $30-35 million annual range. They don’t view him as a max-level guy, and that’s why the situation is gonna continue to drag on,” ClutchPoints’ Brett Siegel said about Duren’s situation in Detroit.
“I’ve heard nothing about sign-and-trades; the Pistons are not interested in that. And everybody I talk to says Jalen Duren is not going to be taking the qualifying offer.”
It is not a good situation for both Duren and the Pistons because they would want to wrap this up early. Unfortunately, they remain far apart in the discussions, so this could drag on until right before the Pistons’ training camp.
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