Jason Burgos
A new rumor suggests the Detroit Pistons plan to make a move this summer that could doom their roster for years.
On Friday night, the Pistons will be in Cleveland looking to avoid elimination for the fourth time in these playoffs and send their series with the Cavaliers to Game 7. It is a stunning position to be in again after earning the No. 1 seed in the East and barely surviving the Orlando Magic in Round 1.
Yet, it isn’t the only shocking thing about this postseason for Detroit. The shocking disappearance of Jalen Duren over the first two series has mystified NBA analysts. After a breakout season that earned him All-Star honors for the first time and possibly an All-NBA spot, the center has been a shell of the player fans saw throughout the regular season.
His playoff numbers this year are even worse than last year, when he got to taste NBA playoff basketball for the first time against the New York Knicks. Duren’s underwhelming play has set up a tough decision for the Pistons this summer when the 2022 first-round pick is a restricted free agent.
Will the Detroit Pistons be forced to give Jalen Duren a max deal?
Should they give him the max contract, he will be eligible for? Most reports suggest that it is not an option for Detroit. Yet, according to a new report from ESPN’s Brian Windhorst, it is something they will likely have to do this summer.
“He’s not a max player, but they’re probably going to have to give him the max,” an East executive told Windhorst. “Because now [cap space] teams like Chicago or Brooklyn might see him as someone they could get with a max offer sheet, and Detroit will have to match.”
Letting Duren walk in free agency could be a killer blow for a team that has made so much progress last season. In 2024-25, they had one of the best turnarounds in NBA history and gave New York a run for their money in the playoffs. Duren helped with that. Then in 2025-26, the big man played a huge role in helping them earn the top seed in the East and the third-best record in the NBA (60-22).
The risk of a max deal for Jalen Duren
Losing Duren could mean a notable step back in success. A case can be made that a max deal is worth the risk because he is still only 22 years old, and he may not be done developing. But if he has peaked and continues to be a liability in the playoffs, that contract could set the Pistons back for years.
“One of the biggest mistakes you can make in the NBA right now is to give a non-max player a max deal,” a West exec told Windhorst. “In the old system, you could bet on high-end talent players. Now losing a big bet can derail your entire roster.”
In today’s salary cap system, if you are going to have two max deal players, you need to be sure they are the core of your roster, because it severely limits further roster movement and keeps you around or over the NBA’s tax aprons.
