Jason Burgos
A new rumor suggests one of the Detroit Pistons‘ top competitors for All-Star center Jalen Duren could drop out of his free agent market very soon.
The Pistons took another big leap forward this season. Earning the top record in the Eastern Conference. Yes, top star Cade Cunningham played a major role in that result. However, they don’t post their first 60-win season in two decades without a breakout season from Duren. And his big year came just in time for a jump into free agency this summer.
Unfortunately for Detroit fans, he and the team have hit an impasse in contract talks. So since free agency officially opened on Tuesday night, Duren has been meeting with interested teams. One of them is the Los Angeles Lakers. Yet, according to a new report from Jake Fischer on the Steinline, it seems that LA is a heavy favorite to sign a different big man in free agency.
“How will the Lakers spend the rest of their $40 million-ish in projected cap space? Utah certainly has an idea. It’s perhaps the league’s worst-kept secret by now: Jazz restricted free agent center Walker Kessler has been widely presumed to be the Lakers’ top summer target.”
– Jake Fischer
LA has excess money to spend now after NBA legend LeBron James informed the team on Tuesday that he will play elsewhere next season. While Kessler will get a huge pay increase over the $4.8 million he made this past season, he will still get a new deal at a lower rate than Duren. Making him a far more likely target for a Lakers team in need of an improvement at the five spot. As one of the top free agents on the market, a conclusion on his future should come soon.
It’s very good news for Detroit’s hopes of re-signing Duren at a reasonable rate this summer. However, Fischer notes that the Utah Jazz continue to imply they will match any offer their big man receives in free agency.
