Should the Clippers Try to Trade for Jalen Duren?

The Kawhi Leonard saga is officially over. The Los Angeles Clippers, who came out on the other side of their relationship with Kawhi as a big loser, can finally look ahead to the future.

The Clippers will have a difficult time building a contender in the near future, to be sure. But things aren't as bleak as they seemed at the moment the punishment was announced. The Clippers still have an owner willing to spend, a capable front office, and one of the best head coaches in the league. They also have a decent roster, Keaton Wagler, some veterans with trade value, and a few more first-round picks.

With the right moves, they can turn things around. Would trying to trade for restricted free agent Jalen Duren be one of those right moves?

Depending on the contract and the trade package it would take to acquire him, the answer is yes.

Assessing the Possibility of a Jalen Duren Trade for the Clippers

Since they will be limited in draft capital, the Clippers' best hope to add to their roster will be through trades and free agency. Ideally, they would try to acquire young talent to pair with Darius Garland and Keaton Wagler for years to come.

Duren fits that mold. The 22-year-old center is still unsigned, and the clock is ticking. The Detroit Pistons kick off their training camp, and they don't have a deal with the All-Star center yet. October 1 is the deadline for Duren to accept his qualifying offer, so one has to assume that there will be a resolution to the stalemate over the next week.

Even though Detroit wants to retain Duren, the talented center is seemingly looking for greener pastures. He reportedly feels frustrated and disrespected by the organization for lowballing him in free agency. By not accepting the Pistons' offer, Duren is forcing their hand to sign-and-trade him.

The Kings and the Bucks are top suitors for Duren, but there are reportedly more teams interested. The Clippers make a lot of sense as a landing spot.

Duren will require a new multi-year contract paying him around $40 million per year. Even if this may seem like an overpay for the Clippers, it's a worthy gamble for the team. Duren has been improving every season he has been in the league and just made an All-NBA team. There is a chance he could outplay this contract and be one of the best centers in the league for a long time.

The Clippers have to match salaries in this trade. They could either include Brandon Ingram as the main return, or use a combination of players like Max Strus, Derrick Jones Jr., and Brook Lopez. The trade could be expanded to more teams, as the Pistons would almost certainly want a starting-caliber center in return.

The problem here is that the Clippers can't really trade any valuable draft picks. They could include swap rights for the two Raptors picks they acquired in the Kawhi Leonard trade, but that isn't a very valuable asset. They can include plenty of second-round picks, but that may not be enticing enough for the Pistons.

Due to their inability to trade first-round picks, the Clippers are unlikely to make the strongest offer to the Pistons. Perhaps the Clippers could sweeten the pot by including one of their good young players, like Kobe Sanders or Yanic Konan Niederhauser. Detroit may also be interested in Ingram, as he is a nice fit for a team looking for a secondary scorer.

Duren would help the Clippers bounce back to relevance. It would give a jolt to a franchise that desperately needs it. Whether they have enough to beat out other offers and convince the Pistons, however, remains to be seen.

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