Breaking Down Jalen Duren’s Five-Year, $200 Million Contract With Pistons and How We Got Here

Jalen Duren has made his decision. Finally. Catch up on Sports Illustrated’s live blog from throughout the day.

Jalen Duren earned his first All-Star nod last season after averaging 19.5 points and 10.5 rebounds per game. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The drawn-out drama between Jalen Duren and the Pistons is over. Finally.

About 90 minutes before the NBA’s 11:59 p.m. ET deadline Thursday for restricted free agents to sign a qualifying offer, Duren reportedly agreed to sign a five-year contract worth $200 million with the Pistons. Despite months of negotiations that turned a bit toxic, Duren chose to take the guaranteed $200 million instead of opting for the $9.6 million qualifying offer and chasing a max deal next summer.

• RELATED: Jalen Duren's Standoff Is Over: Instant Takeaways As All-NBA Big Man Takes Pistons' Long-Term Offer

For more details and analysis, catch up on Sports Illustrated’s live blog that ran all day long:

A recap of Jalen Duren’s decision to sign five-year deal with Pistons

What Jalen Duren brings to the Pistons

Duren is a highly athletic center who thrives in pick-and-roll actions. He averaged a career-high 19.5 points and 10.5 rebounds per game in his breakout campaign last year as Cade Cunningham’s favorite screener and alley-oop target. He’s always a risk to rise up for a thunderous dunk and can out-run or out-muscle most opposing centers. Duren’s vertical pops on the other end as a rim protector, too. Defense was a struggle for the 22-year-old to start his career but he made big strides in 2025–26, averaging 1.6 steals plus blocks per game as the anchor of Detroit’s elite defense. It all added up to an All-Star nod and a third-team All-NBA selection—Duren’s first time receiving both honors.

• 2027 NBA Championship Predictions: Which Team Will Hoist the Larry O’Brien Trophy?

Jalen Duren’s history with the Pistons

Detroit acquired Duren on the night of the 2022 NBA draft in a three-team trade with the Knicks and Hornets, making him one of two ’22 first-round picks on the roster along with Jaden Ivey.

Duren took a while to develop into the star he is today, averaging 9.1 points and 8.9 rebounds per game as a rookie. During the Pistons’ breakout 2024–25 campaign—when they surprised everyone by winning 44 games and making the playoffs—Duren logged 11.8 points and 10.3 rebounds per contest. Duren didn’t sign an extension in the 2025 offseason, and then went on to have a career year in 2025–26—until he struggled mightily in the playoffs, drastically hurting his stock as one of Detroit’s main pieces moving forward.

• NBA Championship Power Rankings: Where Does Your Favorite Team Stack Up? 

Now, he’s made the biggest decision of his career: Duren is in Detroit to stay, and he will be starring alongside Cunningham for the foreseeable future.

---

PODCAST 🎧: Listen to SI’s NBA podcast, Open Floor, below or on Apple and Spotify. Watch the show on SI’s YouTube channel.