The Deadline For Jalen Duren's Extension Is Days Away

But I want to start ET with Jalen Durran, who as we record this on Friday morning, September 25th, does not have a new contract with the Detroit Pistons.

The Pistons and Durran have been at an impasse over contract talks.

Pistons reportedly offering Duran five years, $200 million.

Duran believes he's worth more coming off an all NBA season.

There's the possibility he could take the qualifying offer, which is at about $10 million and become an unrestricted free agent next offseason.

Uh, what do you make of all this?

And what do you think the Pistons should do right now about Jalen Duran?

Man, I think the Pistons are handling it the correct way, to be completely honest with you.

I think they're rewarding him for a high, high level.

I think they're trying to think for the future.

Like, they're going to give him $40 million a year.

To play basketball.

I think when you even go further, it's like yo, we're trying to build a great team around you, but most importantly, a top 10 player like Cade Cunningham, or a top 5 player like Cade Cunningham.

So, I think where they're trying to get to, especially before I guess, you know, as long as Cade is there, you want to try to win as much as possible.

I feel as though Jalen Duran, if it came down to like a championship team or whatever, he's the 3rd option.

He would be best as the third option on that team because no matter what, you need reliable scoring and a, and a strong backcourt or a wing in order to make it in this league and to be even more dominant.

They already lost Tobias Harris, he's going up the street.

That was 18 points per game.

So, I, I feel as though Detroit's handling it the right way.

I wish I could talk to Jalen Duran because so much it's not even about.

You, I, I feel as though more so the organization, what's going to be best and build around.

You, but most importantly, Cade Cunningham.

And I feel like $200 million is more than enough.

I feel as though in that system, especially when Cade went out, what other I like this game.

It's a cute game or whatever, but like they allow him to handle the ball and then do a lot of other stuff that I don't think he'd be able to do in that system or at a high level for them to, to win where they need to go.

And I think 200 million is more than enough.

I think he's still young.

I think when it comes down to it, this is being in partnership with the organization and watching it build over time, but you definitely want to leave some money for to, to bring other people along and try to build that championship team and get ready for that arms race, but I'm not with the 250.

I, I, I love his game, but I don't like his game like that.

Yeah, I mean, The facts are that if Jalen Duran had pulled his hamstring on the final day of the regular season, we wouldn't be having this conversation because the Pistons would have maxed him out.

What is giving the Pistons reason for pause.

is what happened in the playoffs, which were a disaster for Jalen Durran.

His numbers were basically cut in half .

Um, he was outplayed by other bigs and he just didn't look like the franchise center that he looked like for Most of the regular season.

He was an all NBA guy.

Like he was legit in the regular season, but the playoffs, hard to erase your memory.

It physically dominated.

Like, like Wendell Carter was not worried about him at all.

They were happy to see him.

Like, do you understand what I'm saying?

It was like, hey, we can win if he's gonna play.

That's what makes me seem like the 50 million is getting taken away because it's like, bro, you're supposed to anchor that front line, that paint.

Nobody's scared of you, muscle man.

Like, that's what, that's what it just looked like, like all these damn muscles, all the athleticism and everything, and it's like, it it did it come down to heart?

Mm.

I don't know .

I mean, Like the Pistons are kind of between a rock and a hard place too here because They can't just let him.

They can't just lose him for nothing.

They can't because it's already been a weird offseason in Detroit.

Like they trade away Isaiah Stewart to say what you want about his, you know, anger issues out there on the floor, but he was a part of the fabric of that new, new old school Detroit basketball.

Like he was the Rick Mahorn of this era.

Uh, they lose Tobias Harris, a productive guy for the two years.

Look, the Pistons last two years have engineered one of the great revivals in the NBA.

No coincidence, Tobias Harris was on the Pistons for those 2 years.

Not only, and you know this, not only was he productive on the floor, 13-ish points per game, mid-40s from the floor, high 30s from 3.

But he's a great locker room guy.

Like San Antonio is gonna benefit a lot from Tobias Harris being in that locker room.

The Pistons and their young core benefited a lot from having Tobias Harris be like the unk in that locker room.

Uh, so he's gone now too.

You replace him with John Collins, who's younger, I guess, but You know, John Collins has been moved around a lot.

He's, he's seen a lot of franchises in the last couple of years or a few franchises anyway.

Yeah, analytics helps John Collins' game out a lot because when you sit there, you watch it, it's, it, it love John Collins to death, but his game helps nobody but him.

Yeah, so you, you need, you, you need Jalen Duran.

Like you gotta get him back like.

You're not gonna lose him this year because the worst thing that can happen is he signs the qualifying offer.

But if he signs that qualifying offer, The Pistons are in a world of trouble because I, I don't think you can trade a guy after he signs the qualifying offer, at least there's a no-trade clause attached to a qualifying offer.

And if that's the case, well, You know, you lose Jalen Dern for little or nothing, you're kind of right back where you started with Cade Cunningham and a bunch of guys that are just OK.

Like Jalen Durran has his flaws, but they need him there, or they need like Demontas Sabonis to replace him.

Like they need actual or Miles Turner maybe to replace him.

They need an actual asset in there, uh, to replace him.

Like, the, the question is like, does Jalen Duran.

Look, he already betted himself last offseason when he turned down the first contract extension.

Will he do it again?

Like the qualifying offer is, the qualifying offer is different because In a lot of contracts, like, like, let's use Jalen Brunson as an example.

Jalen Brunson took less money from the Knicks.

Well, Jalen Brunson can make that up.

Like Jalen Brunson can get all that money back when he signs the next contract.

You sign the qualifying offer, that's money you're never going to get back.

You're never going to be able to recoup the difference between the 10 years or the 1-year $10 million qualifying offer that you signed and The $50 million average salary that you would sign if you're Jalen Duran there.

So it's a lot of money and it's a big bet on yourself.

That's why you never see guys do it.

Like every remember when Christa Porzingis was leaving the Knicks and he was gonna, he was threatening to sign the qualifying offer when he got to Dallas.

He didn't do that because guys don't do that.

They don't leave that kind of money on the table, but Jalen Duran.

Might just be crazy enough here.

And that's what the Pistons have to take into account.

If he signs that qualifying offer, it is a body blow for that team and what it can do over the long term.

You're absolutely right.

I just also think, man, if you give him $250 million and you're trapped with him having those playoff performances and being a regular season superhero.

It's, it's gonna be, you know what I mean, it's, it's gonna be hell to tell the captain regardless, you know.

Well, what do you do though?

Like, he, like, obviously, Jalen Duran and his agent believe that next summer there's a max offer on the table for him, whether it's Sacramento, Milwaukee, somebody else.

He, they believe probably with information that there's a max offer on the table.

Like it's a game of chicken now between the Pistons and Durran, and I honestly have no idea which one side is gonna blink first.

Yeah, I don't, I, I don't know either.

I'm, I'm with the Pistons on this one.

I'm just thinking about the, I'm thinking about Cade and what you can actually build and what they actually need.

I don't, I think a team of Cade and Jalen are gonna be in big trouble without the pieces they had last year and to each their own, but if, if, if it happens, uh, I, I hate to see it because I, I, I was really looking forward to how that team was gonna build moving forward and the pieces that, that it takes to really build a dynasty, especially with that talent like Kate, you know.

What do you make also of the reports that the Pistons want to include a weight clause in this contract?

Like , Look, Trajan Langdon, the GM there, came from New Orleans.

There was a weight clause in Zion Williamson's contract for good reason, for good reason in New Orleans.

Uh, whatever you wanna say about Jalen Duurran, it looks like he's carved out of a rock.

Like, why are we even talking about a weight clause with Jalen Duran?

Nobody in the NBA can really explain this to me.

In fact, it's puzzled a lot of people that have seen the reports, and if they're true.

Just doesn't make a lot of sense.

Yeah, I don't know either.

He's been chiseled like a rock since high school, so maybe get too strong.

Who, who absolutely knows any anything about it, but I think, uh, If he got that extra 50 million, he would not mind having a weight loss, but no, I'm sure you'd be happy to do.

I'm sure you're happy to do it regardless.

Like what it just seems weird.

Like why are you like that's obviously something that a player would feel some kind of way about.

Like Zion, I'm sure felt some kind of way about it because you're basically calling him fat when you do that and saying you gotta stay in shape .

Um, Duran is not fat.

He's not Zion in terms of conditioning, but I would imagine you, you feel some kind of way about it if you're.

A player being asked to have a weight clause in your contract.

I guess the question is like how, how high is too high?

Like if, if it's true that they're willing to go to 200 million, like, how much more is OK for Jalen Durant?

I, I don't know.

I don't know the answer to that.

I, I, I, I don't, I don't know, bro.

Maybe 2 $225 but no, like I think you take $225.

I think that the, the Pistons have kind of hit their ceiling from what I understand with $200 million if this stuff is true, and I'm not mad .

Like, do you think?

Who's better, Evan Mobley or Jalen Duran?

Devin Mobley.

All right.

All right, that's all I need to know.

All right.

I mean, higher ceiling, certainly, I mean, does a lot more like is, is a former Defensive Player of the Year and while we are not in love with all of the offensive things that Evan Mobley does, is still a developing offensive player.

But it's still legit, but at the same time, I can, I can confidently say this.

I'm grateful of what Evan Mobley brings to the game.

And I can confidently say like, I, I don't expect whatever we're waiting for to show up.

And I can say the same thing with Jalen Dun.

Like where they're at, I think they peaked.

Besides, like, maybe playing well playoff-wise , but even when you sit there and like he's a ball handler, he's making assists, like, man, I'm strong ass passes.

Don't nobody wanna see that shit.

Like we're in trouble if Jalen Duran is handling the ball.

Like, like, do you know what I mean?

I'm not, I'm not trying to be weird about it.

It's like we're doing a whole lot of makeshift.

I would, I would be like, I would try to go get Demontes Sabonis.

I would go get a real bruiser that's gonna hit you in your face, not gonna get punked by, you know, the 15th best center in the playoff times, and they can drop dimes and literally.

Is if, if, if you took away the Sacramento Kings and the NBA vibe, he'd be an MVP candidate every year for how he plays and all around and just even being thorough in that Kings system.

He shows up night in and night out.

That's what, what's he making?

Cause if you don't hoop like that, Jalen, I'm sorry, I'm good.

Yeah, and, and look, if you swapped out a bonus for Duran, uh, you don't.

Lose rim protection.

Like Sabonis is not a rim protector, but neither is Jalen Duran.

Like he's not.

So yeah, you get a more dynamic offensive player, um, an equal or better rebounder, uh, not a great defensive player.

Maybe you lose something on that end of the floor a little bit, but you'd probably do that swap if you were, I would think you'd do that swap.

Look, I don't know, man.

It's like, it, it, it, it seems like the atmosphere has been toxified perhaps to the point of no return.

Like I've seen the reports that Duran was not.

A part of what the team did in the offseason, like Kate Cunningham's stuff and whatever team-oriented activities, like he seems to have checked out while he's trying to get this resolved with the Pistons.

And maybe that's, maybe they have gone, they have gone, gone too far with this and, and it has reached the point of no return .

I mean, it sounds like it.

I mean.

Aside from the trades alone that they did, this isn't, this just isn't great in general.