The Detroit Pistons are now in the early stages of their offseason after being eliminated by the Cleveland Cavaliers in rather disappointing fashion.
While they were already in a difficult spot when it comes to a contract extension for big man Jalen Duren, the situation become even more complicated when Duren was named to the All-NBA third team on Sunday.
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His placement on the third team now makes him eligible to sign a five-year max deal with the Pistons worth roughly $287.1 million, or 30% of the salary cap.
Usually, teams are eager to pay up when a player becomes eligible for a larger contract with an All-NBA selection, but Duren’s situation is complicated.
He had a breakout regular season and looked prime for an impressive playoff run, but the opposite transpired. His performance dipped drastically and his number plummeted in this postseason.
It was his scoring in particular that took the biggest hit. After averaging 19.5 points in the regular season, Duren only put up 10.2 points per game in the playoffs.
That 9.3 drop-off is the largest for any All-Star in the playoffs since Elgin Baylor in 1969.
As a result, this summer’s negotiations could get interesting. Duren and his agent will likely point to his All-NBA selection as one of many future accolades.
But the Pistons could be hesitant to give him the max deal after such an abysmal postseason run. Had he played at an elite level in the playoffs, this deal would likely be much easier to make.
Since he didn’t, there’s now a stronger possibility for negotiations to sour. This would set up a potential sign-and-trade scenario and could even allow another team to swoop in with their own deal.
It’s important to note that other teams would only be able to offer Duren 25% of their cap, while the Pistons can give him 30%.
James Parker is a sports writer for Ball Exclusives, follow him on X @TheJames_Parker
