Hello, hoops fans. It’s Jalen Duren Day.
The longest drawn-out storyline of the NBA offseason will be decided Thursday, one way or another. Duren really has two choices: Agree to a long-term contract extension with the Pistons, or sign the qualifying offer (one year, $9.6 million) and become an unrestricted free agent next summer.
So ... what will he do? We’ll find out by 11:59 p.m. ET Thursday—the NBA’s deadline for restricted free agents to sign a qualifying offer. Sports Illustrated will be tracking the situation all day long until a decision is made:
Jalen Duren decision: Live updates
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.
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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.
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Now, he faces the biggest decision of his career: Will he sign a contract worth $200 million to stay in Detroit for the long-term, or sign the qualifying offer and hit the open market next summer?
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