From the moment Luka Doncic put on a Los Angeles Lakers uniform, Jalen Duren was immediately looked to as a perfect option to be the long-term pick-and-roll partner of the franchise's new superstar point guard. Those links have remained rampant throughout this entire season.
What added to the idea of the Lakers potentially stealing Duren from the Detroit Pistons was the two sides failing to reach a rookie-scale extension before the deadline. That suddenly brought on thoughts of an offer sheet or potential sign-and-trade luring the athletic center out of the Motor City.
Scrapping those plans amid this year's playoff struggles may be for the best in Los Angeles. After an All-Star campaign for Duren during the regular season, the Pistons center has been nothing short of disappointing for his team throughout their postseason run in 2026.
Jalen Duren continues to play himself off the Lakers radar
After Duren and the Pistons failed to reach an agreement on a new contract, the young center proceeded to deliver the first All-Star campaign of his career. Duren averaged a career-high 19.5 points per game, shooting 65.0 percent from the field, coupled with 10.5 rebounds a night too.
Looking at him then made it easy to envision a big man who could feast off the scoring opportunities created by Doncic on offense, while controlling the glass and providing strong defense on the back end. The playoffs have been much different.
Duren has been routinely outplayed by matchups who should be bestable for a player of his rising capabilities. Instead, the Pistons big man has continued to be a big reason as to why his team is losing basketball games.
Game 5 against the Cleveland Cavaliers was the latest example of that. Duren finished with only nine points, five rebounds, and four assists in 25 minutes of action during the disappointing 117-113 loss for the Pistons at home. Their young All-Star also registered a game-low plus-minus of -16.
Meanwhile, Jarrett Allen enjoyed a night as the Cavaliers' leading man in that last category, finishing as a +14. Allen had 16 points and 10 rebounds in the win for Cleveland.
There have been times in this postseason run when Duren has looked more like his regular-season self. Unfortunately for him, the bad outweighs the good here.
Overall, Duren is only averaging 10.1 points and 8.3 rebounds in 30.8 minutes per game for the Pistons during this playoff run. That production is far from ideal for a player trying to make his case on being deserving of a max contract.
The idea of the Lakers throwing that type of offer sheet at Duren is becoming increasingly unattractive. A sign-and-trade comes with sizable questions of whether Los Angeles would be willing to give up anything that Detroit would actually entertain. Deandre Ayton's replacement may have to come from somewhere else.
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