For months, it's been widely assumed that the Detroit Pistons would do pretty much anything to retain Jalen Duren this summer, when Duren will be a restricted free agent. That includes matching any offer sheet that the Los Angeles Lakers or another team might offer Duren in an attempt to steal away the All-Star big man.
Now, as the Pistons look in danger of losing in the first round of the playoffs to the Orlando Magic, Duren's future in Detroit doesn't seem so set in stone. Some are speculating that a first-round flameout might cause Detroit's front office to reconsider its plan to double down on the Pistons' current star duo of Duren and Cade Cunningham, a plan that would have ostensibly made Cunningham and Duren the franchise's two highest earners with a new Duren deal this summer.
Detroit Pistons might not throw a ton of money at Jalen Duren, after all
If the Pistons end up having second thoughts about giving Duren a huge deal, that would open possibilities back up for a Lakers front office monitoring the situation. This is precisely why the Lakers have reason to root against the Pistons -- and for the Orlando Magic -- in this ongoing first-round series that is currently locked at 1-1 heading to Orlando.
The center position is one of the Lakers' gmost laring needs this offseason (sorry, Deandre Ayton fans), and the Lakers owe it to Luka Doncic to put together a complete roster. They cannot afford to mess up the center position again by taking a foolish risk on someone in free agency. A trade for someone proven like Jarrett Allen, or a sign-and-trade for Duren, who's even younger, would be ideal for Lakers GM Rob Pelinka.
Lakers wouldn't hesitate to complete a sign-and-trade for Jalen Duren
Duren would take up a lot of the Lakers' newfound cap space, but he's one of the few players who -- if available -- would be worth it. At just 22 years old, Duren would give LA an All-Star-caliber center for the remainder of Luka's career. Duren has averaged 68.75 regular-season games played over his first four seasons in the NBA -- there aren't any durability concerns there. And again, based on his age, one can assume that Duren hasn't approached his ceiling yet. Guys like Luka and Austin Reaves (and LeBron James, if he comes back!) would no doubt make Duren a better offensive weapon by getting him easy bucket after easy bucket.
A Luka-Reaves-LeBron-Duren core would set the Lakers up nicely for contention in 2026-27. Unfortunately, the Pistons are still likely to re-invest in Duren this summer. Keep an eye on the Magic series, though. Anything can happen.
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