The biggest story of the Detroit Pistons’ summer now lingers into the start of training camp.
Jalen Duren remains unsigned.
Coming off the best season of his career, one that included his first All-Star appearance and an All-NBA Third Team selection, Duren and the Pistons have spent the summer negotiating a new contract without reaching an agreement.
That remained the case Monday at Pistons Media Day, which Duren did not attend.
According to ESPN’s Shams Charania, Duren has declined a fully guaranteed five-year, $200 million offer from Detroit as the two sides remain at a stalemate.
Still, Pistons president of basketball operations Trajan Langdon made one thing clear Monday: Detroit still wants Duren back.
“We will be excited to have him in regardless of what decision he does make,” Langdon said. “He was a huge reason for our success the last two seasons, had a tremendous season individually last year as well, and we believe he will do the same thing this year.
“We’ll integrate him, and he’s going to have a fantastic season regardless of his decision. But we’re looking forward to getting him.”
Duren, 22, averaged 19.5 points and 10.5 rebounds while shooting 65% from the field last season, establishing himself as one of the league’s top young centers and a major piece of Detroit’s rise.
But his long-term future with the franchise has remained unsettled throughout the offseason.
Langdon declined to discuss specifics of the negotiations Monday, but acknowledged that he has not personally spoken with Duren throughout the summer.
“I have not spoken to the young man all summer, so I don’t know how that is,” Langdon said. “For me, I’m not going to hold anything against him. Again, I would be very happy to have him back. I’ll be excited. He’s been a huge part of our success. I think he’ll continue to be a huge part of that going forward.”
Despite the lack of an agreement — and the lack of communication between Langdon and Duren — Detroit’s stance publicly has remained consistent.
The Pistons still view Duren as one of the pillars of a young core, alongside Cade Cunningham and Ausar Thompson.
“When he is back, it’s bringing him in, letting him know that he has a huge part, and putting him in situations where he can be the best version of himself and help us out to the best degree that he can,” Langdon said. “So, we’ll be excited to have him back and incorporate him into the team.”
While the situation is unfamiliar territory for a Pistons organization that has spent the last two seasons building continuity around its young core, Langdon has dealt with contract stalemates before during his time as an NBA executive.
His message Monday was that the organization would not allow the negotiations to change how it views or treats Duren once he returns.
“We’ll do everything we can to support him and get the best version of him, which is what we’ve done the past two years,” Langdon said. “That will not change. Those are things that we can control. His decision, it’s not one that we can control.”
Duren’s next major deadline comes Thursday, Oct. 1.
If he does not agree to a long-term contract, Duren has the option to accept Detroit’s one-year, $9.6 million qualifying offer. Doing so would allow him to return to the Pistons this season before becoming an unrestricted free agent next summer.
Sacramento and Milwaukee have been among the teams reportedly interested in Duren, although Langdon declined Monday to discuss whether Detroit has explored potential sign-and-trade scenarios.
Whatever frustration may exist within the negotiations, however, it does not appear to have changed Duren’s relationship with his teammates or coaching staff.
Head coach J.B. Bickerstaff and Cunningham both said Monday that they remained in contact with Duren throughout the summer without attempting to influence his contract decision.
“He knows how I feel about him, and I continue to let him know how I feel about him,” Bickerstaff said. “And that’s really all that matters. I love JD.
“I know how JD feels about me, how he feels about being a member of the Pistons. It’s positive. He’s a huge part of what we do, and where we are right now, the steps that we’ve taken to get there. We look forward to having him back.”
The Pistons open training camp Tuesday without Duren, who remains unsigned and therefore is not currently part of the team’s training camp roster.
How long that remains the case is still unknown.
But after an entire summer of negotiations, Detroit enters training camp with the same major question hanging over the organization — and only days remaining before Duren must make his next decision.
