The Lakers’ chase for a big man is not limited to just Walker Kessler, but also the other top big man on the market, Jalen Duren.
After meeting with the Lakers on Tuesday, Duren is set for a second meeting with the team on Wednesday, according to Sam Amick of The Athletic. During the first meeting, the Lakers reportedly told Duren they see him as a max-level player, which the Pistons clearly do not.
Detroit Pistons restricted free agent center Jalen Duren had a productive meeting with the Lakers on Tuesday and is scheduled to meet with them again on Wednesday morning, league sources told The Athletic.
Duren was told by the Lakers in the meeting that they view him as a maximum-salary level player, according to the sources, who spoke on condition of anonymity to describe ongoing deliberations. The 22-year-old received a similar message of strong interest from the Sacramento Kings, who also met with Duren on Tuesday and indicated that they will continue to explore sign-and-trade scenarios to land him.
The Pistons and Duren have been at odds during the offseason, which has led the big man to meet with other teams in search of an offer he finds fair.
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However, as is the case with restricted free agency, the ball is in Detroit’s court, no matter what happens. And all reports leading up to free agency indicated that the Pistons had no interest in a sign-and-trade and would match any deal he signed.
There is quite a bit of irony here in the Lakers going hard after the Pistons’ top free agent after Detroit was gearing up for a run at Austin Reaves.
The balance for the Lakers is determining which of Duren and Walker Kessler:
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Is more worth signing to an offer sheet
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Has a team is more likely not to match the deal
Restricted free agency is a very tricky path to take, but it’s also the only way the team is going to find the A-list that Luka wants this offseason.
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