We are less than two weeks away from some teams opening NBA training camps (teams leaving the country for NBA overseas preseason games), and 18 days from training camps opening across the league. This tends to be a slow time for NBA news, but things are happening, including new rumors about Jalen Duren’s situation.
Jalen Duren’s qualifying offer
The situation remains the same. Jalen Duren wants to get paid like the All-NBA player he is — 19.5 points and 10.5 rebounds per game last season while playing elite defense. He wants at least a $40 million-a-year average salary (five years, $200 million). Pistons management also saw the playoffs, where Duren struggled — 10.2 points and 8.5 rebounds per game, with a negative plus/minus — and are offering more like $35 million a season (five years, $175 million). The sides have been stuck here for a while, and the fact that the Pistons are about $36.5 million below the luxury tax line factors in here.
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Duren’s nuclear option: He could play this season for the $9.6 million qualifying offer, then become an unrestricted free agent next summer. He is leaning more towards that, Marc Stein reports in his latest Substack missive.
One source briefed on the process says Duren is increasingly prepared to play out the coming season on his $9.6 million qualifying offer — with the intent to become an unrestricted free agent next summer — if no deal with Detroit materializes by the end of September.
Take that with a grain of salt. Remember, that is the threat Duren and his agent want out there as leverage (the only real leverage they have as a restricted free agent). Taking the qualifying offer would be a massive risk for Duren, leaving generational wealth on the table (even at the Pistons’ offer), he could get injured or have a down season that hurts his market. From 30,000 feet, there is an obvious compromise here — $37.5 million a year average, five years, $187.5 million — but that’s easy to say from a distance. This has been a rough negotiation that will leave scars no matter the outcome.
Other NBA news:
• Bradley Beal is switching from No. 0 to 3, which is only a big deal with the Clippers because that was Chris Paul’s number, and they are likely to retire his number in the coming years. I doubt this bothers Paul himself, and Beal paid tribute to Paul. The number will be retired at some point.
• Ben Simmons’ one-year contract with the Kings is non-guaranteed — the team can cut him in training camp with no penalty. Consider that insurance because of Simmons’ injury history, but the Kings envision him on the roster as both a backup point guard with Darius Acuff and as a secondary shot creator who can play with him. If Simmons makes the opening-night roster, he has a $1 million guarantee.
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• Always be mindful of the spin from agents — passed along by news breakers — when it comes to contracts. Case in point, the announcement that Lonnie Walker IV returned from a year playing in the EuroLeague to sign a one-year, $3.3 million minimum contract with the Denver Nuggets. Turns out, what he signed is a non-guaranteed training camp deal, as reported by Sportac’s Keith Smith. If Walker makes the roster his deal becomes that minimum contract, but the fact he got a training camp deal suggests that is a bit of a long shot.
• The NBA and Nike announced new warmup, practice and travel gear that all 30 teams will use during the 2026-27 season. These will officially drop in two launches, Sept. 15 and Oct. 12.
• As was expected in the wake of being traded last week, the Pelicans have waived Taj Gibson.
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