Training camp is creeping closer, yet one major piece of the Pistons’ puzzle remains unsettled. Detroit had every reason to expect a new deal for Jalen Duren to be wrapped up by now, especially after the center put together a spectacular regular season, averaging 19.5 points. Instead, the front office has left the situation hanging, with the clock quietly ticking.

And now, the latest update has done little to ease the uncertainty. There still appears to be no progress.

“There’s still a gap,” an executive from another team said as per an ESPN report by Tim MacMahon, “and it’s going to drag.”

While news of contract discussions was present last summer, his rookie-scale extension was stalled as the autumn deadline arrived. Duren used this opportunity to show the team just what he is worth.

In 2025, he helped the Pistons secure the top seed in the Eastern Conference. And now, this summer, Duren has become a restricted free agent. While the Pistons have already offered a contract around $35 million per year, the player is reportedly aiming to earn more than $40 million a year.

If Duren were to receive a $40 million per year paycheck, it would immediately place him in esteemed company, as only six centers earn such numbers as of the time of reporting.

Only Karl-Anthony Towns, Domantas Sabonis, Joel Embiid, Nikola Jokic, Alperen Sengun and Rudy Gobert will earn over $35 million next year.

A part of the reason why the Pistons may be hesitant to shell out these numbers could be Duren’s most recent performances. In their postseason semi-final game, his best figures came in Game 7 with 15 points.

After averaging 19.5 points and 10.5 rebounds per game in the regular season, he could only produce 10.2 points and 8.5 rebounds on average in the postseason.

“From either camp, you can see their side,” a West executive also said in the ESPN report. “You can justify it. That’s what makes it hard.”

Duren’s camp is led by agent Chafie Fields, who is reported to be looking for a $200 million deal over five years, while the Pistons would be more comfortable committing $175 million over the same length.

NBA insider Jake Fischer has also spoken about how there are other potential compromises on the table. Instead of a five-year deal, he’s spoken about a possible $160 million four-year deal.

Could the Jalen Duren contract standoff end soon?

Regardless of the contract updates on the situation, the truth remains that on Tuesday, September 29, the Pistons will regroup for their training camp.

Despite this tight deadline, Detroit Free Press‘ Omari Sankofa II believes that there are two ways in which the standoff could finally reach a resolution.

“The standoff likely ends one of two ways,” Sankofa II wrote on August 31. “Either Duren accepts the Pistons’ offer and secures his future in Detroit, or he takes the nuclear option by turning down a nine-figure contract to determine his own future next summer.”

Now, a one-year contract worth about $9.6 million could help the young center become a free agent in 2027.

At the end of the day, Duren was a part of the third-ever campaign for the Pistons where they reached 60 wins, and that is exactly why the president of basketball operations has been clear in wanting the player on the team.

“I want him here, that’s where I’m at with J.D.,” president of basketball operations Trajan Langdon said earlier this summer. “We really want J.D. to be here.”

Duren’s next move could put his entire payday on the line.

Since 1998, only 21 former first-round picks have signed their qualifying offers. And none took on the kind of financial risk Duren would by betting on himself for one more season.

The closest precedent is another former Piston. Greg Monroe accepted a $5.5 million qualifying offer in September 2014, then turned that gamble into a three-year, $50 million max deal from the Milwaukee Bucks the following summer.

Now, a lot depends on how Duren chooses to go about this situation. If he turns down Detroit’s nine-figure offer, he would be showing that he’s confident in his development moving forward after just four years in the NBA.