Jalen Duren’s long contract saga with the Detroit Pistons is finally over. The young center has secured a huge payday, but Draymond Green believes the bigger challenge could start now. Duren must return to a Pistons team that sees him as an important part of its future.
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The Pistons and Duren agreed to a five-year, $200 million fully guaranteed contract. The deal ended weeks of talks and gave Duren long-term security. Before the agreement, Duren was ready to consider a one-year qualifying offer if the two sides could not reach a deal.
However, Green believes contract disputes can create problems inside a locker room if players and staff continue to talk about them after the deal is done.
“And let me tell you, that type of stuff destroys a team. Absolutely obliterates a team,” Green said on The Draymond Green Show.
The Golden State Warriors veteran was talking about the effect of contract drama on a team. He believes comments from people around a team can create tension between players.
Green explained that players can hear comments from the front office, coaching staff, or video room about a teammate’s contract situation. Even small comments about a player’s fitness, performance, or mistakes can become a problem when people connect them to a contract dispute.
“Oh man, he was holding out, and because he was holding out, he ain’t in great shape,” Green said.
Green believes this type of talk can quickly create a bad situation. A player who just signed a huge contract may start to feel that teammates or staff members are judging him because of the money he received.
He also explained how people can connect normal mistakes to a contract dispute.
“Oh man, he was holding out. Look, he just missed that free throw, and he wanted $200 million. He took 180. Blah blah,” Green said.
For this reason, Green believes the Pistons must move on from the contract drama. The team has completed the deal, and everyone now needs to focus on basketball.
Duren has also shown why Detroit gave him such a big contract. The 22-year-old center had the best season of his career in 2025-26. He averaged 19.5 points and 10.5 rebounds per game while shooting 65% from the field.
Duren also made his first All-Star team and earned a spot on the All-NBA Third Team. The Pistons finished the regular season with the best record in the Eastern Conference at 60-22.
Green was also happy to see Duren receive his new contract.
“Proud as hell of the young fella. Happy as hell to see him get his bag, and it’s well deserved,” Green said.
Now, the timing becomes important for Detroit. The Pistons are scheduled to play their first preseason game against the Phoenix Suns on October 5 at Little Caesars Arena. With Duren’s contract settled, the team can finally put the negotiations behind it and focus on the new season.
Green believes the way the team handles the situation will be very important.
“When players decide the business of basketball had nothing to do with him and our guy is here, and now we move forward, it uplifts a team,” Green said.
The $200 million deal gives Detroit a major piece for its future. But the Pistons must make sure the contract saga does not affect the team’s relationships.
Jalen Duren has his new deal. Now, both he and the Pistons need to show that they can leave the contract drama behind and focus fully on basketball.
Will the Pistons successfully move past the contract saga and allow Jalen Duren to focus completely on his game? What do you think? Let us know in the comments.