Jalen Duren wants to leave the Pistons for the weirdest destination
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Jalen Duren wants to leave the Pistons for the weirdest destination originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
Jalen Duren just was the clear second-best player for the Eastern Conference's No. 1 seed, the Detroit Pistons.
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Clearly, winning isn't his primary concern. He doesn't want to stay in Detroit.
The Pistons apparently aren't offering Duren enough money.
And the team that will? The Sacramento Kings.
This is what NBA insider Chris Haynes reported on Monday night:
"Due to sizable distance apart in negotiations, Detroit Pistons restricted free agent center Jalen Duren will meet with the Sacramento Kings at the start of free agency with the intentions of structuring a sign-&-trade out of Detroit."
Really? The Kings?
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Duren blossomed into a big-time frontcourt presence in the 2025-26 season, putting up career highs almost across the board.
He vanished a bit in the playoffs, which might've been when his value started to tank just a bit.
It's not like Duren was looking at no payday, though. He likely would've got a contract totaling well over $100 million in total value, even if it wasn't up to a max level.
Sure, players have pride, and they want the biggest possible deal.
At some point, though, players show their true colors.
Do they want to win? Or do they want to get paid?
Sometimes, those things can only happen in two separate places. Duren has chosen the Kings. Take from that what you will.