Pistons' Jalen Duren: Tallies 14 points vs. Toronto
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Duren finished Friday's 129-125 preseason win over the Raptors with 14 points (6-9 FG, 2-4 FT), three rebounds, one assist, two steals and one block over 20 minutes.
Most of Duren's work came in the first half, with the fifth-year big man playing sparingly in the third quarter before sitting out for the entire fourth. Duren will be one of the players to watch during the 2026-27 season, given the long contract extension standoff between his camp and the Pistons before the two sides agreed on a five-year, $200 million extension Oct. 1. The Memphis product is coming off a career year in 2025-26 during the regular season but didn't match that production during the playoffs, when he averaged just 10.2 points, 8.5 rebounds, 2.1 assists and 1.2 blocks over 30.1 minutes across 14 postseason contests.
Duren finished with 24 points (8-9 FG, 0-1 3Pt, 8-8 FT), three rebounds, one assist, two steals and one block across 15 minutes in Wednesday's 128-106 preseason victory over Minnesota.
Duren appeared in his first preseason game, and while he wasn't on the floor long, he still ended with the game high in points. The 2022 No. 13 overall pick, who just agreed to a five-year extension with Detroit, finished the 2025-26 campaign by averaging a career-high 19.5 points along with 10.5 rebounds and 2.0 assists over 28.2 minutes per contest. Duren also appeared in at least 70 games for the second consecutive season.
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Pistons' Jalen Duren: Starting Wednesday
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Duren (reconditioning) is in the starting lineup for Wednesday's preseason game against Minnesota, Coty M. Davis of The Detroit News reports.
Duren has completed his reconditioning process and is ready to make his preseason debut. The young center inked a five-year, $200 million extension at the beginning of October after averaging 19.5 points, 10.5 rebounds and 2.0 assists across 70 regular-season appearances last season.
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Pistons' Jalen Duren: Ruled out for Saturday
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Duren (reconditioning) won't suit up for Saturday's preseason game against the Wizards, Josh Robbins of The Athletic reports.
Duren is still working himself into game shape after sitting out training camp while his contract negotiation played out, but he is hopeful to suit up at some point during the preseason. His next chance to get out there will come Wednesday in Minnesota.
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Pistons' Jalen Duren: Expected to play in preseason
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Duren (rest) is expected to play at some point this preseason, per Hunter Patterson of The Athletic.
After Duren engaged in a long standoff regarding contract negotiations with Detroit, the Pistons are monitoring the big man's reps as he ramps up his activity at training camp. His next chance to see exhibition action comes Saturday in Washington.
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Pistons' Jalen Duren: Won't play Monday
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Duren (rest) won't play in Monday's preseason game against the Suns, Hunter Patterson of The Athletic reports.
Duren returned to practice Monday for the first time since signing a five-year, $200 million extension. However, it's unclear when the big man will see live-game reps. Coach J.B. Bickerstaff said they have a "plan" to ramp Duren up, and the goal is to have their All-Star center available for the regular-season opener against Boston on Oct. 20.
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Pistons' Jalen Duren: Goes through practice Monday
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Duren was spotted back at practice Monday, Hunter Patterson of The Athletic reports.
Duren was back in the building for the first time since signing a five-year, $200 million extension. However, it remains to be seen if the Pistons will immediately give him some live game reps for Monday's exhibition against the Suns.
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Pistons' Jalen Duren: Not present at Saturday's practice
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Duren (undisclosed) is not present for the Pistons' open practice Saturday, Eric Vincent of ClutchPoints.com reports.
Duren signed a five-year, $200 million contract with the Pistons on Thursday after an offseason of negotiating. It's unclear exactly why the big man isn't at Saturday's practice, though he can be considered questionable for Detroit's preseason opener against the Suns on Monday.
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Pistons' Jalen Duren: Inks five-year extension with Detroit
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Duren agreed to a five-year, $200 million contract extension with the Pistons on Thursday, Shams Charania of ESPN reports.
The two sides had been at a standstill since it was reported Monday that Duren wasn't showing up to media day or for the start of training camp, but a fully guaranteed deal has since been reached. Now that the big man's contract has been resolved, he'll presumably have plenty of time to join the team and ramp up his basketball activities to appear in a preseason game or two before the start of the 2026-27 campaign.
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Pistons' Jalen Duren: Holding out over contract talks
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Duren won't attend the Pistons' media day Monday and isn't planning to show up for the start of training camp, Shams Charania of ESPN reports.
The Pistons have reportedly offered Duren a fully guaranteed five-year, $200 million deal in restricted free agency, but the two sides remain at a stalemate. Duren is coming off a breakout 2025-26 regular season in which he earned his first All-Star and All-NBA selections while averaging 19.5 points and 10.5 rebounds on 65.0 percent shooting. The 22-year-old big man has until Thursday's deadline to accept the deal, or he'll be forced to play under a one-year, $9.6 million qualifying offer.
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Pistons' Jalen Duren: Remains in contract limbo
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Duren and the Pistons remain in a standoff over contract negotiations, per Omari Sankofa II of the Detroit Free Press.
The gap in negotiations between the two sides has been well-documented this offseason. With the preseason looming, the two parties are running out of time to reach a compromise at this point. As it stands, Duren is a restricted free agent but would be primed for a big role at center if he accepts the qualifying offer or lands an extension and stays with a Pistons team that shipped out Isaiah Stewart over the summer.
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Pistons' Jalen Duren: Extension still not close
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Duren and the Pistons remain apart in contract negotiations, with Detroit offering approximately $35 million annually while Duren is seeking more than $40 million per year, according to Tim MacMahon of ESPN.com.
The two sides have been unable to reach an agreement throughout the summer, leaving Duren as one of the NBA's most prominent remaining restricted free agents. The 22-year-old could accept his $9.6 million qualifying offer and become an unrestricted free agent next summer, but Detroit has maintained that it wants to retain him long-term, making an eventual agreement the more likely outcome. Duren is coming off a breakout 2025-26 regular season in which he earned his first All-Star and All-NBA selections while averaging 19.5 points and 10.5 rebounds on 65.0 percent shooting.
Duren and the Pistons have seemingly not made any progress on a long-term extension, with Tim MacMahon of ESPN reporting that negotiations have been "nasty."
MacMahon didn't elaborate on just how bad things have been between the two sides and isn't sure if Duren plans to sign an extension. The 2022 No. 13 overall pick spent his first four years with Detroit, though he is coming off his most productive campaign to date, averaging a career-high 19.5 points along with 10.5 rebounds and 2.0 assists in 28.2 minutes per showing across 70 regular-season games in 2025-26. Additionally, he earned his first All-Star nod. However, it was a different story during the postseason, with the 22-year-old averaging 10.2 points, 8.5 rebounds, 2.1 assists and 1.2 blocks over 30.1 minutes per game in 14 playoff appearances. There are several directions this situation can go, including Duren agreeing to the proposed contract of roughly $35-$38 million annually. He can also accept a one-year, $9.6 million qualifying offer and become an unrestricted free agent next summer. While there is still time for progress to be made, both sides are likely running out of patience, which won't improve the chances of Duren remaining in Detroit beyond the 2026-27 campaign.
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Pistons' Jalen Duren: Muted effort in loss
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Duren contributed seven points (3-7 FG, 1-2 FT), nine rebounds, three assists and one block across 26 minutes during Sunday's 125-94 loss to the Cavaliers in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals.
Duren's postseason struggles were well documented, but it doesn't take away from the season he had. Duren was tremendous in the regular season, posting 19.5 points, 10.5 rebounds, 2.0 assists and 0.8 blocks across 70 appearances. He's expected to draw significant interest as a restricted free agent this summer.
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Pistons' Jalen Duren: Double-doubles in Game 6
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Duren logged 15 points (7-10 FG, 1-4 FT), 11 rebounds, three blocks and one steal over 27 minutes during Friday's 115-94 win over the Cavaliers in Game 6 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals.
Duren has struggled for much of the Pistons' playoff run, but he was more effective in Friday's contest. His team-high three blocks were his most in a postseason game since April 25 against the Magic (five), and he also logged his third double-double of the playoffs. Duren was able to return to the game in the fourth quarter after rolling his left ankle in the third, and that is worth monitoring ahead of Game 7 on Sunday.
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Pistons' Jalen Duren: Leaves for locker room
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Duren exited to the locker room in the third quarter of Friday's Game 6 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals against Cleveland due to an apparent left ankle injury, Adam Zagoria of ZagsBlog.com reports.
Duren went down and grabbed at his left ankle before limping back to the locker room. He can be considered questionable to return until more information comes to light. If he's unable to return, Paul Reed will likely pick up the slack.
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Pistons' Jalen Duren: Struggles again in overtime loss
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Duren contributed nine points (3-5 FG, 3-4 FT), five rebounds, four assists and one steal in 25 minutes during Wednesday's 117-113 overtime loss to Cleveland in Game 5 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals.
Duren continues to struggle on both ends of the floor, to the point where he didn't touch the floor in the final quarter or during overtime. After a breakout season, Duren has been unable to carry that form into the postseason, averaging 10.1 points, 8.3 rebounds and 1.0 blocks through 12 appearances. Detroit now trails 3-2, with the series heading back to Cleveland. The Pistons would love to see the regular-season version of Duren, something that has certainly been missing thus far during the playoffs.
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Pistons' Jalen Duren: Posts another double-double
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Duren closed Tuesday's 111-101 victory over the Cavaliers in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals with 11 points (4-11 FG, 3-4 FT), 12 rebounds, four assists and two blocks across 35 minutes.
Duren had begun the playoffs without a double-double in his first six games, but he's now recorded back-to-back doubles for the Pistons. Over eight postseason contests, the All-Star big man has averaged 10.6 points, 9.8 rebounds, 2.4 assists and 1.4 blocks in 31.9 minutes per game while shooting 50.0 percent from the field.
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Pistons' Jalen Duren: Goes for 15 and 15 in Game 7 win
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Duren logged 15 points (5-9 FG, 5-6 FT), 15 rebounds, three assists and one steal over 37 minutes during Sunday's 116-94 victory over Orlando in Game 7 of the first round of the Eastern Conference playoffs.
Duren saved his best for last, recording his first double-double of the series as the Pistons outlasted the Magic at home. Despite Sunday's effort, Duren's overall production throughout the playoffs has been mostly underwhelming, at least when compared to the regular season. Across seven first-round games against Orlando, he averaged 9.4 points, 9.4 rebounds and 1.3 blocks.
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Pistons' Jalen Duren: Leaves for locker room
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Duren exited to the locker room in the third quarter of Friday's Game 6 of the first-round series against the Magic due to an apparent hand issue, Hunter Patterson of The Athletic reports.
Duren was seen getting his hand examined but remained in the game. However, the big man later exited to the locker room and can be considered questionable to return until more information comes to light.
