Jalen Duren, Pistons Both Say They Want Long-Term Deal In Offseason

Like I said, I would love to be a Piston for life. It was nothing personal. Nothing I took personal with the organization or anything. It was just business. They felt one way, I felt another. And at that moment we couldn't come to an agreement. General manager Trajan Langdon echoed that sentiment from the organization's side. We want him to be a Piston for life, too, Langdon said. It had nothing to do with what he had or hadn't done. The contract situation looms over what has otherwise been a breakthrough season for Duren. He made his first All-Star team in February and is posting career highs across the board, averaging 19.5 points on 64.7 percent shooting and nearly 11 rebounds per game. He ranks among the frontrunners for the league's Most Improved Player award. Duren has also shouldered the offensive load during Cade Cunningham's eight-game absence due to a collapsed lung, averaging 23.4 points, 10.5 rebounds and 1.8 assists while guiding Detroit to a 6-2 record. The Pistons clinched the Central Division title Tuesday and sit atop the Eastern Conference with six games remaining. Cunningham and Duren have built one of the league's most promising young duos, traveling together to Italy last summer and deepening a bond that traces back to their AAU and USA Basketball days. Duren has drawn comparisons to the Julian Edelman-Tom Brady dynamic in terms of his deliberate investment in building chemistry with his star teammate. With the playoffs approaching as the East's top seed, Duren's focus remains on the present despite the unresolved contract situation. I just want this team to use its full potential, Duren said. I want to come out of this season thinking, 'Yeah. We did everything that we wanted to do.'