Duren Stays Home: Jalen Inks Five-Year, $200M Deal to Anchor Our Pistons!

After a four-month standoff over the value of his next contract, Jalen Duren is back where he belongs, and we could not be happier about it. The 22-year-old All-NBA center signed a new five-year, $200 million fully guaranteed deal late Thursday night, coming to terms just ahead of the deadline for him to accept a one-year qualifying offer. The negotiation took longer than both sides anticipated — long enough that Duren missed media day and the first few practices of training camp. The man earned every dollar. Duren averaged a career-high 19.5 points in the best regular season of his career, made his first All-Star team, and landed on the All-NBA third team as Detroit climbed to the top seed in the Eastern Conference. A second-round exit stung, but across 14 playoff games he put up 10.2 points a night. What matters most to us is what Duren said: Detroit has become a home, he lives here full-time, and he wants to be here for the rest of his career. That is the kind of commitment a franchise builds around.