The Jalen Duren drama

There are only a handful of NBA centers that can justify their massive salaries, never mind the injury histories of a few.  Names like Nikola Jokic, Anthony Davis, Karl Anthony Towns, Joel Embiid, Domantas Sabonis, Chet Holmgren and Rudy Gobert have annual salaries ranging between $36m to $59m annually. These guys are the NBA’s top earning centers.

Victor Wembanyama, who is on the last year of his rookie contract, gets $16.8m annually, which for all he’s worth, is an underpayment. In comparison, OKC’s Holmgren, whom he dominated in the playoffs, gets $41.2m. He recently signed a 5-year, $252.3m guaranteed contract that keeps him in San Antonio until the 2031-2032 season. Wemby’s annual salary then will be in the $50m range.

On to Jalen Duren.  In 2022, he signed a 4-year, $19.4 rookie deal with Detroit. For the upcoming season, the Pistons are reportedly offering him a 5-year, $190m deal that would give him an average annual take of $38m.

But Duren’s camp is holding out of the deal and wants upwards of $200m for 5 years that would at least give him $40m annually. He’s not yet in the league of the above-named players yet he’s asking too much.

These centers who earn less than $25m, are, in my opinion, better than Duren – Ivica Zubac, Isaiah Hartenstein, Nic Claxton, Mitchell Robinson and Kristaps Porzingis.

Latest buzz on Duren is that he won’t sign an extension and will be taking the qualifying offer of $9.6m. By doing so, he becomes an unrestricted free agent next season, bets on himself and aspires for his game to improve and not choke in the playoffs. Then maybe hope that teams will hire him and give him a max deal. Detroit won’t pay him with what he’s asking for as he hasn’t shown them that he can be dependable in the post season.

If they settle on the qualifying offer, it will save the Pistons some money and could get them a couple of quality players. This could backfire on Duren just like what happened to Dennis Schroeder.

In November 2020, Schoeder was traded to the Lakers and was offered in March of 2021 a contract extension of $84m for 4 years. He rejected the deal hoping to earn bigger money in free agency. The following season, signed with the Celtics for a one year deal worth $5.9m, a very discounted amount compared to what LAL offered him.

What Detroit is offering is massive money for a 22-year-old and he should not let go of it because that deal is never coming back. Maybe he should consider firing his agent.  Playter agents by the way, get 4% of the total salary contract amount and 10% to 20% of any endorsement and sponsorship deals.