Pistons Trade Targets if Jalen Duren Walks
· Yahoo Sports
If Jalen Duren is serious about signing his $9.6 million qualifying offer and heading for unrestricted free agency next summer, the Detroit Pistons need to prepare for a post-Duren reality. He has already turned down a five-year offer worth roughly $190 million, and he is asking for an average salary north of $40 million. Trajan Langdon will need to trade a disgruntled All-Star while still being a contender. Plenty of options have been presented, but which ones are realistic? What players would fit in Detroit? In this article, we’ll evaluate some possible trade targets and how they would fit.
Domantas Sabonis Is the Name Sacramento Keeps Pushing
No team has been reportedly linked to Jalen Duren more strongly than the Sacramento Kings, whose interest Sam Amick and Hunter Patterson of The Athletic described as very strong. If they wanted to make that deal happen via trade, it would revolve around another All-Star center in Domantas Sabonis. The second-generation NBA star (son of Hall of Famer Arvydas Sabonis) is heading into his eleventh season in the NBA and sixth season with the Kings.
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At his best, Sabonis is a high-level offensive big who can be the hub of your offense. He can score at all three levels, and pretty efficiently, for that matter (19 PPG, 13.1 REB, 59% FG, 37% 3FG in his time in Sacramento). When Sabonis is available, consistent production is the least of his problems. Availability is the catch. Last season ended in February with surgery to repair a torn left meniscus, a procedure he had put off for months. His contract is steep, but it also expires after the 2027-28 season.
The drawbacks present themselves defensively and in postseason production. He has never averaged more than 0.6 blocks per game in a season, and that came in 2023-24. He’s always been relatively undersized for the center position, and can’t be the anchor of a top-level defense. And come the playoffs, Sabonis has a longer track record of dropping off in production than Jalen Duren. Not that he’s a bad player, far from it. However, Sabonis is not a natural fit on this Pistons roster. If he were, I think Trajan Langdon would’ve made this deal months ago.
Myles Turner Fits the Cap Sheet, Not the Glass
Spending his entire career in the Central Division, Pistons fans are intimately familiar with Myles Turner. Before signing with the Bucks last season, Turner spent his first ten seasons with the Indiana Pacers and was a big part of their Finals team in 2025. Between his ability to block shots and space the floor from three, it’s understandable why people have linked the veteran big with Detroit.
Compared to the five-year, $190 million deal the Pistons have offered Duren, Turner is under a cost-controlled deal (three remaining years around $83 million, with a player option on the last of them). Over his career, he’s been averaging 14 PPG and 2 blocks per game; that’s decent value. What makes Turner a difficult candidate to pursue, however, is his rebounding woes. Throughout his career, he’s only averaged 6.6 rebounds per game, down to 5.3 this past season. Detroit has good rebounders for their position, but not enough to compensate for Turner’s woes.
Daniel Gafford Is the Most Natural Jalen Duren Replacement
The Dallas Mavericks aren’t expected to be in the Jalen Duren sweepstakes. However, in a post-Duren world, Gafford would be an option worth monitoring. Marc Stein has reported that Dallas is still fielding offers on Gafford, and he checks lots of Detroit’s boxes. In just a career 20 minutes per game, the big has averaged 9 points and 6 rebounds. He appeared in all 22 playoff games for the Mavericks team that made the Finals in 2024. His number is also a fraction of Duren’s: Gafford carries a $17.3 million cap hit this season on a three-year extension that averages $18.1 million, against the $38 million a year Detroit put in front of Duren.
There’s no denying that there would be a drop-off in scoring production. However, if Duren’s playoff production is the rule and not the exception, then it’s not as massive as initially thought. The cap space would also allow Detroit to consider other deals. Perhaps for Daniel Gafford’s teammate Kyrie Irving? Regardless, if the Pistons need to pivot off of Jalen Duren, there might not be a more natural fit available than Daniel Gafford.
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