NBA Rumors: Lakers Wanted Jalen Duren Trade, Pistons Rejected LA at 2025 Deadline

Mark Williams wasn't the only center the Los Angeles Lakers pursued at the NBA trade deadline, according to The Athletic's Jovan Buha.

The Lakers insider reported on his Buha's Block podcast the team "inquired" about Jalen Duren, but the Detroit Pistons rebuffed those overtures. He suggested L.A. could return to the idea in the summer.

Los Angeles had a deal in place to land Williams from the Charlotte Hornets, only for the team to flag something in his physical and back out of the trade.

Like Williams, Duren is a young big who would've fit with the Lakers' new timeline following their blockbuster addition of Luka Dončić.

When the franchise was oriented around LeBron James and Anthony Davis, general manager Rob Pelinka was working with a much smaller championship window. James turned 40 in December, and Davis is 31 with longstanding concerns over his durability.

Now, the front office has a 25-year-old superstar in Dončić who could plausibly spend the next decade in Southern California. In terms of addressing their glaring need at center, the focus for Pelinka appeared to shift and became finding a backcourt option who could forge a long-term partnership with Luka.

The downside is that trading for a productive center still approaching his peak will be much costlier for the Lakers, as evidenced by the steep price they were prepared to pay for Williams.

And in the case of Duren, it will probably take a lot for Detroit to budge from its unwillingness to move him.

The 21-year-old is averaging 10.8 points, 10.2 rebounds and 1.2 blocks through 52 games, and he still has another year on his rookie contract before he's eligible for restricted free agency in 2026.

The Pistons weren't incentivized to sell, either, when they're mounting a serious playoff push. At 29-26, they're sixth in the Eastern Conference.

Duren probably isn't untouchable because he hasn't yet shown himself to be an elite center. Absent an overwhelming offer, though, it's hard to see why Detroit would part with a productive member of its starting lineup.