NBA Execs Warn Pistons over Jalen Duren Max Contract, 'Can Derail Your Entire Roster'

Some NBA executives feel the Detroit Pistons could end up regretting offering Jalen Duren a max deal this offseason, ESPN's Brian Windhorst reported Friday.

Duren, a pending restricted free agent, is eligible for a max deal worth around $239 million. That number could climb to a supermax of $287 million should he receive an All-NBA nod.

One Eastern Conference executive told Windhorst that Duren is "not a max player, but they're probably going to have to give him the max."

"Because now [cap space] teams like Chicago or Brooklyn might see him as someone they could get with a max offer sheet and Detroit will have to match," the Eastern executive told Windhorst. "With the new apron rules, it might come back to bite [the Pistons], and it's just another example of how the CBA crushes team building."

An executive from a Western Conference team told Windhorst that kind of decision could sting in the era of the punitive luxury tax aprons.

"One of the biggest mistakes you can make in the NBA right now is to give a non-max player a max deal," the Western executive told Windhorst. "In the old system, you could bet on high-end talent players. Now losing a big bet can derail your entire roster."

The Pistons are currently projected by Spotrac to have $72.5 million in first apron space next season with Duren, Kevin Huerter and Tobias Harris currently unsigned.

Duren made his case for a raise in the regular season, during which he averaged a career-high 19.5 points and 10.5 rebounds in 70 games while leading the Pistons to the top seed in the Eastern Conference.

His performance has fluctuated in the Pistons' subsequent run to the second round, during which Duren saw his playing time drop before he was benched for the end of Wednesday's Game 5 overtime loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers.

Duren has yet to record more than 15 points in a contest this postseason heading into Friday night's must-win Game 6 against the Cavaliers.

The Pistons originally held extension talks with Duren last summer, but talks ultimately broke down. Duren later said he felt the team "probably didn't understand my worth."

Detroit will now be able to match any offer sheet Duren receives thanks to his RFA status. NBA insider Jake Fischer previously named the Chicago Bulls as a potential destination for Duren.

Pistons president of basketball operations Trajan Langdon told The Ringer's Logan Murdock in April he wanted Duren to "be a Piston for life." Whether or not that happens could depend in part on how much other teams are willing to offer for the All-Star center this summer.