New Jalen Duren Rumors on Lakers, Kings Interest amid 'Sizable Distance' in Pistons Contract Talks

Jalen Duren's future with the Detroit Pistons is reportedly in serious jeopardy.

NBA insider Chris Haynes reported Monday he and the team are a "sizable distance apart in negotiations," which means he will meet with the Sacramento Kings "with the intentions of structuring a sign-and-trade out of Detroit."

What's more, Sam Amick of The Athletic reported Duren also has a call with the Los Angeles Lakers scheduled for Tuesday as "another sign-and-trade scenario." Amick also noted that "Luka Dončić is known to be a fan of Duren's game."

ESPN's Dave McMenamin reported more context to the situation:

To say Duren is something of a tricky situation for the Pistons would be an understatement.

On the one hand, he was an All-Star and an All-NBA Third Team selection last season who averaged 19.5 points and 10.5 rebounds a game while shooting 65 percent from the field. It was a career-best campaign for the big man, and he was a major reason Detroit finished with the best record in the Eastern Conference.

At just 22 years old, he seems like someone the team wouldn't hesitate to bring back next season and beyond.

On the other hand, he struggled mightily during the Pistons' second-round playoff loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers and was a liability at times. Cleveland didn't have to worry about his outside shooting or ability to stretch the floor, which allowed it to focus even more attention on Cade Cunningham and others.

Duren finished with seven points on 3-of-7 shooting from the field in the decisive Game 7 and failed to score in double figures in four of the seven contests. Even his 7.6 rebounds per game in the series was a significant step down from his regular-season production.

Cavaliers-Pistons Highlights

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It remains fair to worry about Duren's overall ceiling when it comes to impacting playoff games in the most important moments after his performance against the Cavaliers.

Those would be concerns for a Lakers team that absolutely has aspirations of a deep playoff run with Dončić leading the way.

Sacramento, though, would just love to be in postseason discussions. 

It has been in the playoffs just once since the 2005-06 season and is coming off a dreadful 22-60 campaign. It needs to stockpile as much talent as possible to keep up with some of the contenders in the Western Conference, and Duren is a double-double threat every time he steps on the floor.

And it seems like the next time he steps on the floor might be in a Kings uniform.