Costly Jalen Duren Sign-and-Trade Isn't What Lakers, Luka Need to Contend amid NBA Rumors

The Los Angeles Lakers have an opportunity to grant Luka Dončić's biggest wish during the 2026 NBA offseason.

They shouldn't take it.

If that sounds counterintuitive, that's because it is. At first glance, anyway. Dončić's deepest roster desire is for L.A. to land an "A-list center," and the club just scored a meeting with Detroit Pistons All-Star and restricted free agent Jalen Duren, per ESPN's Dave McMenamin.

This feels like it should be straightforward, and some will definitely interpet it that way. Dončić himself is probably on-board, as he is "known to be a fan of Duren's game," per The Athletic's Sam Amick.

While Duren fits the mold of the rim-running center archetype that pairs so well with Dončić's playmaking, that play style is only so valuable. And the value doesn't stretch as far as it would need to in order to justify the kind of money needed to pry Duren away from the Pistons.

With Detroit having already traded away premier paint protector Isaiah Stewart, it has a pretty glaring need for Duren. Couple that with its option to match any offer sheet he signs, and you can pretty easily see how this could be a costly endeavor for any external suitor.

If it would take max money or close to it, this just wouldn't make sense for the Lakers. And if it wouldn't cost that much to get Duren's signature on the dotted line, then it wouldn't make sense for the Pistons to let him walk.

Either way, there should be a sea of caution flags standing between the Lakers and a contract offer.

Even after a breakout season, Duren's value is debatable. He is good, obviously, but max-money great? He definitely didn't look the part in the postseason, when he managed a meager 10.2 points and 8.5 rebounds (down from 19.5 and 10.5, respectively, in the regular season) and lost some crunch-time minutes to veteran role player Paul Reed.

While an unsteady month doesn't define a player, it can reveal some weaknesses. An overpacked paint didn't help Duren, but it also showed his lack of counters when rolling to the rim and exploding above it wasn't an option.

He is big and bouncy, so he can absolutely feast on spoon-fed lob passes. When he needs to create his own looks, though, the impact isn't nearly the same. As NBA.com's shot tracking data shows, Duren's production and efficiency both considerably dipped when he had to dribble before his shot attempts.

Dribbles	FGM	FGA	FG%
0 dribbles	286	405	70.6
1 dribble	104	170	61.2
2 dribbles	52	89	58.4
3-6 dribbles	65	110	59.1
7+ dribbles	12	22	54.5

To be clear, this should surprise no one. Rim-runners don't typically have offensive duties that extend beyond setting hard screens, finishing with force and battling on the boards. And Duren is capable of doing all those things.

But so are other athletic centers. And most of them don't cost anywhere near max money to get.

The Lakers wouldn't be out just the financial cost to Duren, by the way. There's also the opportunity cost that would come from signing him to an offer sheet and then waiting to see whether the Pistons would match. As McMenamin pointed out, "if the Lakers sign Durent o an offer sheet during the salary cap moratorium, Detroit would have until 11:59 p.m. ET on July 7 to match."

That's a ton of time to have that kind of money tied up, especially when there's no guarantee the player will shake loose by the end of it. While the Lakers would be waiting for the Pistons' decision—and Detroit could (and probably should) take things down to that final buzzer—their own free agents could negotiate elsewhere and perhaps skip town.

Then, L.A. would have even less support for Dončić than it does right now.

Hopefully, the franchise floor general sees all of the potential pitfalls in this pursuit. Because as much as he wants a rim-runner, and as good as Duren is in that very role, this just isn't a move the Lakers should make.