New NBA Rumors on Pistons' Kevin Durant, Kawhi Leonard Trade Pursuits in Free Agency

Before finally resolving their contract standoff with Jalen Duren, the Detroit Pistons were trying to make a huge splash in the trade market this offseason to upgrade their roster around Cade Cunningham.

Per ESPN's Vincent Goodwill, the Pistons made trade inquiries for Kevin Durant and Kawhi Leonard over the summer.

It doesn't sound like Detroit's attempts ever went very far with Goodwill noting Leonard "wasn't interested" in playing for the Pistons and the Houston Rockets "weren't willing to engage" in talks for Durant.

Durant has had high praise for Cunningham throughout his career. The future Hall of Famer called the Pistons star a "special" talent.

Cunningham led the Pistons to 60 wins and the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference last season, but they struggled through the first two rounds of the playoffs before being eliminated in by the Cleveland Cavaliers in the conference semifinals.

The loss opened up concerns about how good the supporting cast around Cunningham was, with Duren being the biggest question mark because he had been so effective in the regular season to earn a spot on the All-NBA third team.

Duren averaged 10.2 points and 8.5 rebounds per game in 14 postseason starts. He put up 19.5 points and 10.5 rebounds per contest in 70 starts during the regular season.

The slump for Duren led to a prolonged contract negotiation with the Pistons that finally got resolved on Monday when he agreed to a five-year, $200 million deal.

Duren's contract ensures he and Cunningham will be the primary pieces in Detroit for the foreseeable future. The duo will account for more than $90 million in salary over each of the next four seasons.

There is still room for growth with Duren since he is only 22. Still, it's hard not to wonder what a Pistons roster with Leonard or Durant playing next to Cunningham might have looked like.