NBA Training Camp Rumors Live Blog

Fresh off winning a championship for the New York Knicks, and with two seasons left on his current deal (2027-28 is a $61 million player option), Karl-Anthony Towns is eligible for a mammoth extension worth $276 million over four years.

And although Towns reiterated his desire to stay in New York at media day, current reporting suggests that particular deal won't get done before this season.

Given the timeline, that's understandable. There's no real sense of urgency for either side. An extension could get done in 2027, too. And it makes sense for everyone involved to be focused on a title defense in 2026-27.

The lack of an extension will be a talking point here and there, but it isn't quite time for alarm bells.

As you can see above, the Detroit Pistons are up to $200 million over five years for restricted free agent Jalen Duren (who is currently holding out of training camp).

That would make him one of the 10 highest-paid centers in the league. In terms of total dollars, it's more than the four-year, $189 million max he could sign with an another team as an unrestricted free agent in 2027.

But this is, pretty clearly, no longer entirely about the money. And while some negotiation should be expected, things like the weight clauses in Duren's earlier offers are borderline ridiculous.

And it's understandable that Duren would be annoyed, especially in the wake of Ausar Thompson's five-year, $155 million extension.

For most of this summer, it felt like Duren and the Pistons would eventually settle at a middle ground that would have him back with the team that he just helped finish with the East's best regular-season record.

Now that we're into an actual holdout, a sign-and-trade is starting to feel like a real possibility. And according to ESPN's Marc J. Spears, a handful of teams may be interested.