The Detroit Pistons are dominating this season, as they are the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference with a record of 52-19.
The obvious player who deserves credit is All-Star Cade Cunningham, but center Jalen Duren has also contributed heavily to their success. He is averaging 19.2 points and 10.5 rebounds on 64.1% shooting in 61 games played.
The only concern with Duren is he hits restricted free agency this offseason.
Lakers Predicted To Land Jalen Duren
With LeBron James’ contract expiring after the season, it’s finally time to go all-in on the Luka Dončić era. Duren fits Dončić’s timeline to near perfection, as he’s only 22 years old but is already performing at an All-Star level.
The problem, however, as Bleacher Report pointed out, is it’ll cost a “fortune” to pry Duren away from the Pistons. B/R listed Duren as Los Angeles’ “dream” free agent target.
“The Lakers haven’t found the right center to pair with Luka Dončić just yet, but the league’s scoring leader previously identified Duren as an ideal fit. It would cost a fortune for L.A. to get this done, but if the potential prize is making life easier on (and more productive with) its best player, then that’s probably a price worth paying,” B/R’s Zach Buckley wrote.
Duren will likely receive a contract somewhere in the ballpark of $185 million to $200 million over five years. This is a monster price for the Lakers to offer and could potentially mean losing James and Austin Reaves in the same summer.
So, L.A.’s front office must determine if it’s worth it.
Duren is dominant on both ends of the floor, utilizing his strength and size to lockdown the paint on the defensive end. Offensively, he’s unable to stretch the floor, but Dončić is used to playing alongside big men without an outside shot in their arsenal.
An alternative route the Lakers could take for solving their center struggles is using their selection in the 2026 NBA Draft on a frontcourt piece. This draft class is praised as one of the deepest in recent memory, so finding a gem late in the first round is within the realm of possibilities.
Whether or not the Lakers land Duren partially comes down to how aggressive Rob Pelinka and company want to be in the era led by Dončić.
