The Los Angeles Lakers have exceeded all expectations during their first-round series against the Houston Rockets, taking a 3-0 lead despite playing without Luka Dončić (hamstring) and Austin Reaves (oblique). LeBron James has put the team on his back, and Los Angeles seems poised to advance and potentially get healthy during the second round.
While the Lakers have to feel good about where they stand right now given the circumstances, there will be some tough decisions to make this offseason. James, Kennard, and Rui Hachimura are unrestricted free agents, while Reaves, Smart, and Deandre Ayton could join them in the free-agent pool since they all have player options.
Because the Lakers have so many expiring contracts, they will have a ton of cap room this offseason, and one NBA analyst believes they are a potential landing spot for a certain first-time All-Star who’s about to hit the market.
Lakers Floated As Free-Agency Landing Spot for Pistons Center Jalen Duren
Jalen Duren is in the midst of a career year, becoming a first-time NBA All-Star and helping the Detroit Pistons win 60 games to secure the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference. During the regular season, he averaged a career-high 19.5 points along with 10.5 rebounds, 2.0 assists, 0.8 blocks, and 0.8 steals per game, while shooting 65% from the field and 74.7% from the free-throw line.
Duren is set to become a restricted free agent this summer with a $8,966,189 qualifying offer. While he will certainly want a max contract from Detroit, Duren’s struggles in the Pistons’ first-round series against the Orlando Magic will complicate the talks.
Through three games, the 22-year-old is averaging just 9.0 points, 8.3 rebounds, 2.0 assists, and 2.0 blocks, while shooting 41.7% from the field and 63.6% from the free throw line. Duren’s 5 blocks in Game 3 jump off the stat sheet, but he has been outplayed by Orlando’s Wendell Carter Jr., who is averaging 11.3 points, 9.7 rebounds, 2.7 assists, 1.3 blocks, and 1.0 steals on an efficient 58.3% from the field. Duren has struggled to get anything going offensively and his rebounding has left a lot to be desired as well.
Carter posted a 14-point, 17-rebound, 3-assist, 1-block performance in Game 3, including a clutch offensive rebound against Duren (who subsequently fouled out and sent Carter to the line), which helped seal the win for Orlando. Duren’s struggles come at the worst possible time, and there’s a chance he has played his way out of a max deal.
“It’s going to be hard to justify that Jalen Duren max rookie extension after watching this series,” one NBA podcaster wrote on X.
Cem Yolbulan of Detroit Jock City echoed this sentiment: “The All-Star center has been so underwhelming in the series that he may be costing himself a ton of money ahead of free agency. The front office has to ask itself some difficult questions. Can Detroit really build a championship-caliber team by paying Duren 25-30% of the salary cap? Do they want to hurt their financial flexibility moving forward by paying Duren around $45 million annually for the next several seasons? If the front office decides that the answer is closer to a ‘no,’ then they need to play hardball with Duren this summer.”
If Detroit does play hardball with Duren and forces him to go get an offer sheet from another team, Bleacher Report’s Eric Pincus mentioned the Lakers as the team to watch.
“Along with MVP candidate Cade Cunningham, Duren has emerged over the last two years as a true game-changer in Detroit,” Pincus said. “He’s grown on both sides of the floor, especially defensively on a very stingy Pistons squad. A first-time All-Star, Duren is averaging a career high of 19.5 points a game for the best team in the Eastern Conference by record (60-22). Duren should get a sizable raise to stay, but if the Pistons aren’t willing to max him out, the Lakers have plenty of cap room for an offer sheet.”
The Lakers have just $106,503,925 in guaranteed salaries on their books for next season, and they may be in the market for a center with Ayton potentially opting out. While Ayton has been solid relative to his $8,104,000 salary, he has been very inconsistent throughout the season and at times drawn the ire of head coach JJ Redick (and Lakers fans).
Across 72 starts, Ayton averaged career-lows in points (12.5), rebounds (8.0), steals (0.6), and assists (0.8) in 27.2 minutes per game. He’s had some excellent games, but he has also struggled mightily at times. Duren would be a massive upgrade over Ayton while also being 5 years younger and with way more untapped potential.
If the Lakers do extend an offer sheet to Duren, Detroit would have the option to match. Duren is only 22 years old and has looked like a potential All-NBA player at times this season, so Detroit may be willing to overlook his postseason struggles and write him a massive check since losing him for nothing would be a tough pill to swallow.
