The Jalen Duren saga is finally over.
The All-NBA centre has agreed to a five-year, $200 million fully guaranteed deal with the Detroit Pistons, ESPN's Shams Charania reported on Thursday.
The agreement ends the contract dispute between the Pistons and the restricted free agent that has carried on throughout the off-season. Duren was reportedly underwhelmed by the Pistons' offer in late June.
The Pistons upped their offer to $200 million guaranteed after offers ranging from $170 million to $190 million throughout the summer, per Charania. They also removed a weight clause from the offer, according to The Athletic's Sam Amick and Hunter Patterson.
Duren had until tonight to accept the Pistons' offer or sign a one-year, $9.6 million qualifying offer that would allow him to become an unrestricted free agent next summer. He skipped media day and the start of training camp, mulling over the qualifying offer and waiting for a potential sign-and-trade, but he ultimately decided to lock in long-term in Detroit.
The 22-year-old earned his first all-star selection this past season by averaging 19.5 points, 10.5 rebounds and two assists over 70 games and was eligible for a five-year, $287-million max-salary rookie extension.
However, he struggled in the playoffs with his per-game averages dropping to 10.2 points and 8.5 rebounds, and his field-goal percentage declined from 65 per cent to 51.4 per cent.
There are fractures to the player-team relationship due to Duren's free agency that will impact the start of the season, Charania adds.
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