Media day has arrived once again, and while historically for the Detroit Pistons it’s been about getting a feel for how much players have worked in the offseason, being in the best shape of their lives and building on what you learned last season, this year there’s been a little extra drama — the impasse over Jalen Duren’s contract.
Duren, the Pistons’ All-Star and All-NBA restricted free agent, was not present at media day, which left others talking about Duren. There’s not much to say — Pistons president Trajan Langdon has flatly refused to comment on anything even indirectly related to contract negotiations.
However, if I’m free to allow myself the latitude of informed speculation and intuition, I think there was a lot to learn about the Jalen Duren saga at today’s media day. Here are my top 5 takeaways.
1. Jalen Duren WILL be a Detroit Piston this season
Look, it could all be positioning and negotiation tactics. But Trajan Langdon hasn’t made much of his expressed expectations for Duren this season. “He’ll be a Detroit Piston,” Langdon said. It can’t be clearer than that.
Additionally, Langdon seemed to come into today’s media session with a game plan to make one thing clear: whenever this drama plays out to its inevitable conclusion, the first mission was to make it clear that everything would be water under the bridge when Duren returns to the team, whether on a new long-term deal or a one-year qualifying offer.
“He’s going to be an important part of the team, whatever decision he makes. He’s going to be a Detroit Piston, and we’ll do everything we can to support him and get the best version of him, that’s what we’ve done the last two years, and that’s not going to change. Those are things we can control. His decision is not something we can control,” Langdon said.
2. Reps for Jalen Duren might not be on the Christmas card list this year
Langdon was exacting and elegant in his choice of words, but I think it’s pretty clear that even though it’s all water under the bridge once Duren is finally back on the team, there is no love lost between Duren’s reps and Langdon. When Langdon was asked about media reports that Duren felt disrespected by the franchise over how those discussions went, Langdon felt particularly measured. Sometimes it’s the meaning of what we don’t say that says a lot, you know what I mean. This is not to say that Trajan delivered unnecessary pablum.
“I won’t let anyone’s feelings get in the way of the decisions I make professionally. That has nothing to do (with it). So the relationships that exist also don’t make sense to me.”
It seemed clear to me that Langdon understands that this is some sort of asymmetrical war in which Duren’s men are able to easily plant narratives in the media and that he wasn’t going to get into the same game. I can’t really say whether this amounts to being understandably harsh or not negotiating in good faith. But it feels like if there’s any bad blood, it’s not with Duren but rather with Duren’s representatives.
3. Trajan Langdon hasn’t spoken to Jalen Duren all summer
This is the simplest: Langdon literally said, “I haven’t spoken to the young man all summer” about Duren. I wanted to list this as a line item in its own right, as I suppose it could be picked up and bundled across social media. But understand that a GM not being in direct contact with a player during negotiations is completely normal and expected. When you get to the point of negotiating big contracts, it can involve big emotions. We’ve certainly seen this happen. So it’s best to have a clear line between the hard work of assessing the value of numbers and personal relationships. Contract negotiations are about agents, not players.
4. Even if the fans are in their feelings, the players have nothing to blame JD
It’s just business. It was a clear message every time a player was asked about Jalen Duren. This is particularly the message delivered by Cade Cunningham. Much was made in the media about the fact that Cunningham held a team retreat and Duren chose not to attend while he was still negotiating his contract. Cunningham didn’t seem to mind. Cunningham equated this to high-level negotiations he himself had with the Pistons last offseason, and that Duren was simply doing what was best for him.
“I mean, he’s my brother. You know, on the field and off the field, we’ve gone to war together, obviously. But you know, we’ve had dinner together. I’ve met his family. He’s met my family. The negotiation is between the front office and his representation, and so they’re going to figure that out,” Cunningham said. “So the best thing I can do is be there for them, support them, encourage them, not let them get too down when it’s such a crazy time for them.”
While Duren was the main topic of the day in the media’s minds, almost everyone spontaneously had good things to say about Paul Reed, who will serve as Duren’s backup or perhaps even the team’s starting center if Duren continues to hold out during the season.
JB Bickerstaff called him the hardest-working player he had ever been around. That’s no small praise considering how many players Bickerstaff has worked with during his long coaching career. Cunningham praised Paul. Javonte Green congratulated Paul. Isaiah Joe recalled how they both entered the league together in Philadelphia and that he was the first player he heard of after the OKC trade.
As for Paul himself, he was typical: he hates losing, is obsessed with working hard and not making anything more complicated than necessary. Just do what you do to help the team succeed. We’ll see how much gets put on Paul’s plate once the season finally arrives.
Gn sports
