taking the QO (or lets it expire and loses that leverage)

Not taking the QO by the deadline would be the dumbest maneuver in sports history. That would make him an immediate RFA, and no team has cap space right now. So he’d end up playing for the Pistons for even less money than the QO this season, as the Pistons would just match whatever any other team can afford. The alternative would be holding out for the season, and then he’s right back in the same boat next year.

One way or another this is resolving in the next 3 days.

Too much greed almost always backfires, but im not in the nba lmao.

I get that but up until this point it was just contract posturing, and doing this is just flat out souring the relationship. Detroit might start thinking about rescinding the 200 million altogether.

lol forreal. It’s actually working for him.

If I were the Pistons I’d start dropping the offer from this point. You declined? Next one is \(195m, declined? \)190m

What does QO mean?

If he actually goes through with taking the QO (or lets it expire and loses that leverage) then yeah, he’s an idiot for not taking 200m.

Even more so because if he takes the QO, and then wins the MVP this season and gets the largest deal he can possibly get from another team next year…

He will still make less than $200M over the 5 years it was offered. So he’d be…betting on himself, and literally no matter what happens he loses. This guy is a moron.

The reported offer bump is directly related to getting Ausar Thompson secured at a discount. He’s playing this as poorly as can possibly be played.

if i was detroit id give him 200m and send him to shittiest club possible

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I think dennis shroder is a more relevant example for this sub

Who is John Klingberg and what happened. Feel like Nerlens Noel and Schroder are the best examples

See also: another J.K. incident and losing out on a lot of money.

I really see it both ways tbh. In his position, it’s his job and his agent’s job to get him as much money as humanly possible. I’d probably make shit uncomfortable too if that’s what was potentially standing between me in $50+m.

That said, that money does exist in a vacuum, it’s a fraction of what he’d be getting either way. NBA contracts are so absurd now that he’d be making a huge multiple of what many all-time greats made in their career. You be set for life with even half of what the team is offering, and you open the door for the team being better and having more success/reputation too.

Redditors keep calling a person stupid because 200 mil sounds like an unrealistic number to a person making 50k a year.

It’s very hard to make in work under CBA rules, now

Sac doesn’t have a reason to give picks. They can just wait until next offseason to sign Duren. Detroit has lost all leverage

Why would Sacramento want Duren over Sabonis?

This is crack cocaine lol.

Nah, Sabonis is the better player right now so any trades will involve Detroit sending picks to the Kings instead. Ask ChatGPT again to confirm.

Two seats?

not much illegal I wouldn’t do either

There’s very little I wouldn’t do for the equivalent of a vet min which is like 3 million.

Hell, 5k which is a rounding error for these guys would make a noticeable difference in my life.

Relatives who never cared about you: Allow us to introduce ourselves

PASS THE CONTROLLER

Lmfaoooo

$20K?! Pass lol.

The whole inside and outside of the train

Right? How is that even a question?

Spend a million on mouthwash and have a real nice life.

You are a terrible negotiator 🤦‍♂️

Its also a dangerous gamble for Det. 200 mil for anything below an all star caliber player will cripple your cap.

It’s pretty clearly personal at this point. Duren feels slighted by where Detroit started this whole thing, and now he’s not going to sign for a penny less than the max (or whatever his number is) out of principle.

It’s stupid, but you have to respect it at some level.

And yes, turning down \(200M is passing up generational wealth. But the guy has already made \)20M, will make another \(10M on the QO, and will most likely end up with a \)200M offer next season and end up with a $500M career.

He’s not going to need food stamps because he turned this offer down, even if it is a financially stupid decision.

Except it didn’t start at 200M did it? By drawing this out Duren has been able to get more money. I can see him drawing this out to the very last minute to see if he can get them to add a few more M’s to the deal.

If not he can either sign for the amount he wanted originally or sign elsewhere out of spite. Either way he has all the cards. Him not caving has gotten him into the position he wanted in the first place and could get him even more.

200m was nit their first offer, and the also want to put the weight control incentive in there

He’s like a $25 mill/per kinda center at the moment. I’d offer him that for 3 years if I were another team.

He’s 22 years old. People on this sub have zero ability to look past the most recent postseason to assess players and teams, it’s remarkable.

The $200 mil is being reported as a “move up” so in this case, it is.

He also has the credibility of a very good performance in the 2025 playoffs with a weaker team, even if his 2026 was a noticeable regression.

The Pistons did offer him an extension last year, and Duren said no. Both agreed not to worry about it once the season starts, to minimize the distractions. It worked for both of them last season. Duren earned more money by waiting it out, and the Pistons got to see him at his best last season (not counting the playoffs).

Hey that’s not fair. Sprewell had a family to feed!

cam thomas as well

shroder’ingers contract

Eason is the other NBA player that durens agent represents.

Add Cousins to this list

It’s a little funny bc Kuminga and Oladipo shared the same agent

He got absolutely punked by Wendell Carter Jr of all people.

That’d be tampering and they’d probably be losing a few first round picks for it

No, that’s gone

There is absolutely no guarantee the 200M is still on the table. After his agent’s recent remarks, it wouldn’t shock me if the Piston’s say “You’re not worth it, take the QO, and we’ll trade you.”

What about when you got to the most important part of the year and you…completely collapsed? Like, historically bad, when your team needed you the most.

Would you still think you’re worth every penny you thought you were worth at the end of the regular season?

The dude is delusional. Or he’s an idiot and his agent is delusional.

You must have NOT been watching the Pistons. Going all out is an exaggeration at best.

If he signs the deal he loses all leverage and they can basically tell him to get fucked/deny any requests for a trade.

That’s an opinion, why are you stating it as fact

Then why in the offer $20m higher now? Yall just say whatever

They would take a minimum contract.

It’s simple market economics that he will demand more on an open market than a closed one. Not hard to understand.

Presumably, that would be OKC.

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Ot he could take the QO and have a terrible year and not get paid. He should be on the phone with Dennis Schroeder to see how turning down generational wealth works out for most people

Or he could have a terrible year and/or get injured, and then that offer is gone. Money guaranteed today isn’t guaranteed tomorrow.

Which makes it that he really doenst want to play in Detroit. Im never one of those “he is gonna fumble the bag lol what a stupid” etc. kinda people since its their choice/life but i just cant see how this is gonna go way he wants. You can say he and his agent can also see what average Redditor see then i would say look at Dennis or Noel.

Edit: Obv most likely scenario Detroit put a little bit more money and he sign

Yeah but at least he’ll be out of Detroit

If he takes the QO not only is he gambling with his health and play being worthy of a max, he’s pushing off his next big payday by a season which makes very little sense.

Oh

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People do not understand that if he takes the QO, he’s getting benched for as long as it takes to trade him. He might sit the entire year and get offered pennies next year. Why would we waste time with him on the court?

This is before factoring in that the Pistons will play 4 games in California next year, while the Kings will play 47.

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There’s also a major different between Kuminga and Duren. Warriors just wanted that salary slot to trade him.

Ayton’s offer from the Pacers came in July, a lot different than it basically being October

Very different situation unfolded. Also, Phoenix regretted paying him that contract and eventually traded him off for spare parts.

I’m not trying to say that Duren’s representation has pulled a fast one on the Pistons, I’m more so pushing back on the idea that Duren’s side is playing this poorly. Signing an earlier offer would’ve left millions on the table, so letting things play out is both a good move by Duren’s camp and also within what Detroit planned for. Both things can be true at once

What exactly is the risk?

That the Pistons rescind their extension at the last minute? And piss off Cade and the rest of the roster? And create a toxic locker room for the year?

i mean yeah this could also happen, all we can do is sit back and watch but given the current value of big men in the nba he’s unlikely to be siging for 10 mil a year anywhere.

I’d be surprised if he goes that far. Looks to me like he’s stringing the team along to squeeze out every million he can. Expect him to put pen to paper at the last minute.

I mean, the opposite could also happen. He has a good year, leaves Detroit in UFA without any return of cap space, assets, or anything else that helps contend during the Cade era.

Yes, he did get exposed during the playoffs. But for all the “Players need to adjust to the 2nd apron era” talk, fans are very clearly missing how the new lottery odds incentivize overpaying fringe all-stars to steal them away from other teams.

Who was the last person to actually take the QO?

It’s not because the blackjack guy is just gambling and playing his luck. There really isn’t luck here, but agents getting involved in the market.

But yeah he can either be an Ayton and get maxed against his team’s will or be a Nerlens Noel and be clowned forever.

but you can also factor that Duren might have a career year and walk to Sacramento and Detroit lose him for nothing. look at their roster outside of Cade and Duren

Weight restrictions are reasonable in his case. Also his market value ³⁰⁄₃₆. He is still getting higher than his market value.

This is already a clear over pay 😂

yep. look at the price Kessler, a guy who didnt even play the last year, went for. NBA teams are desperately looking for a big man they can rely on, espeically with Wemby now existing, their value is way up. Detroit knows its really silly to just let Duren walk for free

So you don’t think not having a center cripples your future?

lol the fans don’t want him. The front office doesn’t want him. Then trade him away! The longer this plays out, the worse it is for the pistons.

How is it delusion? Because you’re emotional?

Apparently it’s not worth more than he’s worth. Currently, it’s exactly what he’s worth.

Well that’s racist

Let’s be real. He’s not going to get anything significantly less than 200 mill somewhere else

He’s still getting generational wealth

So why live in Detroit for 5 years. It’s the same argument with why live in Toronto for 5 years.

And anytime you have to say “ city isn’t that bad anymore” it just means that city sucks

He could be living in much better cities

fuck it, give the 200 million to Bball Paul

And they let Beef Stu go

He was All-NBA cuz of the 65 game rule

Not cuz he’s that good

Where did I act like it’s not impressive? All I did was add context to the All NBA selection. Do you think Duren should take up as much cap space as any of those 4 guys I listed do?

The QO also gives him a no trade clause. I wouldn’t be surprised if Detroit just gives him a much smaller role as there no long term gain from playing him.

Also, everyone who’s had a job knows how taxes work, and that your salary is not the same number as the amount of money that gets deposited into your account every month.

It’s like they don’t realize we ALSO have to pay taxes.

A single rookie-scale first round contract should be enough to set anyone with minimal financial sense for life. Athletes by and large, are incredibly dumb.

The max from Sacramento $189.2 million / 4 years.

Plus Duren’s 2026–27 qualifying offer: $9.6M.

Total over 5 seasons:$198.8M. Still less than 200m 5 years. Also risk of injury and higher taxes and cost of living. Michigan 4.25% state income tax.

California: up to 13.3% state income tax at Duren level income. Difference: roughly 9 percentage points.

On \(40 million/year, that’s roughly \)3.6 million more per year in California state tax before accounting for NBA “jock tax” complications.

Seriously? You think $200m is a minimum contract? Duren’s skill set does not match that contract. He’s the next Deandre Ayton. Deandre Ayton way overvalued himself and after his contract extension was up nobody wanted to sign him. He became a minimum guy after that.

Duren is going down that same path. He’ll take the QO, sign a max with the Kings or some other sorry franchise, then be a minimum player after that contract is over.

He isn’t a top 30 guy. Top 30 guys don’t get benched in the playoffs

Lol, okay. Duren played like garbage in the playoffs, so he deserves his bag and to hold the team back from getting a thing put together? So smart.

Lol, and then when you dont win anything?

This entire thing is happening because the guy whose job it is to build a team recognizes that you can’t give some players the contracts they think they deserve.

It isn’t so much of taking less money to help the team win, it is facing the reality that this is the amount of money that is available. Holding out for more works if you have options, but RFA usually don’t have many.

The days of teams reflexively giving out max extensions is over as long as the apron rules stay in place.

It depends on the situation. If they can win more and by doing so their team is going to become significantly more relevant, they can maximize other streams of revenue just by becoming a more famous player. This pretty much exclusively applies to star players though.

I agree. And 200 mil is what is possible

It is stupid when we consider opportunity cost within the frame of risk.

There are too many variables that could depreciate his value to risk a guaranteed $40 million p/y over 5 years.

Longevity and solid money. Why quibble about the weigh in clause? You aren’t getting a max offer and a 40% pay bump, if weight or postseason performance is still an issue.

to be fair if he burns his bridges too much with the QO, Pistons can fuck with his playing time

But also maybe in a different city and situation. Like Kessler in LA or KAT in NYC. It’s all speculation until it happens.

It’s not impossible but he seems like a $25 mill/per kinda center at the moment. He could jump and be a contract merchant, then go back to not giving a fuck while cashing checks.

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I’m not as certain as you are. This seems to me like it’s more than just negotiating tactics. More like a toddler throwing a tantrum and a parent that refuses to give in.

Yes. What I meant was - people are acting like Chafie Fields is a bad agent, when he got Eason a fully guaranteed contract without incentives/injury clauses.

Eason got a better guaranteed deal vs one that may have only paid up to 60% of the value if he got hurt or didn’t hit certain performance targets. Duren rejected \(190M guaranteed (\)55M more than Walker Kessler) to be offered $200M but with clauses.

Truly hustling backwards. As someone else said - Dennis Schroeder may finally be set free after all.

Are you arguing that Detroit is NOT willing to pay a penny more?

Fuck that loser.

You could have just posted this part.

The downtown area is really neat and organized. Easy travel to even from an hour outside the city. Sac town is just trash and homeless people everywhere.

Probably thinks he could be a first option somewhere else

Prolly got a deal lined up already

Maybe he just doesnt like living in Detroit. Who knows? It definitely isnt for basketball reasons.

You guys need to remember duren is currently a multi millionaire living a great life. Some p

eople with that much money just dont care because worse case scenario he is rich instead of mega rich for the res for his life.

He has a maybe 10-15 years in the nba and it’s not crazy that he may not want to spend it in a place he doesn’t like for 5 years. I don’t think he’s turning down the 200m cause he doesn’t want the money, he’s decided he rather be elsewhere even if it means less.

Kings can do the funniest thing and offer less than Detroit next year 😂

Less work more money.. I think rings only matter if you want to be top 30 all time, but $200m fully guaranteed no team option?!?

Which is a perfectly understandable reason to hold a grudge imo.

You don’t become as muscular as Duren without caring about your looks and working specifically towards that. If he’d rather make the same or slightly less money on another team that won’t tell him to lose muscle - that’s his prerogative. It’s not his responsibility to make sure Detroit gets assets back for him to stay afloat during the Cade era.

I think there’s going to be a serious discussion about Dennis being in the basketball hall of fame once he retires.

What if Duren is only mobile now because of his youth and his body ages poorly, quickly and he ends up declining rapidly like Roy Hibbert.

I don’t see him as having the agility or intellect that Ben Wallace had.

Duren has to step his game up on both the offensive and defensive glass as well as being a better paint protector and defensive conductor, things he hasn’t done well in back-to-back playoffs.

Duren has to prove he can perform in the playoffs before the Pistons think about signing him to a large deal.

The Pistons are better off letting him take the qualifying offer and potentially leaving and becoming a star somewhere else than hamstringing Cunningham if Duren doesn’t pan out.

The Pistons can always try to acquire a late first and develop a mobile big that hopefully learns quickly like the Suns did with Ighodaro and the Clippers with Konan Niederhäuser.

But if they spend $200MM on Duren and he ends up a bust, that critically affects their competitive window.

Trading for Myles Turner and developing a late first big after this upcoming season when they let Duren walk would be a more prudent move, even if Duren ends up turning into Ben Wallace.

You can’t take that risk when Duren hasn’t proven anything when the lights are brightest yet.

Anything’s possible, but he’s 22 years old, so what are you basing that on?

The payment for his little advertisement to encourage his young fans to blow their earnings in gambling was for 15 million. A lot to us normal folk, but a rounding error in his world. Very small bag in order to sell out your fans. 15 mil is no where near a “fuck ton” of money to LeBron James. He wants another ring that’s all.

LeBron has been taking pay cuts for years. What are you talking about. Whatever money he makes on the side has nothing to do with it. He could’ve taken a big contract and still done the gambling thing.

It’s so disingenuous when people try to act like a 9-5 is the same as being a pro athlete just because they are both jobs lmao.

There’s no salary cap at my job so this is a dumb comparison lmfao

a week ago he could have “taken the 190M and then proved he’s worth a max” but then he held out and got 10M added to the offer. so why not keep going?