[Goodwill] Sources tell ESPN one of the reasons for Duren’s frustration was hearing in negotiations that he was the team’s fourth-best player – perhaps said in a way to illustrate how far he’d fallen in the playoffs, perhaps the cold part of negotiations.
Source
When word got back to Duren that his playoff performance had hurt his standing in the organization, he began exploring his market value – though many in the organization believed Duren would eventually return. Despite being a restricted free agent, he met with the Sacramento Kings early into free agency. The Atlanta Hawks, Milwaukee Bucks and Washington Wizards also had interest, sources tell ESPN.
But Detroit had the inside track. It knew that whatever number it landed on would be greater than whatever was outside its doors – and the Pistons were unwilling to engage on a sign-and-trade, league sources tell ESPN.