The rivalry between the Celtics and Pistons certainly hasn’t been very intense recently, as Detroit hasn’t been competitive in a long time. But in the 1980s, things were as fierce as possible, and it picked up briefly again in the late 2000s. With the Pistons finally returning to relevance last season, winning 60 games and earning the top seed in the Eastern Conference, there’s a chance that things could heat up again.
So, as a Celtics fan, it's been enjoyable to watch the relationship fracture between the Pistons and their 22-year-old All-NBA center, Jalen Duren. Duren had a breakout season last year, putting up 19.5 points and 10.5 rebounds per game, but he completely cratered in the playoffs as Detroit scraped by the Magic in round one before falling to the Cavaliers in round two.
Duren falling off a cliff was a huge reason why they struggled, as he was outplayed by Paul Reed and wasn’t able to provide his team with anything close to the production they had become used to in the regular season.
Duren and Pistons still far apart on contract extension
And that has all led to a never-ending restricted free agency stalemate, as Duren is seeking a contract that will pay him more than $40 million per season, while the Pistons have been hesitant to offer more than $35 million in average annual value.
The saga has been going on for months now, which is perfectly fine for other contending East teams. But now, as time goes on and the chances of Duren signing the one-year qualifying offer to become an unrestricted free agent next summer increase, the Celtics may actually want to be careful what they wish for.
Given the recent punishment handed out to the Clippers, LA suddenly has become a very intriguing destination for Duren a year from now. The Clippers are going to need to find ways to load up on talent outside of the draft, and their best path may be to overpay for free agents. A (will be) 23-year-old emerging star big man may be exactly what the doctor ordered.
Clippers could become players for Duren in free agency
Sam Quinn from CBS Sports pointed this out on Twitter recently, calling the Clippers a “very obvious” fit for Duren in 2027 free agency given their situation. And the reason this could be a problem for the Celtics is that they are heavily invested in the Clippers’ 2028 first-round draft pick, which is likely coming their way in a swap from the Jaylen Brown trade.
As things stand, that pick is shaping up to be one of the juiciest assets in the league, but adding a player like Duren next season could quickly change their fortunes for the better. It’s not like they’d become contenders, but they could become a fairly competitive regular-season team, and that would severely hurt the value of the pick coming Boston’s way.
So as weird as it may sound, it’s probably now in the best interest of Celtics fans to see Duren and the Pistons work something out. It would be good for Detroit and help them build a contender in the future, but more importantly, it would keep a massive free agent off the board and hurt the Clippers’ chances of building a playoff-caliber squad that could keep the Celtics from landing a top-10 pick in the 2028 NBA draft. It’s been fun laughing at Detroit, but the priorities need to be about the pick.
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