Pistons Jalen Duren Might Be Costing Himself Millions In The 2026 NBA Playoffs
A month ago, it seemed as though Detroit Pistons center Jalen Duren might backdoor his way into a max contract starting at 30% percent of the salary cap in the 2026-27. After how hes fared against the Orlando Magic in the first round of the 2026 NBA playoffs, he might be lucky to get a 25% max at this rate. During the regular season, Duren averaged a career-high 19.5 points to go with 10.5 rebounds and 0.8 blocks in only 28.2 minutes per game. He also shot 65.0% from the field and earned his first All-Star nod. The Magic have made that version of Duren disappear all series. Duren has scored no more than 12 points in any of the first four games against Orlando. After racking up 41 double-doubles in his 70 regular-season appearances, he hasn‘t topped nine rebounds in any of the first four games of this series, either. Duren did have five blocks in Game 3, but it wasn’t enough to spare the Pistons from falling into a 2-1 series hole. On Monday, the Pistons had a chance to wrest home-court advantage back from the Magic. Orlando shot a ghastly 30-of-92 from the field and 9-of-35 from three-point range. Jalen Suggs was