Jalen Duren may be away from the Detroit Pistons, but he hasn’t lost the support of Cade Cunningham.

As Duren’s contract standoff with Detroit stretches into training camp, Cunningham publicly addressed the situation and made one thing unmistakably clear: Whatever is happening between Duren and the Pistons’ front office hasn’t changed their relationship.

“That’s my brother,” Cunningham said.

And Cunningham knows better than most what Duren is dealing with.

Cade Cunningham Has Been Talking With Jalen Duren

Duren skipped Pistons Media Day and the beginning of training camp after declining Detroit’s reported five-year, $200 million fully guaranteed offer. The 22-year-old All-Star has until Thursday to decide whether to accept his one-year, $9.6 million qualifying offer, barring an extension of that deadline.

While the negotiations have created plenty of outside speculation, Cunningham revealed at media day that he and Duren have remained in regular contact.

“Yeah, we’ve talked. We’ve talked a lot,” Cunningham said. “I was just in the same situation recently, and for me, it’s a tough situation. It’s something that you don’t really have people in your life that have been through something that is like this.”

Cunningham believes his own experience navigating a major NBA contract gives him a perspective few people around Duren can offer.

“I felt that way, and JD feels that way,” Cunningham continued. “So I’m the person that he knows that it’s somebody that’s been through this type of situation. So really just trying to encourage him and just be support for him wherever he needs.”

Cunningham signed his own long-term extension with Detroit in July 2024, a five-year max rookie deal worth $224 million. Now he’s using that experience to help Duren through a considerably messier negotiation.

‘That’s My Brother’

Duren’s absence from Cunningham’s player-organized offseason gathering in San Diego had also raised questions about whether the contract dispute was beginning to affect his relationship with teammates.

Cunningham effectively shut that idea down.

Duren spoke with him before deciding not to attend the gathering, and Cunningham said the business dispute hasn’t changed how he views his teammate.

“That’s my brother,” Cunningham said. “On the court, off the court, we went to war together, obviously. But we’ve had dinners together. I’ve met his family, he’s met my family. The negotiation is between the front office and his representation.”

That’s an important distinction considering how contentious the situation has appeared from the outside.

Duren reportedly turned down Detroit’s five-year, $200 million offer, while multiple teams have since emerged as potential sign-and-trade destinations if the Pistons eventually reverse course and consider moving him.

For Cunningham, none of that changes his job.

“So they’re going to figure that out,” Cunningham said. “It has nothing to do with me. So, the best thing I can do is be there for him, to support him, encourage him, not let him get too down whenever it’s such a crazy time for him.”

Pistons Still Expect Duren Back

There is also an important piece getting lost amid the growing trade speculation: Detroit continues to publicly insist Duren will remain a Piston.

President of basketball operations Trajan Langdon said Duren will be a huge part of the team whenever he returns, calling him “a huge reason for our success these last two seasons.” Detroit has also reportedly remained unwilling to entertain trade offers despite interest elsewhere.

Duren’s Three Options

That leaves Duren facing a potentially franchise-altering decision.

He can accept $200 million in guaranteed money from Detroit, take the $9.6 million qualifying offer and potentially become an unrestricted free agent next summer, or remain unsigned if Thursday’s deadline passes without another agreement. The NBA’s official site reported that Detroit opened training camp without Duren after the sides failed to reach a long-term deal.

Cunningham isn’t pretending to know how it will end.

He’s staying out of the negotiation while making sure Duren knows where he stands personally.

For a Pistons team trying to build on a 60-22 season, that’s significant.

The contract standoff may be between Jalen Duren and the Pistons.

Cade Cunningham isn’t letting it become a problem between Jalen Duren and his teammates.