The Jalen Duren contract saga may be over, but apparently that does not mean everything is suddenly sunshine and rainbows in Detroit.

Duren officially agreed to a fully guaranteed five-year, $200 million contract with the Detroit Pistons late Thursday night, finally ending a months-long standoff that spilled into Media Day and training camp. But a follow-up report from NBA insider Shams Charania suggests the negotiations left behind some damage that could matter once the basketball actually begins.

“There were fractures built within the player-team relationship,” Charania reported on X, adding that the fallout from restricted free agency could affect the beginning of Detroit’s season. He also reported that Duren spent the opening of training camp weighing the qualifying offer while hoping a potential sign-and-trade opportunity would develop.

That is a pretty significant postscript to a $200 million celebration.

Jalen Duren Apparently Considered Another Way Out

When Duren finally accepted Detroit’s $200 million offer, it appeared the Pistons had accomplished their most important offseason objective. They kept a 22-year-old All-Star and All-NBA center under team control for five more years without allowing the situation to drag any further into the season.

Charania’s additional reporting makes the road to that agreement considerably more interesting.

Duren missed Media Day and the beginning of training camp while deciding whether to take Detroit’s one-year, $9.6 million qualifying offer. Had he chosen that route, he could have become an unrestricted free agent next summer, but Charania says Duren was also hoping for a possible sign-and-trade before ultimately agreeing to remain with the Pistons.

Detroit never appeared interested in helping that happen.

The Pistons had previously made their position on a Duren sign-and-trade crystal clear, maintaining that their priority was keeping their young center rather than facilitating his departure. In the end, Detroit held its ground, Duren accepted the standing offer, and everybody got the long-term deal done.

But business can leave bruises.

Pistons Insist There Is No Lingering Bitterness

Head coach J.B. Bickerstaff is publicly pushing back against the idea that the negotiations created a problem Detroit cannot quickly move past.

“There’s never been any bitterness between the group and how we feel about him and I know how he feels about us,” Bickerstaff said Friday.

That is exactly what the Pistons need to be true.

Duren is not some short-term piece Detroit can quietly move away from if things become uncomfortable. He is now one of the largest financial commitments on the roster and one of the central pieces of a core that already includes Cade Cunningham and Ausar Thompson.

Detroit also has serious expectations after Duren averaged 19.5 points and 10.5 rebounds last season while earning his first All-Star appearance and an All-NBA Third Team selection. The Pistons are not trying to survive another rebuilding year anymore.

They are trying to win.

The $200 Million Question Is What Happens Next

Contract negotiations get ugly all the time in professional sports, and players routinely return to teams after difficult summers without the dispute becoming a season-long problem. Duren signing for five years also removes the uncertainty that could have hovered over Detroit every night had he played on the qualifying offer.

Still, Charania using the word “fractures” should not simply be ignored.

Detroit reportedly moved from offers in the $170 million-to-$190 million range before eventually putting $200 million guaranteed on the table. Duren missed the beginning of team activities, considered betting on himself for one season and apparently hoped a sign-and-trade possibility might emerge before the two sides finally reached the finish line.

Now comes the important part.

Duren has his money. The Pistons have their center.

Whether those offseason fractures disappear the moment Duren gets back on the court, or become something Detroit has to manage throughout the early portion of the season, may be one of the most interesting Pistons storylines to watch.

Two hundred million dollars ended the contract dispute.

It may not have erased everything that happened during it.