Detroit Pistons center Jalen Duren is still unsigned with training camp opening, and the standoff is no longer quiet. Duren skipped Mondayβs media day and is not reporting to camp, per ESPN, after turning down a reported five-year, $200 million offer while seeking something closer to a five-year, $287 million maximum. He is only 22 years old. If Detroit cannot get a long-term deal done, a Jalen Duren sign-and-trade with the Washington Wizards becomes a real conversation.
Wizards Enter the Jalen Duren Sign-and-Trade Mix
Marc Spears said on ESPNβs NBA Today that Duren could be moved if a long-term deal with Detroit cannot be reached, and he named Washington among the potential suitors. Spears said, in a clip from the show posted Sept. 28:
βJalen Duren, heβs not even talked to Trajan for months. A Pistons source told me that thereβs still optimism that they think heβll sign the big deal. But if not, Iβm hearing from an NBA GM told me the Milwaukee Bucks, the Atlanta Hawks, the Sacramento Kings and the Washington Wizardsβ¦have interest in a potential sign and trade.β
Detroit has not gone down that road. The Pistons have turned down the sign-and-trade proposals that have come in and maintain they want Duren back, per ESPN, and Trajan Langdon, the teamβs president of basketball operations, has said publicly he would be happy to have him in camp.
The Wizards are the most interesting team in all of this. They have the trade chips to make a real offer. Duren appeared in 70 games for the Pistons last season and averaged 19.5 points, 10.5 rebounds, 2.0 assists, 0.8 blocks and 0.8 steals per game. He would be a serious piece for Washington in the long haul alongside AJ Dybantsa, the No. 1 pick in the 2026 draft.
Anthony Davis and the Pistons Can Make Sense
Anthony Davis is 33 years old, and he has been mentioned in trade rumors all offseason long. Davis is under contract with the Wizards for the 2026-27 season and holds a player option for the 2027-28 season.
Davis would be a great fit for the Pistons, but would he be able to stay healthy? Davis played in 20 games last season for the Dallas Mavericks. He averaged 20.4 points, 11.1 rebounds, 2.8 assists, 1.7 blocks and 1.1 steals per game.
He would bring championship pedigree to Detroit, and he would be a great number two option alongside Cade Cunningham here. Davis was also traded from the Mavericks to the Wizards on Feb. 5, 2026, and he never played a game for them. A torn ligament in his left hand kept him out the rest of the season.
The Risk in Trading Duren for Davis
Would the Pistons be willing to risk signing-and-trading a 22-year-old with this much upside for a player who is injury prone? Detroit did go 60-22 last season and finished with the best record in the Eastern Conference. Other teams in the East got better. Adding Davis would pose a risk to this team. They might be better off signing Duren for the long haul rather than trading him for a player who cannot stay healthy.
