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Detroit Pistons center Jalen Duren, one of the top restricted free agents on the market this summer, has a pair of meetings with outside teams scheduled for when free agency officially begins Tuesday.
One of the teams is the Los Angeles Lakers, a source familiar with the situation told ESPN. The Lakers’ front office has been given feedback from franchise star Luka Doncic for his desire to pair with an “A-list center,” a league source told ESPN, and Duren would certainly fit the bill.
The 6-foot-10, 250-pound big man is coming off his first All-Star appearance and an All-NBA third-team nod, averaging 19.5 points on 65% shooting with 10.5 rebounds and 2.0 assists per game for a Pistons team that won 60 games and earned the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference.
The other team Duren plans to meet with, a league source told Andscape’s Marc J. Spears, is the Sacramento Kings.
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The Lakers currently have one center on their roster for next season, after Deandre Ayton exercised the $8.1 million option on his contract.
L.A. has the requisite cap space to make an offer to the 22-year-old Duren; however, as a restricted free agent, the Pistons would have the right to match within 48 hours.
That would tie up the Lakers’ money in the interim, making it a challenge to fill out the rest of the roster for next season.
The Lakers, which sources told ESPN already had reached an agreement on a four-year, $185 million contract extension with Austin Reaves last week, still have several of their own free agents to consider, including LeBron James, Rui Hachimura, Jaxson Hayes and Luke Kennard.
The Kings would need to acquire Duren through a sign-and-trade agreement, the league source told Spears, and the deal would have to include three-time All-Star Domantas Sabonis, who still has two years and $94 million remaining on his current contract.
Thus far, the Pistons are uninterested in pursuing any sign-and-trade to part ways with Duren, who has played his entire career in Detroit, team sources told ESPN.
The Athletic previously stated Duren’s plans for outside meetings, stemming from disappointment in the direction of initial negotiations with the Pistons.
Duren’s production dipped in the playoffs, as his averages dropped to 10.2 points on 51.4% shooting and 8.5 rebounds before Detroit was upset by the No. 4-seeded Cleveland Cavaliers in the second round.
Andscape’s Marc Spears and ESPN’s Anthony Slater contributed to this report.
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