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League sources say Watson, like Detroit's Jalen Duren, has been weighing the unappealing prospect of playing out the 2026-27 season on a qualifying offer with the intent to become an unrestricted free agent next summer. Actually doing so, mind you, means leaving millions on the table.
The Athletic polled 13 members of rival front offices, asking what they would consider a “fair” contract for Duren. Respondents spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss the situation freely. The Pistons’ leverage is that no other team has the cap space to offer Duren a rich contract. But Duren’s leverage is that he can accept the qualifying offer, which would entail returning to Detroit on a one-year, $9.6 million contract and becoming an unrestricted free agent next summer, able to sign with whomever he’d like in 2027. “While Detroit might look like they have most of the leverage, given that there are no cap-space teams out there, they’re royally f—– if he takes the qualifying (offer) and walks next year,” one respondent to the poll said. “So, I think leverage is relatively even.”
Jake Fischer: Jalen Duren has been out of the cards for Sacramento from the very beginning. They had interest there, of course, but there’s never gonna be a sign-and-trade that Detroit would have been willing to function, and we’re still getting that intel, we could take this to Jalen Duren as well: Still receiving word out of Detroit that the Pistons have zero interest in playing ball in any sign-and-trade scenario that would deliver their franchise center out of Detroit.
Detroit's negotiating window with restricted free agent big man Jalen Duren opened on June 14 ... one day after the Knicks completed a five-game dismissal of San Antonio in the NBA Finals. Some five weeks later ... Progress has been modest to this point in negotiations between the Pistons and Duren, according to sources briefed on the discussions. Sources say that the Pistons, though, also continue to brush aside any introduction of sign-and-trade scenarios to the talks that would land Duren elsewhere.
The Pistons are still evaluating the prospect of pursuing DeMar DeRozan in free agency, league sources say. It is not yet certain if Detroit will indeed join Toronto as a confirmed bidder for the six-time former All-Star guard, but The Stein Line did learn this week that the Pistons have been assessing the concept.
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The Pistons were grateful for Harris’ contributions during his second stint with the organization, but they understood Harris likely played himself out of their market. According to a league source, Detroit had an internal discussion about Harris, then briefly met before negotiations revealed it’d be best for both parties to part ways.
Hunter Patterson: Can confirm, per a league source, the Pistons are trading Caris LeVert and two second-round picks to the Bucks for Taurean Prince and Gary Harris. Detroit also creates a $15 million trade exception.
Keith Smith: Ugonna Onyenso's two-way contract with the Detroit Pistons is for two seasons, a league source told @spotrac.
Jake Fischer: The Clippers will create a trade exception by helping facilitate John Collins’ sign-and-trade to Detroit, sources say. Collins’ three-year, $51 million contract with the Pistons is only guaranteed for the first season, as @omarisankofa reported. I’m told Detroit wasn’t willing to offer Tobias Harris more than one guaranteed season, either. With the Lakers business today, let’s see if Harris or Rui Hachimura end up signing into the Spurs’ open forward spot.
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Shams Charania: The Pistons pursued Collins as their top target to assume an expected starting role at power forward -- completing a deal with his agents Sean Kennedy and Jeff Schwartz of Excel Sports Management this morning.
Free agent John Collins has agreed to a three-year, $51 million deal to sign with the Detroit Pistons, sources tell ESPN. Frontcourt addition and a new lob threat for Cade Cunningham in Detroit.
