Trade & Free Agency 2026/2027

[Scott41theMavs]

The price of the contract is the sticking point. According to league sources, the Pistons are offering a five-year deal that would pay Jalen Duren in the range of $35 million annually. Duren, who agent Chafie Fields of The Team represents, is requesting a deal with an average salary in excess of $40 million. "From either camp, you can see their side," a West executive said. "You can justify it. That's what makes it hard." An executive from an East rival disagreed: "[Duren] and his agent aren't being realistic. They're anchored to the max-type offer. But $35 million is not a discount. It's a lot of money."  Jalen Duren wants something around $40M per year. The Pistons are offering $35M per year. This will probably land with Duren getting $37-38M per year. Gotta battle it out for a bit longer. (This is what happened with Josh Giddey/Bulls last season.)

ESPN

See, players and agents look at how dumb teams were over the past five years or so and fail to see that 1) those giant salaries for non-alpha players *were* dumb, and 2) nearly all teams are finished being dumb in 2026.