Kings remain firmly in the mix for Jalen Duren

The Kings remain firmly in the Jalen Duren conversation as his contract standoff with Detroit continues and sign-and-trade possibilities remain on the table.

BY BRENDEN NUNES

Sep 23, 2026, 10:33 AM

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CHARLOTTE, NORTH CAROLINA - APRIL 10: Jalen Duren #0 of the Detroit Pistons looks on during the fir...

Jalen Duren #0 of the Detroit Pistons looks on during the first half of a basketball game against the Charlotte Hornets at Spectrum Center on April 10, 2026 in Charlotte, North Carolina. (Photo by David Jensen/Getty Images)

(Photo by David Jensen/Getty Images)

The Sacramento Kings have been linked to Jalen Duren throughout the offseason, but with training camp approaching and his contract standoff with the Detroit Pistons still unresolved, Duren leaving Detroit seems far-fetched right now.

ClutchPoints NBA insider Brett Siegel joined The Drive Guys on Sactown Sports to break down where things currently stand between Duren, Detroit, Sacramento, and another team that has been monitoring the situation.

Duren remains a restricted free agent after an All-Star and All-NBA season in which he helped the Pistons win 60 games and secure the top seed in the Eastern Conference.

According to Siegel’s latest reporting for ClutchPoints, the Pistons have increased their offer to approximately five years and $200 million. Duren still has not accepted it. He also has until Oct. 1, barring an extension of the deadline, to accept the one-year, $9.6 million qualifying offer and become an unrestricted free agent next summer if he chooses to go that route.

That continued stalemate has kept Sacramento in the mix as a potential option. “The two most likely spots, I guess you could say, for Jalen Duren are the Kings and the Bucks,” Siegel said.

Siegel reported Tuesday that the Kings offered Domantas Sabonis to Detroit in a potential sign-and-trade for Duren earlier this offseason. The full framework of Sacramento’s offer is unclear, but the Kings were engaged while Detroit declined to entertain sign-and-trade proposals. Siegel added that Sacramento would still be open to that scenario with their media day less than a week away.

If Detroit’s stance changes, the Kings and Milwaukee Bucks could provide two of the more realistic paths to a deal.

“If you’re the Pistons and you know this guy doesn’t want to be back and you can’t afford him to sign a qualifying offer, you have to at least look at what else is out there on the sign-and-trade market,” Siegel said.

The qualifying offer presents another possible path to Sacramento, but Duren would be taking a nearly unprecedented bet on himself if he were to do so.

Taking roughly $9.6 million for one season would let him control his future and enter unrestricted free agency in 2027, but it could lower his value this season. Siegel reported that the Kings could have the flexibility next summer to offer Duren a four-year deal approaching $200 million.

Sacramento’s plans could always change depending on Sabonis’ season, other roster moves, or the development of their young bigs in Maxime Raynaud and Dylan Cardwell. Duren would also pass on about $200 million in guaranteed money while taking on the normal injury and performance risks of another NBA season. That risk feels too substantial for any player to take.

“I think that Jalen Duren’s going to be the one to blink,” Siegel said. “He’s going to take the money, and then he’s going to request a trade once he becomes trade eligible.”

If the Pistons reach an agreement, it wouldn’t eliminate the chance of a future deal. The Kings have already shown a willingness to build around younger players, with rookie Darius Acuff Jr. being the highlight, and Duren would offer another potential long-term piece at just 22 years old.

Whether anything happens before training camp, during the season, or next summer remains to be seen. But Sacramento’s interest in the young big man seems real, and until a deal is signed, or even afterward, this conversation could remain ongoing.