Duren Still Unsigned, and Detroit's Offseason Math Doesn't Close Without Him

The Pistons spent the summer reshaping their perimeter and adding frontcourt depth — John Collins on a three-year deal, Gary Harris and Taurean Prince in from Milwaukee, Kevin Huerter back on a new contract. It's a real retooling. But all of it sits in a kind of suspension right now, because Jalen Duren hasn't signed, and the reporting circulating this week is already gaming out sign-and-trade scenarios rather than a straightforward extension.

That's the context worth noting as training camp draws closer. Duren posted 17.7 points and 9.9 rebounds last season while shooting 64.8 percent — the most efficient center in the building by a wide margin, and the only true center in the building, full stop. There is no viable backup behind him on this roster. The depth chart at center is one name deep. Collins is a power forward, not a pivot. If Duren walks or gets moved, Detroit doesn't just lose a star; it loses the position entirely.

The offseason additions make more sense with Duren than without him. Collins alongside a dominant interior presence is a frontcourt that can punish teams. Collins as the primary big is a different, smaller proposition. Same goes for the perimeter work — Harris and Prince were brought in to tighten close games, but that logic assumes the foundation holds.

My read is simple: until this gets resolved, the Pistons' offseason is genuinely incomplete. Everything else they did was real work. This is the part that makes it add up or doesn't.