{"id":464395,"date":"2026-09-15T11:14:13","date_gmt":"2026-09-15T11:14:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/464395\/"},"modified":"2026-09-15T11:14:13","modified_gmt":"2026-09-15T11:14:13","slug":"jalen-duren-reveals-his-true-feelings-on-sacramento-kings-move","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/464395\/","title":{"rendered":"Jalen Duren Reveals His True Feelings on Sacramento Kings Move"},"content":{"rendered":"

\t\t\t\t\"Detroit\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tGetty\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n

SACRAMENTO, CALIFORNIA – FEBRUARY 07: Jalen Duren #0 of the Detroit Pistons reacts after teammate Mike Muscala #41 made a three-point shot against the Sacramento Kings in the second quarter at Golden 1 Center on February 07, 2024 in Sacramento, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Thearon W. Henderson\/Getty Images)<\/p>\n

Jalen Duren<\/a> has long been rumored to be interested in moving to the Sacramento Kings<\/a> amidst his ongoing saga with the Detroit Pistons regarding his contract extension.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The Pistons and Duren\u2019s negotiations have been at a standstill since the end of last season as the All-NBA center\u2019s perceived value of himself does not match Detroit\u2019s intended investment to retain his services.<\/p>\n

According to NBA<\/a> insider Marc Spears during ESPN\u2019s NBA Today, Duren is very much welcome to join the Kings whenever he gets the chance. This stems from Duren\u2019s relationship with Sacramento\u2019s general manager Scott Perry.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cScott Perry has a relationship with Jalen Duren dating to when he was trying to get the Knicks<\/a> to draft him which they did, but they traded him to the Pistons,\u201d Spears said. \u201cDuren likes Scott Perry a lot, he likes Sacramento a lot, but the Pistons, they\u2019re focused on bringing him back, they have some optimism, but it\u2019s complicated. I just hear that Jalen, it\u2019s not about money right now.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

Marc Spears on Jalen Duren and Sacramento:<\/p>\n

\u201cScott Perry has a relationship with Jalen Duren dating to when he was trying to get the Knicks to draft him which they did, but they traded him to the Pistons\u2026Duren likes Scott Perry a lot, he likes Sacramento a lot, but the Pistons, <\/p>\n

Jalen Duren Brings \u2018Black Cloud\u2019 to Detroit Pistons Training Camp<\/p>\n

\n\"DetroitGettyJalen Duren Brings \u2018Black Cloud\u2019 to Detroit Pistons Training Camp\n<\/p>\n

Spears added that Duren is bringing a \u201cblack cloud\u201d into the Pistons\u2019 training camp in two weeks, but the franchise is doing its best to minimize the situation or fix it.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe feels disrespected,\u201d Spears said. \u201cThere\u2019s a black cloud going into camp\u2026they gotta try to fix it, and I don\u2019t know if they can in time.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Kings are long expected to pursue Jalen Duren with a max-level contract if he bypasses a long-term extension with Detroit and reaches unrestricted free agency next summer.<\/p>\n

Duren and the Pistons have stalled on extension talks, with Duren seeking a massive payday of over $200 million, but Detroit is only offering around $190 million.<\/p>\n

According to multiple reports, Duren is seriously considering signing a one-year, $9.6 million qualifying offer for the upcoming season, which would make him an unrestricted free agent in 2027. It is a massive gamble on Duren, as he could be leaving generational wealth on the table to re-prove himself.<\/p>\n

But Duren is still just 22 years old and is coming off an All-NBA Third Team performance in the regular season before underwhelming in the playoffs.<\/p>\n

Earlier, Sacramento tried to construct a sign-and-trade package centered around Domantas Sabonis<\/a>, but the Pistons refused to engage.<\/p>\n

Jalen Duren Continues To Distance Himself From The Pistons<\/p>\n

\n\"OrlandoGettyDETROIT, MICHIGAN \u2013 MAY 03: Jalen Duren #0 and Cade Cunningham<\/a> #2 of the Detroit Pistons celebrate a basket against the Orlando Magic<\/a> during the first quarter in Game Seven of the First Round of the NBA Eastern Conference Playoffs at Little Caesars Arena on May 03, 2026 in Detroit, Michigan.\u00a0 (Photo by Nic Antaya\/Getty Images)\n<\/p>\n

Jalen Duren has distanced himself from the Pistons this offseason.\u00a0<\/p>\n

According to reports from The Athletic, Duren intentionally stayed away from his teammates during key offseason gatherings, including a player-led team minicamp coordinated by Cade Cunningham.<\/p>\n

He was also absent from a holiday team party hosted by Pistons owner Tom Gores at his home in Southern California.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt speaks volumes that Duren has chosen to keep his distance from his team this summer,\u201d the report said<\/a>. \u201cPer a league source, Duren didn\u2019t attend the San Diego team minicamp Cade Cunningham coordinated the week of Aug. 23 or the Labor Day team party at owner Tom Gores\u2019 home in Southern California.\u201d<\/p>\n

Duren faces an October 1 deadline to sign his $9.6 million qualifying offer or a long-term contract with the Pistons.<\/p>\n

The NBA world and Pistons can only wait and see how the negotiations go ahead of the 2026-2027 season.<\/p>\n

\n\t\t\tRob Andrew Lo<\/a> Rob Andrew Lo is a writer at Heavy Sports and is covering the NBA. He has covered local, collegiate, professional and international sports in various sites. He was the sports editor of The Varsitarian, the official student publication of University of Santo Tomas, and a sports, entertainment, and lifestyle writer for Rappler.
\n
\nA Journalism graduate from the University of Santo Tomas, he has built his voice across both collegiate and international platforms, previously contributing NBA coverage to Fansided and Sportskeeda.
\n More about Rob Andrew Lo<\/a>\t\t<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Getty SACRAMENTO, CALIFORNIA – FEBRUARY 07: Jalen Duren #0 of the Detroit Pistons reacts after teammate Mike Muscala…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":464396,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[32],"tags":[121,123,122],"class_list":["post-464395","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-sacramento","tag-sacramento","tag-sacramento-headlines","tag-sacramento-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/464395","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=464395"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/464395\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/464396"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=464395"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=464395"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=464395"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}