The Jalen Duren saga has already made the Utah Jazz look good for how they handled the Walker Kessler situation. Not just because they got the most value possible, but because they didn't let it drag on. That is impressive by itself, but now Duren is positioning himself in a fashion that could make him a Jazzman not too long from now.
Duren is holding firm on his next contract - a tactic Deron Williams disagrees with - which could lead to Duren taking the qualifying offer, per NBA Insider Marc Stein.
"One source briefed on the process says Duren is increasingly prepared to play out the coming season on his $9.6 million qualifying offer — with the intent to become an unrestricted free agent next summer — if no deal with Detroit materializes by the end of September," Stein wrote.
This situation dragging on for as long as it has with neither side backing down could lead to Duren becoming an unrestricted free agent next summer, which could pave the way for him to becoming the Kessler replacement the Jazz just might be looking for if they will be on the prowl for one.
Duren could solve Utah's potential rebounding problem
For now, we don't know if rebounding will be a problem post-Kessler, but it's definitely a possibility. Until it proves to be a problem, Utah will be operating with a center-by-committee approach to replace Kessler. Duren is not the same player as Kessler, but he might be enough to fully replace his impact.
Part of why this saga has dragged on for as long as it has is because it's become a Catch-22 for Detroit. Duren is coming off an All-Star/All-NBA campaign but also made a name for himself as a playoff dropper.
One possible theory is his play fell as hard as it did because he simply isn't the second-best player on a legitimate title contender, but may thrive more as a No. 3 or No. 4 in the pecking order. In Utah, he could be just that, where he could thrive should they decide that they want him.
For all of Duren's flaws that showed themselves in the postseason, he is still an awesome rebounder (has been from pretty much from the jump) and has proven himself to be a legitimate lob threat. He's not much of a rim protector, but maybe that wouldn't be much of a problem playing next to Jaren Jackson Jr.
The one downside is that then Utah would inherit the problem of paying him the following summer, but hey, if the Jazz are serious about winning titles and want a the easiest way possible to get one when it's tougher to build a title contender than ever, Duren might just be their guy.
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