The Utah Jazz didn't let Walker Kessler's restricted free agency turn into a summer-long saga, as they agreed to trade him to the Lakers on July 1 for two unprotected first-round picks and two first-round pick swaps. They were already at an impasse with his future, so they struck while the iron was hot, taking advantage of LA's need for a center.
While it wasn't ideal that the Jazz lost Kessler, the return they got for him (and the four-year, $130 million deal the Lakers gave him) justified moving on. As the offseason has gone on, that's proven true, especially with the Pistons' handling of restricted free agent Jalen Duren, who is still waiting to see what his future will hold. As ESPN's Tim MacMahon reported on Tuesday, he and Detroit are still at odds over his value:
According to league sources, the Pistons are offering a five-year deal that would pay Duren in the range of $35 million annually. Duren, who is represented by agent Chafie Fields of The Team, is requesting a deal with an average salary in excess of $40 million.
It's an unpopular option, but because of how negotiations have gone between Detroit and Duren's camp, the center could accept his $9.6 million qualifying offer. That would screw the Pistons over and probably make them wish they had been cooperative in sign-and-trade talks this summer, such as with the Lakers.
The Jazz are glad they weren't.
Pistons are stuck in a stalemate with Duren that the Jazz avoided
Los Angeles met with Duren at the start of free agency, as was the case with Kessler, and viewed him as a "maximum-salary level player" (subscription required), as Sam Amick of The Athletic reported. For the Lakers to get him, the Pistons would've had to cooperate. They made it clear they didn't want to, and now look at them.
Time hasn't run out for Detroit and Duren to come out of this mess together on the other side, but it's not reassuring for Pistons fans that we've reached this point in the offseason, and they still aren't seeing eye to eye. The thought of him accepting his qualifying offer only becomes more real by the day.
Even if the two sides agree to a new deal, the Pistons will still have their work cut out for them in mending the relationship with the center. The same would've been true for the Jazz if things had dragged out this long with Kessler, and that kind of tension can carry into the regular season, serving as a distraction.
Detroit could learn that the hard way, whether by Duren accepting his qualifying offer or by feeling stiffed on the contract he could agree to with the Pistons.
The Jazz avoided that drama with Kessler and the added trouble it could bring. It's a decision that has already aged well and may look even better down the road if he doesn't live up to expectations in Los Angeles.
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