The Jalen Duren saga didn't concern the Utah Jazz, but that doesn't mean it wasn't quite the compelling saga. Duren dragged it out for as long as possible, but ultimately, he gave in. Last night, he agreed to the Pistons' final offer of a five-year extension worth $200 million.
It was a saga that definitely dragged until the very last second, but at least both sides got they wanted in the end. If the Jazz had done the same with Walker Kessler, that not only wouldn't have been the case, but it would have been a disaster that really could have disrupted the team's chemistry.
Think about it, this must have been an insufferable process for the Pistons, but at the end of the day, they at least got what they wanted and now Duren is on the team for the foreseeable future. That was not going to be the case with the Jazz and Kessler.
It came out a few days ago that Kessler had every intention of signing his qualifying offer if Utah had played hardball with him. Reading between the tlines, it sounds like Kessler very much implying that his plan was going to be to leave the Jazz once his contract expired.
Crisis very much averted for Utah!
We've already delved into this before, so without sounding like a broken record, let's get back to the notion of the Jazz playing the same game the Pistons did with Duren. If they had let this play out, the resolution would have only been temporary, as Kessler would have become a pretty big elephant in the room.
Even worse is that the newly extended Keyonte George would have made the situation a bit more awkward for all sides involved. It would have become increasingly clear that Kessler was one foot out the door, which could have caused some real inner turmoil for the Jazz during a season in which the team had hoped to take a major leap after four seasons of losing.
Duren's situation is different. He still gets paid a hefty sum even if it may not have been what he wanted (if it was what he wanted, he wouldn't have held out), and now he and Detroit get to move forward after having their best season almost two decades.
Utah lucked out that the Kessler saga didn't extend until the autumn like Duren did, and better yet, that it didn't end knowing that he was likely leaving next summer regardless of how the season turned out.
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