Jalen Duren's Standoff Headlines the NBA Free Agents Still Unsigned
Duren wants a $251M-level max, Detroit opened near $180M. Here's what the logjam means for your redraft board in late July.
A top-45 center who's staying in Detroit — no reason to panic on the holdout.
- Duren seeks 25% max: ~5yr/$251M like Wembanyama
- Detroit reportedly opened near 5yr/$180M
- Duren: 19.5 pts, 10.5 reb, 38 fantasy pts/game
- Kuminga's ask dropped below $20M/year
- Denver offered Watson just 5yr/$70M ($14M avg)
Late July, and the biggest name left on the board is a 22-year-old center. Detroit and restricted free agent Jalen Duren remain far apart, with Shams Charania reporting the two sides are dug in and in no rush — this could drag into August, maybe September, with media day the real deadline. Duren wants a deal in the neighborhood of the five-year, $251 million max Victor Wembanyama just signed; Detroit reportedly opened closer to $180 million, a gap of roughly $70 million over the life of the contract.
Duren's leverage is thin — his only real card is threatening to play out the $9.5 million qualifying offer and hit the market again next summer. His case was airtight midseason when he put up 19.5 points and 10.5 rebounds on elite rim protection, but a shaky playoff run (10.2 points per game, invisible for stretches) trimmed the ceiling. Expect a deal eventually.
The Kuminga and DeRozan Dominoes
Jonathan Kuminga's market has cooled from the $23.4 million range down to something below $20 million a year, with Cleveland and the Lakers the two suitors. Making it work is the problem: any sign-and-trade has to run at least three years, and L.A.'s two-year, $10 million offer (built around Jarred Vanderbilt's $12.4M and draft picks) hasn't moved the needle. Cleveland can dangle Max Strus or Dennis Schroder salary but is bumping into the second apron with James Harden still to pay.
DeMar DeRozan, meanwhile, drew interest from Miami, Denver and Cleveland — three teams that whiffed in the LeBron sweepstakes. At 36, DeRozan still gets a bucket, averaging 18.4 points and 4.1 assists in Sacramento last year. But Miami's prioritizing a potential Klay Thompson buyout, Denver can only offer a minimum as the league's lone over-the-second-apron team, and Cleveland's cap is tied up in the Kuminga chase.
Don't forget Peyton Watson, stuck in a Duren-style RFA standoff. Denver reportedly offered five years, $70 million — a $14 million average that sits below the mid-level, and that's a year after they gave Christian Braun (our #155, 23.8 fantasy points per game) five years, $125 million for a role Watson arguably outplayed him in.
For fantasy managers: HOLD Duren. He's our #42 overall and #7 at center on the strength of that 38 fantasy points per game — a holdout dragging into September doesn't change his 2026-27 floor once he signs in Detroit. Kuminga is the name to watch, since a landing spot (and role) below $20 million tells you everything about his usage next season. DeRozan and Watson are back-half-of-draft dart throws until their destinations clear up.
