Pistons and Duren remain apart before contract deadline

Jalen Duren and the Detroit Pistons remain at a contract impasse with roughly a week to go before the Oct. 1 qualifying-offer deadline, after the Pistons raised their offer to a fully guaranteed five-year, $200 million deal that the All-Star center has so far declined. Detroit recently increased its proposal by $10 million from a five-year, $190 million offer made in August, according to Sam Amick and Hunter Patterson of The Athletic. The new offer contains no team or player options. Duren has rebuffed the upgraded terms, and ESPN has separately reported that he has not agreed to the deal and remains hopeful of securing a max contract well above that amount. The standoff has persisted through much of the offseason with limited progress. Rival teams have indicated for some time that Duren is very interested in playing elsewhere, Amick and Patterson reported, adding that he has three very serious suitors in all. The Sacramento Kings and Milwaukee Bucks are the teams named as having serious interest, with the Kings previously reported as having very strong interest and the ability to clear room for a max salary next offseason.