The Pistons have made their choice when it comes to the next max deal

PistonPowered · Jul 21, 2026 13:15 · 3 min read

The Pistons have made their choice when it comes to the next max deal — May 13, 2026; Detroit, Michigan, USA; Detroit Pistons guard Ausar Thompson (9) during player introductions before the game against the Cleveland Cavaliers during game five of the second round of the 2026 NBA Playoffs at Little Caesars Arena. Mandatory Credit: Rick Osentoski-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

If the Pistons have to choose, the choice is clear.

The Detroit Pistons are trying to build a sustainable winner, but will have to navigate the challenges of giving out max deals in the Apron Era.

It has showed in their negotiations with Jalen Duren, which are going nowhere, largely because the Pistons don't want to give him anywhere near the max deal he is eligible for.

In fact, recent report suggested the Pistons aren't even coming near the original 25 percent max Duren could have commanded before he made the All-NBA team.

Another sub-par performance in the playoffs all but guaranteed that wasn't going to happen, but there are other reasons for the Pistons to play hardball with Jalen Duren.

Ausar Thompson is more important to the Pistons

The Duren saga has put other business on hold, particularly a possible early extension for Ausar Thompson, which the Pistons would be smart to get done this offseason.

But it does put Detroit in a tricky position, as Thompson is going to get a big raise after making first-team All-Defense and proving himself to be a one man wrecking crew on that end. There's enough offensive potential (especially after he has his first full offseason without restrictions) to believe Thompson is going to be somewhere near a max player himself.

Thompson is ultimately more important to the team than Duren, so he'll be the priority if the Pistons eventually have to choose. That risk could be mitigated by Duren taking slightly less, as we just saw Victor Wembanyama do in anticipation of his younger teammates eventually getting raises.

He clearly cares about the team they are trying to build and left $50 million on the table to try and keep it together for the long term.

It's very difficult to have three max players on your roster and still put a competitive team around them, which is why we're seeing Detroit make a stand with Duren. If they can get him locked into a more reasonable market rate, it will make it easier to give Thompson the big raise either this offseason or next.

We're seeing the fallout of the current CBA when it comes to team building, as it is going to be progressively more difficult for teams to keep their team together and to reward their guys with max deals.

The Pistons have made their stance clear at this point, as they are not going to give Duren a max, partly because his market value isn't near that and partly because they will eventually have to give a huge deal to Ausar Thompson.

Hopefully, the team and players will be able to work this out in a way where everyone walks away happy, but these kinds of hardball negotiations are going to be the norm now that every penny matters.