The Athletic: Jalen Duren says he wants to be a Piston for life after signing $200 million deal

After a long summer that saw Jalen Duren sign a 5-year extension, the All-Star center says he wants to be a Piston for life.

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When Jalen Duren sat down Sunday afternoon to speak to the media for the first time since inking his

five-year, $200 million contract

with the Detroit Pistons, he put his phone on the podium.

Initially, it appeared the 22-year-old center placed his phone there subconsciously, but Duren had prepared a roughly six-minute opening statement that followed remarks from Pistons president of basketball operations Trajan Langdon. Duren addressed myriad topics in his opening statement, from his commitment to Detroit to the challenges that came with his offseason-long contract negotiations.

He expressed his desire to remain with the Pistons for the foreseeable future, as well as a message to the fans.

“I am a Detroit Piston. I want to be a Detroit Piston for life,” Duren said. “I want to give everything I’ve got for this city and the fans. And from me to y’all, y’all would have everything I have. Y’all will get everything I can give. And to the city, I want the city to know that I truly do believe in what we’re building.

“I truly do believe in the players and the organization and the coaches that we have. I want y’all to believe in me, my work ethic and my ability to want to grow as a man and a player.”

The Detroit Pistons have signed Jalen Duren to a contract extension.

pic.twitter.com/BuYbOQdNj2

— Detroit Pistons (@DetroitPistons)

October 3, 2026

Duren referred to his phone periodically, but it seemed he was mainly speaking on points he’d already pondered. One of those was what Duren called “false narratives.”

When given an opportunity to clarify, Duren emphasized that nothing came from him and those narratives were speculation. There was no frustration in his tone or demeanor as he discussed an understanding of reporters’ jobs, saying he didn’t fault anyone for said narratives — though he did say he understood how his silence could leave room for noise.

In addition to learning more about the business of basketball throughout this process, Duren made sure to reiterate his commitment to not only the Pistons, but the city.

“From the moment I stepped into Detroit, my first workout here,” Duren said as he looked up from his phone and toward reporters, “I told my agent that this is where I wanted to be. This is where I felt home; this is where I felt most comfortable. … I can acknowledge my flaws. More importantly, embrace them.

“Last season was obviously some of my highest moments in my career, some of my lowest. I carry myself as a man, so I’m willing to acknowledge that, and I’m willing to turn that frustration, that anger, whatever I felt towards my play and how things may have ended. I’ve learned to take time and, instead of exerting my energy and being mad, exert my energy into bettering my craft.”

Duren didn’t shy away from speaking on his underwhelming postseason play, either.

“It was humbling. I just need to get better,” Duren said in a matter-of-fact tone. “I need to get better for my teammates, my organization. There was a lot of film, a lot of film that was being watched over the summer. Just trying to learn myself, coming to that realization and looking myself in the mirror and saying, ‘I do need to get better.’

“I’m man enough to acknowledge my flaws, and I’m man enough to acknowledge that I’m not perfect. I’m also man enough to get my ass in the gym and work on those things and get better. I’m not trying to run from anything. I’m not running from what happened. I’m not running from what’s going on because I know that I will make things better in the future.”

Committed to Detroit. Committed to the work.

pic.twitter.com/HSKjXMqYdj

October 4, 2026

From the end of the playoffs until negotiations concluded, Langdon’s confidence in Duren returning on a long-term deal never wavered. He made clear that his intention, and that of the Pistons’ front office, was to work out a deal that would keep Duren in Detroit for the long haul.

“Today is a great day. On behalf of the entire Detroit Pistons organization, we are extremely excited to have JD back in the city of Detroit,” Langdon said to open the news conference. “He has been a huge part of our success and the turnaround over the past two seasons. We look forward to building together to have even more success going forward into the future.”

Duren and Langdon appeared to be on one accord, and it was clear Duren, Cade Cunningham and coach J.B. Bickerstaff had all been aligned throughout negotiations.

There seemed to be a genuine eagerness from Duren to get back onto the court with his teammates and put this situation behind him. The Pistons have yet to release their injury report for their preseason opener Monday at home against the Phoenix Suns. It’d be safe to assume that, since Duren missed training camp, Detroit would ease him back into play without rushing him, though a return hasn’t been officially ruled out.

Whether Duren laces up Monday or not, the long-term partnership between Duren and the Pistons is officially underway. And based on Duren’s approach during his availability Sunday, he sounds like someone who is ready to prove he’s better than what he last showed on the hardwood.

“Relief and excitement, man,” Duren said when asked how he feels to finally have a deal done. “A lot of emotions, a lot of emotions. I’m just happy for my family. Obviously I’m the one who’s frontline, being talked about and everybody’s kind of asking what’s going on? But my family goes through it, too. They hear it too. … And I know, you know, what it did to them.

“I’m happy that’s over for them, and now they’re kind of able to get back to just supporting me and supporting my dreams. It’s a sense of relief and excitement. Excited to be back, this is where it all started for me. This is all I know in terms of my career and playing professional basketball. This organization and my team is, you know, the guys that I came in with.”

Hunter Patterson

is a staff writer for The Athletic covering the Detroit Pistons. Before joining the NBA staff, Hunter was an editor on The Athletic’s news desk and provided occasional Sacramento Kings coverage. Prior to The Athletic, he worked for the NBA as a broadcasting assistant. Hunter graduated from Loyola Marymount University and earned his master’s degree in Specialized Journalism at the University of Southern California.