Jalen Duren may miss media day amid contract dispute with the Pistons

The contract standoff between the Detroit Pistons and Jalen Duren is expected to continue, with the risk that the center will not take part in the club’s media day on Monday.

According to Bleacher Report, reporters Sam Amick and Hunter Patterson cited league sources saying Duren plans to skip the event due to unresolved negotiations. The sources added that he had considered visiting the team’s facilities as a sign of support for his teammates and the club, but the decision to stay away would signal a deterioration of relations in these long-running talks.

Duren has until Thursday to accept the one-year, $9.6 million qualifying offer, which would allow him to become an unrestricted free agent next season. He was also eligible for a five-year extension worth $287 million, but the lack of progress in negotiations forced him to skip several of the team’s summer activities and spend most of the offseason away from Detroit.

Amick and Patterson note that Duren’s absence from media day could foreshadow him also missing the start of training camp. The Pistons open camp on Tuesday, with their first preseason game on October 5 against the Phoenix Suns.

If confirmed, his absence from club activities would reflect the ongoing tensions around the contract, according to Bleacher Report.