REPORT: Jalen Duren skips Pistons Training Camp... & More NBA Media Day Questions
September 28, 2026
AI Summary
5 min readThe Detroit Pistons arrived at training camp with a $200 million question mark. Jalen Duren, the 22-year-old center who made All-NBA Third Team last season, is not there. According to Shams Charania, Duren declined the Pistons’ fully guaranteed five-year, $200 million extension offer and will not attend media day or the start of training camp. The sides are at a stalemate ahead of Thursday’s deadline on a one-year, $9.6 million qualifying offer. “That $200 million was not enough for you, Jalen Duren?” the host asked. “Things apparently went really sour during these negotiations… and still being like, ‘No, thank you. I’m not interested.’” The situation creates an immediate distraction for a team that already had questions after last season’s playoff exit. “How do you keep this situation from becoming an even bigger distraction for a team that actually has real expectations in the East this year?” the co-host asked. The comparison to Ausar Thompson’s contract — which averages roughly $28 million annually versus Duren’s $40 million — only deepens the mystery. Duren is playing the NFL running back holdout role despite being only 22.
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What you'll learn
- 1 (01:15) **Jalen Duren Skips Pistons Media Day & Training Camp** - The hosts break down the shocking report that Pistons center Jalen Duren is not attending media day or the start of training camp.
- 2 (06:31) **76ers: Paul George's Role Next to Embiid & Maxey** - The hosts move to Philadelphia, questioning how the new Big Three will share the offensive load.
- 3 (08:23) **Pacers: Tyrese Haliburton's Motivation & Roster Change** - The discussion turns to Indiana, focusing on how the team and its star respond to perceived disrespect and the addition of Myles Turner.
- 4 (12:48) **Wizards: Anthony Davis Evaluates the Young Core** - The hosts want to ask Anthony Davis (the Wizards' veteran) to honestly assess the team's many young players and establish a hierarchy.
- 5 (15:40) **Hornets: Adjusting to Life Without LaMelo Ball** - After trading LaMelo Ball, the hosts question how the Hornets' offense and identity will change under coach Charles Lee.
- 6 (17:30) **Raptors: Kawhi Leonard & Scottie Barnes Fit** - The hosts focus on the new partnership between Kawhi Leonard and Scottie Barnes, asking each how their game will change.
- 7 (23:01) **Celtics, Nets, Knicks, Hawks, Magic, Bulls, Bucks Roundup** - The hosts rapidly fire through questions for the remaining Eastern Conference teams.
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Show Notes
Nick Angstadt (@NickVanExit, Locked On Mavs) & Camille Davis (@CamilleMonae, Locked On Bucks) open with Jalen Duren skipping Detroit Pistons Media Day after declining a 5-year, $200 million fully guaranteed offer, and ask how long Detroit can let the distraction linger. The hosts question how Jaylen Brown's role takes shape alongside Tyrese Maxey, LeBron James, and Joel Embiid with the Philadelphia 76ers. They turn to Tyrese Haliburton and an Indiana Pacers team that fell to 19 wins after a Finals run, and whether the league is overlooking them. In Washington, they debate how Anthony Davis and Trae Young can help sort out the pecking order of a crowded Wizards young core. The conversation shifts to life after LaMelo Ball for the Charlotte Hornets and how Kawhi Leonard and Scottie Barnes will fit together in Toronto. The hosts fire off questions for the Celtics, Nets, Knicks, and Hawks before calling this an evaluation year for the Orlando Magic offense, the Chicago Bulls, and the Milwaukee Bucks' search for a new core.
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