The Pistons continue to show zero interest in sign-and-trade scenarios involving restricted free agent center Jalen DurenESPN’s Tim MacMahon said on the Hoop Collective podcast (YouTube link). The third-team All-NBA big man is the lone RFA left on the market after the Clippers withdrew their qualifying offer to Bennedict Mathurinwho will sign a two-year deal with New Orleans.
“The one restricted free agency situation that remains unresolved is Jalen Durenwho the Pistons absolutely, positively, 100 percent intend to keep, and made it clear to anybody pursuing him in sign-and-trade possibilities like, you’re wasting your time,” MacMahon said (hat tip to RealGM).
Duren reportedly sought out sign-and-trade possibilities when free agency began because he was unhappy with his contract offers from Detroit, meeting a couple times with the Lakers before they acquired Walker Kessler via sign-and-trade and drawing interest from Sacramento as well. But the Pistons had no interest any sign-and-trade talks at the time and it sounds like that never changed.
Here’s more from around the Eastern Conference:
- Noah Essengue may need to quickly change his mindset if he wants to have a future with the Bullswrites Joe Cowley of The Chicago Sun-Times. As Cowley notes, Essengue was drafted 12th overall a year ago, but the team has a new front office regime and coaching staff with no ties to the French forward, who missed nearly all of his rookie season due to a shoulder injury, which required surgery. A source tells Cowley that Essengue has been “spoken to about his lack of physicality and been warned about his emotions on the court.” The 19-year-old was benched in the second half of his first summer league game last month by new head coach Tiago Splitterwho seemed to cast doubt that Essengue’s tentativeness in Las Vegas was a result of the shoulder. “I don’t know if it’s because of the injury,” Splitter said. “He’s got to maybe bring a little more force in everything he does. That’s something we’re working on.”
- Essengue appeared in four games in Las Vegas, averaging 6.5 points, 4.5 rebounds, 1.8 blocks and 1.3 steals in 18.6 minutes per game. He also committed 4.8 fouls per contest along with a shooting line of .438/.167/.545. Cowley suggests the 6’8″ forward could be on the trade block at some point ahead of the February deadline if his passivity continues in training camp and during his second season.
- In a telephone interview with Jason Beede of The Orlando Sentinel, Magic guard Jalen Suggs talks about enjoying being a coach to top young prospects at the the Basketball Without Borders “Next Up” camp in Istanbul, Turkey, his work this offseason, and getting to know new head coach Sean Sweeneya fellow Minnesota native. According to Beede, Suggs said he and Sweeney have been in communication throughout the offseason, including watching film together. “He’s really shared the vision in which we want to play and the type of player he wants me to be for our team to help maximize our unit as a whole,” Suggs said of Sweeney. “The fact that we get to connect here and continue to chase a common goal of making deep playoff runs and go and accomplish something that the city has never done before, it’s nothing short of a blessing.”