A pair of Detroit Pistons (big man Jalen Duren and guard Jalen Ivey) as well as Denver Nuggets wing Christian Braun are reportedly unlikely to get contract extensions before Monday at 6 p.m. ET, which is the deadline for players on rookie-scale deals to get a new deal with their teams.
That would mean all three players will enter next summer as restricted free agents.
Jake Fischer broke it all down in his latest report for The Stein Line newsletter on Saturday, first speaking about Duren and Ivey for the Pistons.
“Sources say neither first-round pick for the Pistons has generated much momentum on a new deal with Detroit to this point in the process. The sudden announcement this week that Ivey needed a surgical procedure to alleviate discomfort in his right knee isn’t expected to require a significant recovery period, but it certainly doesn’t make negotiations any easier for the Pistons, who might understandably elect to be cautious. Ivey’s camp nonetheless anticipates a promising market next summer even in the wake of last season’s left tibia fracture.
“Duren, meanwhile, has established himself as a fixture in Detroit’s lineup, but sources say talks between the Pistons’ starting center and Trajan Langdon’s front office have been tepid to date. Duren’s representation has sought well north of last fall’s benchmark of $30 million in annual average value, according to league figures with knowledge of the situation, believing there will be no shortage of interest in restricted free agency next July for a proven big man if the 21-year-old makes it to the summer marketplace. Might Detroit prefer to hold off on extensions now and operate as a cap-room team next summer? Answers coming very soon.”
The 21-year-old Duren went 13th overall in the 2022 NBA draft. The former Memphis star started 78 games for the playoff-qualifying Pistons last year, averaging 11.8 points on 69.2 percent shooting, 10.3 rebounds and 2.7 assists in 26.1 minutes per game. He was an integral part of a team that improved from 14 wins in 2023-24 to 44 victories in 2024-25.
The 23-year-old Ivey, the No. 5 overall choice in the 2022 NBA draft, was having the best season of his three-year career last season before he unfortunately suffered a season-ending broken fibula in his left leg. Over 30 games, the ex-Purdue star averaged 17.6 points on 46.0 percent shooting (40.9 percent from three), 4.1 rebounds and 4.0 assists per game.
Unfortunately, Ivey will miss the beginning of this season after undergoing arthroscopic surgery to “relieve right knee discomfort,” per an Oct. 16 report from ESPN’s Shams Charania. He will be re-evaluated in mid-November.
As for the 24-year-old Braun, the ex-Kansas star enjoyed a breakout season in his third year in the league (and first in the starting lineup), averaging 15.4 points on 58.0 percent shooting (39.7 percent from three) while adding 5.2 rebounds, 2.6 assists and 1.1 steals. He’s a key player on a team that looks like a serious contender for the Western Conference and NBA titles.
However, a deal doesn’t look likely, per Fischer.
“Braun certainly has a strong case to be extended. He was on Denver’s title team in 2023 and only grows in stature in Denver. He’s also someone that the ever-tax-conscious Nuggets really wouldn’t have the mechanism to replace if they were to lose Braun in restricted free agency next summer.
“Sources say Denver, though, has already signaled that it does not want to be a taxpayer next season. And that will make for tricky accounting for the Nuggets’ new front office under Josh Kroenke … with Braun believed to be in pursuit of his own deal that pays $25 million in average annual value.”
We’ll see if anything transpires last-minute before the Monday deadline. If not, then all three players will going into this season on the final year of their respective rookie deals.
