Pistons' Updated Salary Cap After Massive Jalen Duren Contract, Where Deal Ranks Among NBA Centers

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After an offseason of contract talks, the Detroit Pistons and Jalen Duren have finally agreed to a new deal.

Per ESPN's Shams Charania, the Pistons signed the All-NBA center to a fully guaranteed five-year, $200 million deal on Thursday.

The deal makes Duren the fourth-highest-paid center in total value behind Nikola Jokić, Chet Holmgren and Karl-Anthony Towns. At $40 million per year, he'll be the eighth-highest-paid center annually.

Duren, who entered the offseason as a restricted free agent, previously rejected the Pistons five-year, $200 million offer, which also included a weight clause. With the deadline for restricted agents to sign a qualifying offer being Thursday at midnight, he ultimately decided to take the deal. The weight clause reportedly was removed from the new deal.

Since he made an All-NBA team last season, Duren was eligible to receive a maximum offer of $287 million over five years, but Detroit seemingly wasn't willing to commit that much money to the young player.

While Duren undoubtedly would have liked to have received a max deal, taking a smaller deal means Detroit will have the flexibility to bolster its roster if need be. With how stacked the Eastern Conference is, the Pistons will need all the help they can get to compete.

Duren is coming off the best season of his young career, putting up 19.5 points and 10.5 boards per game. He struggled somewhat in the playoffs, which perhaps led to the Pistons' hesitancy to give him a maximum contract.

Before signing the deal on Thursday, there seemed to be a real possibility that Duren would take the qualifying offer and try his luck in free agency next year. The Milwaukee Bucks and Sacramento Kings reportedly were interested in a sign-and-trade for him as well.

But at long last, the Pistons have secured their big man, and they'll look to continue their trajectory upwards in the coming years.