00:00All right, so as promised, Rico has, and I believe this is by way of The Athletic,
00:06just some interesting feedback from rival executives,
00:08if you don't care what they say about your team.
00:11That's cool.
00:12But you know, this show is not a fan of the Pistons offseason,
00:16nor are we a fan of this Duren thing.
00:18So, Rico, take it away.
00:19No, Athletic article written by Fred Katz,
00:22and it breaks down Duren and the Pistons' relationship.
00:26As a matter of fact, the quote is,
00:27both Duren and the Pistons need each other.
00:30More than likely, they will have to come to a compromise.
00:32One exec believes that he has discovering a fitting one,
00:37but they went and they talked to 13 different front offices,
00:40asking them what is a fair contract for Duren.
00:45Anonymity was granted so they could feel free to speak freely.
00:49No names.
00:50I wish the names were on it.
00:51Yeah, this guy sucks, Brad Stevens says.
00:54No, but they came up with different deals, Mike,
00:58and ranging from, okay, well, you're going to probably have to pay this man
01:02to, no, I'm probably going to pay him slightly more than what Walker Kessler
01:07got for the Lakers, because that seems to be the new measuring stick for Duren.
01:12But the executives all stated, hey, we saw what he did in the playoffs.
01:17He did a lot in the regular season, and in the playoffs, pretty much non-existent.
01:23Here's another quote from one of the executives.
01:25While Detroit might look like they have most of the leverage,
01:28given that there's no cap space teams out there,
01:31they are royally effed if he takes this qualifying offer and walks next year.
01:37All right.
01:37The problem by saying that is, that's like saying,
01:41Corbin is really going to have a bad day if he steps in front of a car
01:45because he's eating a burrito.
01:47You're creating this niche moment.
01:50Like, the idea of Duren accepting a $9.5 million qualifying offer
01:55and leaving, let's just for the sake of argument,
01:58leaving $100 million on the table.
02:00Let's say the Pistons are really putting the screws to him.
02:03I still view that as a 1-in-100 situation.
02:07Now, the Pistons could be effed,
02:09but the player would have to take one of the biggest risks in all of sports.
02:14I just have a hard time believing that's on the table either.
02:18If he did that, that would tell you how much he hates it here.
02:21Because they're saying, yeah, fine.
02:23I'm going to bet on myself.
02:24I'll take this qualifying offer, and then I'm walking next year.
02:28Right.
02:28And the Pistons will have no legs to stand on.
02:31Six other responses suggested four-year contracts,
02:34three deemed $140 million fair.
02:37One was for $135 million.
02:38One was for $130 million.
02:40And the smallest hypothetical deal in both total money and average AAV
02:45was $120 million over four years.
02:49So nobody reached a five-year, $150 million deal.
02:52I think one GM had $157 million.
02:57Okay.
02:57So that's really interesting because, remember,
03:00the most he could have gotten on the open market was, what, $177 million?
03:04Mm-hmm.
03:05And they're saying that's probably not going to happen.
03:08None of this is surprising for you and I.
03:12I think the most surprising thing is we're sitting here on July 23rd.
03:16You have no marketplace.
03:17There is no cap space that teams can roll you into.
03:21And yet you can't come to an agreement with the team.
03:24Right.
03:24And look, I'll cape up for the Pistons briefly here.
03:28I don't think they're offering him beef stews money.
03:31Like, I don't think they hit him at, you know, three for 45.
03:35I would be stunned if they're not offering, you know,
03:38right around $25 million a pop.
03:40Sounds like for the Pistons, they were willing to go four years,
03:44$177 million for Austin Reeves.
03:47So that's kind of the floor for him.
03:50Well, you're not Austin Reeves.
03:52Understand.
03:53But now that he's signed, we all we got.
03:57Right.
03:58I am.
03:59I'm really interested.
04:00But no, I, I, I'm not going to sell panic and I'm not going to.
04:03I just don't think the qualify.
04:06If the qualifying offer is on the table, then the Pistons, a, first of all,
04:10during a is getting terrible advice and is,
04:15has no interest in winning basketball games and being here.
04:18But the other side of it would be the Pistons would have gravely
04:22miscalculated the player's desire to earn his free agency and or leave.
04:26Yeah.
04:27And I just am not going to do that.
04:29Right.
04:29Like, I can't believe the Pistons would be, would misread it that bad.
04:33I'm still team Pistons on this one.
04:35See,
04:36I think the Pistons have drawn the line in the sand and they are just
04:39waiting for Jalen to show up to the facilities and say, all right, fine.
04:43I'll take the deal.
04:44Cause I don't think there is a compromise right now.
04:47There is one deal and that is it.
04:49Now it's funny because the one executive who says who paid the most said
04:53a hundred and 57 million over four years.
04:57But then he also said,
04:59he also had a poor play during Detroit's first series against Orlando magic and
05:04second line Ross losses against the Cleveland Cavaliers.
05:07So that also stuck in his mind,
05:10but he said he would probably pay him knowing, yeah,
05:14he didn't show up in the playoffs.
05:15So, but most of them are saying around 30 million,
05:20maybe a little more than 30 million a year is what you're looking at.
05:24I don't know what he's asking for.
05:26I don't know if he's just not going to budge off that 40 million or not.
05:29Look, if he wanted four at one 77, do the math.
05:33He's getting terrible advice.
05:35There's just no other way around it.
05:37So I look, I appreciate you.
05:40You read it.
05:41I've given you my thought on it.
05:42I just don't know what else to say, but I'm not going to sell the panic.
05:45Not that you're asking me to.
05:47No, I can't do that qualifying offer thing.
05:50That would be stunning.
05:51Yeah.
05:52But I guess Walker Kessler's contract is what everybody is looking at now and
05:57what he got paid by the Lakers.
05:59So that that's, that's where we are with during they're at a stalemate.
06:03And I look, unlike school,
06:07both parties are just kind of gone radio silent and you don't know there is no
06:11speculation.
06:11He wants it last.
06:13We heard he was out visiting on the West coast.
06:16He was visiting the Sacramento Kings,
06:19which kind of took away some leverage.
06:20Right.
06:20But there's no market.
06:22And that's what they're saying.
06:23No one has the cap space.
06:25The Pistons don't want to trade them.
06:26Nobody wants you.
06:28Your agent already tried to float every rumor out there.
06:31Oh, the Celtics in a sign and trade.
06:33Literally.
06:34You barely hit send on that nonsense.
06:36The Celtics sign Mitchell Robinson for 10 cents on the dollar.
06:40There's nowhere to go.
06:41No, Mike,
06:42you just encapsulize this entire article statement right there.
06:47As in the executives are saying,
06:49you guys need each other,
06:51get into a room,
06:53work this out because Detroit,
06:55Detroit.
06:56What are you going to do?
06:57Jalen,
06:58what are you going to do?
06:59Because there's no market out there.
07:01All the chairs and musical chairs are not being sat in.
07:04I also just don't understand how 25 or 30 million isn't good enough.
07:08The market has spoken.
07:10I mean,
07:11I can't help you,
07:13Jalen.
07:13You may think you deserve whatever you want.
07:17You're worth what someone's willing to pay you.
07:20Every other team in the league could have lobbed an offer sheet your way,
07:24could have made different moves to try to make that happen.
07:27They did not.
07:28And the Pistons,
07:30again,
07:30I will side with them until I see a report that forces me not to here.
07:35If they're offering four to a hundred four at one 20 Jalen,
07:42you can have 120 million or you can risk it for the biscuit and take nine.
07:49What are we talking about?
07:51And at that point,
07:52if he took the qualifying offer,
07:53I wouldn't want him here because that shows me you do not want to be here.
07:57This is a team that's going to compete for the Eastern conference next year.
08:00This is a team that we believe has an opportunity to take another step.
08:04Right.
08:04Dude,
08:05what are you waiting on?
08:06Can you imagine if in one of his workouts,
08:09he,
08:09he,
08:09he pulls a,
08:11uh,
08:11when seal Perez cracks himself in the head with a weight or whatever it is,
08:14or let's say the guy's doing some cardio blows out.
08:18Yeah.
08:19Like,
08:19dude,
08:19do you understand what's on the line here?
08:20Right.
08:21Drops a barbell on his foot.
08:22Yeah.
08:23I understand.
08:23It's crazy to me,
08:24but the Pistons and they came out and said,
08:26Hey,
08:27we're going to take care of our,
08:28our,
08:28our core three.
08:29And he knows,
08:30well,
08:30come take care of me.
08:32And they have,
08:33and there's where we are.
08:34But yes,
08:35this article says you two need to get into a room and figure this out because Jalen,
08:40there's no market for you.
08:42And for Detroit,
08:42you kind of let the market go dry.
08:45No,
08:45it's Jalen that has to figure it out.
08:48Langdon's not going to all of a sudden wake up and say,
08:50yeah,
08:50you know what?
08:51I do want to give him 40 million.
08:52He's not changing on his end.
08:54No,
08:54but for the Pistons,
08:55you didn't have a plan B.
08:57It was Jalen.
08:59And that's it.
08:59You didn't go and do anything else.
09:02Isaiah Joe.
09:03Sure.
09:03I don't think Jalen had a plan B.
09:06He went in,
09:06met with the Lakers.
09:07They walked out the room and said,
09:09yeah,
09:09we want Walker Kessler instead.
09:11There was no other options for him.
09:13And he's still sitting here.
09:15Like there's an option that's going to come around the corner.
09:18It's not.
09:20Sign for 25 million.
09:21And let's move on.
09:23Which is pretty much what they're all saying.
09:25So,
09:26yeah.
09:27They said,
09:28yeah,
09:28they can really squeeze him and say 25 million a year,
09:31but Duren's not going to feel good,
09:33which means they're not going to feel good.
09:35I,
09:35you know,
09:35and look,
09:36I know it's not a topic,
09:37but this is,
09:37this is where there's a disconnect right now in my,
09:40in modern sports.
09:41Cause let me tell you one thing.
09:43I don't think fans give a rat's ass about.
09:45Oh,
09:46Jalen's going to make 25 and not feel good.
09:49Man,
09:50go to hell.
09:50How about that?
09:52Like,
09:52this is the folly of it all.
09:54So at 25,
09:55you're going to be butt hurt,
09:57but at 30,
09:58Oh,
09:58it'll all be gravy.
09:59Man,
10:00man,
10:00get,
10:00get lost.
10:01That,
10:01that,
10:02that doesn't resonate with the customer base.
10:04I just,
10:04it's crazy to me.
10:06And this isn't the old school where the deal isn't fully guaranteed or like in the NFL,
10:11you might,
10:12Hey,
10:12a player is fighting for a guarantee.
10:15This team's trying to hoe them out with some chicanery.
10:18No dude.
10:18Jalen signs for a hundred mill.
10:20He could turn into Theo Ratliff,
10:22the late years,
10:22and he still makes a hundred mill Jalen.
10:25This is what they think about you.
10:27I can't change it.
10:28So either leap or walk.
10:30All right.
10:31Good talk.
10:3297.
10:33One.
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