Jalen Duren could make NBA history if he takes Pistons qualifying offer

At this point, there isn’t much left to say about Jalen Duren‘s contract standoff with the Pistons.

Unless, of course, he decides to do something no player in his position has ever done.

Duren would become the first reigning All-Star or All-NBA player to accept a qualifying offer if he chooses Detroit’s one-year, $9.6 million option before Thursday’s deadline, according to BasketNews.

That’s some pretty remarkable context for a decision we’ve already established carries enormous financial stakes.

The 22-year-old is coming off a breakout season in which he averaged roughly 20 points and 10 rebounds, earned his first All-Star selection and made third-team All-NBA. Detroit has offered him a fully guaranteed five-year contract worth $200 million, but the two sides remain at an impasse. 

Taking the qualifying offer would allow Duren to become an unrestricted free agent next summer. It would also mean passing on nearly $200 million in guaranteed money today, with no assurance that an even larger contract awaits him a year from now.

We’ve already seen just how fractured things have become. Duren skipped media day and has yet to join the Pistons for training camp while the standoff continues.

By Thursday, something has to give. If Duren chooses the qualifying offer, though, this won’t merely be another restricted-free-agent dispute.