NBA Notes: Pistons, Jalen Duren, Jazz, Darryn Peterson, Hornets

Pistons

Just how much is Pistons big man Jalen Duren worth? Apparently, NBA executives aren’t entirely sure, either.

Duren is the biggest name remaining on the restricted free-agent market after a breakout season in which he earned third-team All-NBA honors and emerged as arguably the Pistons’ second-best player.

But Fred Katz of The Athletic surveyed 13 executives from rival teams about what they would consider a fair contract for Duren, and the answers were all over the place.

Six suggested five-year deals ranging from $180 million to $230 million. Others were considerably more conservative, with three executives landing at four years and $140 million and three more suggesting deals between $120 million and $135 million.

“It’s more than Kessler got,” one executive said of the $140 million figure, referring to Lakers center Walker Kessler. “(Duren is) more available and proven.”

Detroit seemingly has an advantage in negotiations because there isn’t another team with enough cap space to present Duren with the type of offer sheet he’s seeking.

But Duren does have another option. He could sign his $9.6 million qualifying offer, play out next season and become an unrestricted free agent in 2027. That’s a gamble, obviously, but one rival executive told Katz it gives Duren significant leverage.

“While Detroit might look like they have most of the leverage, given that there are no cap-space teams out there, they’re royally f—ed if he takes the qualifying (offer) and walks next year,” the executive said. “So, I think leverage is relatively even.”

Duren, 22, is eligible for considerably more than the figures executives suggested, including a five-year deal from Detroit that could approach $240 million on a standard 25-percent max.

Of course, there’s another element worth remembering here: Rival executives aren’t exactly incentivized to drive up the market for somebody else’s restricted free agent. Ask 13 agents the same question and those numbers probably look quite a bit different.

Either way, Duren is now one of the more interesting pieces of unfinished business on the summer market.

Jazz

Darryn Peterson didn’t need much time to make an impression.

The No. 2 overall pick looked like he belonged at a considerably higher level than Summer League, Sarah Todd of the Deseret News writes, with one Western Conference scout going so far as to suggest Utah had already seen enough.

“They should shut him down after this,” the scout said during Peterson’s first game in Las Vegas. “It’s clear he’s better than this.”

Peterson, a 6-foot-5 guard, entered the draft as one of its premier prospects and did little during Summer League to change that perception.

Todd writes that those who watched him in Salt Lake City and Las Vegas largely came away seeing a potential star.

Summer League is Summer League, of course. The Jazz are much more interested in seeing how Peterson’s scoring and playmaking translate when he’s sharing the floor with established NBA players.

But for a franchise looking for its next cornerstone, the first impression couldn’t have been much better.

Hornets

The Hornets traded away the face of their franchise in LaMelo Ball, but coach Charles Lee likes what Charlotte has assembled in his place.

Lee said he’s particularly encouraged by the mixture of young players and veterans following an offseason in which the Hornets acquired Naz Reid as part of the Ball trade with the Timberwolves, as he told Rod Boone of the Charlotte Observer.

“I’m very excited about our group because I think it’s a great mix and balance of young talent and veteran experience,” Lee said.

Lee believes the veterans Charlotte has added can provide more than production, helping the younger players understand how to prepare and adjust at the NBA level.

He’s also intrigued by the possibilities created by Charlotte’s shooting, depth and versatility.

“I think that we’re going to be able to play a lot of different ways now,” Lee said.

There will obviously be an adjustment period after moving on from Ball. But Lee said he already sees signs that the revamped group is coming together.

“There’s a ton going on in a positive way where I think our group is already starting to kind of jell and mesh together,” he said.