You might've wondered what was going through the minds of those in the Washington Wizards' front office when Sam Amick and Hunter Patterson of The Athletic initially reported on Wednesday that the team was interested in a potential Anthony Davis-Jalen Duren sign-and-trade with Detroit. It turns out that was inaccurate (subscription required);
An earlier version of this article incorrectly reported that the Wizards would have interest in a potential Duren-Anthony Davis sign-and-trade. The article has been corrected by removing that reference.
It's not like it would've made much difference if the Wizards had been interested, given that the Pistons have been — and still are — unwilling to part with Duren. He can either sign the five-year, $200 million deal that Detroit offered (hey, there are far worse things in life!) or accept his $9.6 million qualifying offer.
That's not Washington's concern. The Wizards may have explored adding Duren (due diligence), but that's different from actually being willing to trade Davis for the 22-year-old center. And it's a good thing they feel that way, not because what could end up being best is trading AD, but because Duren would be a gamble.
Jalen Duren isn't worth it
Duren is coming off the best season of his young career, averaging 19.5 points and 10.5 rebounds per game, resulting in his first All-Star and All-NBA nods. But in the playoffs, he struggled offensively, averaging just 10.2 points per contest. In Game 7 against the Cavaliers in the second round, he had just seven points in 22 minutes.
He entered the offseason eligible for a $287 million max deal because he made All-NBA, which, not to take that away from Duren, but the 65-game requirement kept players like Anthony Edwards from making All-NBA. Understandably, although the center set himself up for more money, Detroit wasn't willing to pay that price, especially after how he looked in the postseason.
The most the Pistons have offered is $200 million over five years, averaging $40 million per year, but that wasn't enough to get Duren to sign (at least not yet). That's still a lot of money for a player of his caliber (maybe even too much), and given the headache his situation in Detroit has turned out to be, that could be enough reason for Washington to stay away and avoid something similar in the future.
Jalen Duren wouldn't make sense for the Wizards
Washington already committed $212 million to Trae Young this offseason, and offering Duren at least $200 million (if not more) would affect how much the Wizards could extend their young core, like Alex Sarr, to when the time comes. They're already in that position with Davis.
Duren better fits the Wizards' timeline, as he's 11 years younger than Davis, but that and having him be a lob threat for Trae Young (which would be fun to watch) aren't enough to justify going all-in on him.
They already have Sarr, a better interior defender than Duren, coming off a season in which he averaged 16.3 points on 48.2% shooting from the field, up from 13 points on 39.4% shooting as a rookie. He shouldn't go to Detroit in any trade, and even if Washington sent AD to the Pistons for Duren, the Wizards would have to try to fit Sarr and Duren together.
Duren would raise more questions for Washington than he'd answer, so the Wizards need to stay away.
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