u/EHusky00

I think everyone can agree no matter what Duren gets paid he'll still get too much. He deserves his payday after the regular season performance, but doesn't deserve the max with a possible repeat of that sort of playoffs.

I reckon a sign and trade is a bad idea considering his step up from last season made him a contender for the MIP and gave us an extra 20 wins. And Turner and Sabonis are old when our other two best players are young.

However,

The core is young, and believing even the All-NBA first team 25 year old, a 23 year old All-Def first team, didn't also struggle like Duren in the playoffs is an example of being blind with emotion.

The point can be made with Cade as he averaged 5.6 turnovers in the post season, having games of 8 TO and 9, when he only averaged 3.7 in the regular season.

Of course Duren is a major reason we didn't do as well as we hoped. But as this was the team's first proper go at the finals, the younger players of course who don't have experience are going to struggle.

And if you're really concerned with how much we are going to pay Duren, you forget the Caris LeVert drop, unfortunate Beef Stew drop, and the Tobias drop as well. We made space for Asaur and Duren and their big contracts. And if you're still upset at that, look at what we signed Kevin Huerter to. 3 years 28 million for someone who isn't getting better.

As far as I'm concerned a weight clause could've screwed us for next season. But if not, our young stars have experienced the playoffs harshly in those 14 games, but know the type of basketball played. And the issue ESPN ridiculed our team for consistently being that of 3 point shot creators, we signed Isiah Joe, have Duncan Robinson, and brought in John Collins. All averaged above 40% from 3 last season.

Nothing we say can change what happens with Duren/ what has happened. But I truly believe that if we do sign him to a contract, we can definitely be contenders next season.

🔴🔵

It's almost intentional every time to the point it may as well be an actual nickname 😭

Sunbury and Pakenham both serve Metro, V/Line, and freight services. What is the most realistic solution moving forward so that V/Lines and freight aren't stuck behind Metro services and possibly Metro create their own services for the hour long trips that are for instance Sunbury to the CBD?

I ask as the elevated railway and underpasses aren't future proofed for this just yet, but it's need would be present in the future.

How they ace their offseason: If it wasn't obvious already, the Pistons' playoff struggles made their biggest need crystal clear: a sidekick for Cade Cunningham who can space the floor and provide secondary playmaking. The Pistons won 60 games and the East's top seed because of their defense and intense nightly effort, but the offense wasn't dynamic enough around Cunningham to make them a true title threat. After a quiet trade deadline, now's their chance to improve that weakness.

One move they should make: Re-sign Jalen Duren. In terms of adding another perimeter scorer, the Pistons could explore plenty of options, from Kawhi Leonard at the high end to the likes of Trey Murphy III, Norman Powell and Tyler Herro. But in the meantime, they also must retain their breakout All-Star center, a restricted free agent who became irreplaceable after Detroit traded Isaiah Stewart on draft night. Duren's playoff performance was an undeniable disappointment, but 14 bad games shouldn't override 70 excellent ones he played in the regular season. Duren is still just 22 and should team up with Cunningham for the long haul. -- Zach Kram

https://www.espn.com.au/nba/story/\_/id/49171485/nba-offseason-2026-how-lakers-warriors-heat-knicks-all-30-teams-ace-summer#det