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The NBA Summer League is typically a hub for basketball development among young players, as well as a platform for widespread chatter among associates. Spotrac contributor Keith Smith spent time among the Summer League action in Las Vegas, gathering quotes from NBA executives, and the Detroit Pistons were in the conversation.
Smith spent time talking with Pistons' front office staff regarding Detroit's 2024-25 turnaround along with the looming contract extensions of Jalen Duren and Jaden Ivey. Detroit was one of the major headlines during the NBA Playoffs last season. After coming up short in six games to the New York Knicks in the first round, a Pistons' executive believes that outcome would have been different with a healthy roster. The anonymous executive stated he believes Detroit would have beaten the Knicks with a healthy Ivey on the roster.
Pistons' President of Basketball Operations Trajan Langdon echoed the same sentiments around the 2025 NBA Draft. Detroit unfortunately had to take on the Knicks with a shorthanded roster due to Ivey's leg injury, as well as Isaiah Stewart who injured his knee in Game 1.
The potential contract extensions for Ivey and Duren continue to circulate as a major conversation for the Pistons. Both players are currently eligible for rookie extension deals this offseason. The anonymous executive weighed in on how the franchise views their 2022 first-round draft selections.
“Those guys are key guys for us. We’re not the cap-space Pistons anymore. We’re the playoff-Pistons now. If want to keep being the playoff-Pistons, we need to be really smart from here on out,” the Pistons front office executive elaborated.
“That means finding the right deal for us and our players. But we love the way both Jalen and Jaden have developed. Look, if we have Jaden last year, we would have won our first playoff series in forever. We believe that 100%. We’re hopeful we can get extensions done with both of those guys to keep them in Detroit for a long time.”
Jaden Ivey was excellent down the stretch for Pistons in 2024-25
Ivey is coming off one of his best stretches of his NBA career as a bright spot for the Pistons. During his 30 active games last season, Detroit's starting shooting guard took a significant leap in production, averaging career-high numbers of 17.6 points on 46% shooting from the field and 41% from 3-point range. Ivey emerged as a dynamic scoring threat, reliable primary initiator on offense, and one of the most reliable shooters for Detroit.
Duren has been establishing himself as an important building block for the Pistons as well. He finished the season averaging a double-double in his second straight season with 11.8 points and 10.3 rebounds per game. We also noticed a jump in Duren's playmaking as a reliable second-level passer setting up his teammates for open looks at the rim routinely.
Duren called himself out at the end of last season stating he wasn't as engaged defensively as he should have been. There was noticeable improvement in his effort as a rim protector during the end of the regular season and playoffs. The 21-year-old center is on the path of becoming an impactful force for Detroit on both sides of the floor.
