The New York Knicks need a center, and they might regret a trade they made in the 2022 NBA Draft that saw them send away the rights to one of the more exciting young big men in the league.
Jalen Duren, 20, has flashed potential in his first two years with the Detroit Pistons, but the team hasn’t made much progress since his arrival. The Pistons won just 14 games this past season, which could lead to them re-shuffling the deck.
“What irony it would be if the Knicks dealt, likely as part of a larger package, the 2025 first-round Bucks pick they received from Detroit for salary dumping Kemba Walker, for the very player they dealt away as part of that trade. Duren’s had a promising but mixed first couple of seasons, and now finds himself in a somewhat cluttered Pistons big man rotation,” Vertsberger writes. “If Detroit’s interested in moving on from him to clear room, New York could take a shot at an intriguing prospect who won’t have overwhelming pressure on him coming off the bench. Their trade exception can swallow his salary, and while they have limited draft capital remaining, they can shop three of their protected picks from other teams, along with seconds and maybe a future swap.”
Duren averaged 13.8 points and 11.6 rebounds per game in his second season with the Pistons, making 61 appearances. It would be hard to see the Pistons say goodbye to a rising player so soon, especially given their current situation. However, it wouldn’t hurt the Knicks to ask and gauge on what the price would be.
A trade like this is extremely unlikely, but Duren fits the build of what the Knicks are looking for, and maybe they can find a different version of him that’s more affordable and available.
