​IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters ConnectA new report suggests that Jalen Duren’s inflated opinion of his value during contract talks with the Detroit Pistons may have all been the fault of the Sacramento Kings.After months of negotiations that grew contentious, the Pistons and their All-Star center finally came to terms on a new long-term deal yesterday. ESPN broke the news Thursday that Duren will be in Detroit for five more seasons on a deal worth $200 million. Yet, it was not easy getting to this point.The 22-year-old entered the summer as one of the top free agents available. When the market opened, the Kings were one of his top suitors. However, the Pistons blocked all sign-and-trade requests for the restricted free agent and instead focused on their own negotiations with Duren. Reports last month claimed the team increased its most recent offer up to $200 million. That is what the big man ended up accepting.However, heading into the week, reports claimed that Duren and his representation wanted the $287 million max contract he was eligible for after earning All-NBA honors last season. But after an awful showing in the 2026 playoffs cost the Pistons a trip to the Eastern Conference Finals, Duren lost a lot of the leverage he could have had. Nevertheless, he and his team still felt he was worthy of earning $57 million a season despite being a one-time All-Star.Jalen Duren’s max value belief was created by the Sacramento Kings?Jan 1, 2026; Detroit, Michigan, USA; Detroit Pistons center Jalen Duren (0) dunks the ball against the Miami Heat in the second quarter at Little Caesars Arena. Mandatory Credit: Lon Horwedel-Imagn ImagesThe $200 million offer he eventually accepted now means only seven other centers are paid more than him per year, and all of them are either multi-time All-Stars and/or NBA title winners. The max deal would have meant he’d earn more annually than three-time MVP Nikola Jokic. Which is pretty ridiculous. However, Team Duren’s belief that he was worthy of that number is probably the fault of the Kings.“The Sacramento Kings had made it clear in their restricted free agency meeting with Duren that they saw him as a max-salary player,” The Athletic’s Sam Amick reported on Friday. “The dots weren’t hard to connect from there, with Duren strongly considering the prospect of signing that one-year, $9.6 million qualifying offer en route to signing with the Kings in unrestricted free agency next summer.”So, essentially, the Kings got it into the center — and his representatives — head that he was a player worth being paid more annually than Jokic.Various reports heading into the week suggested Duren was seriously considering the risk of taking the qualifying offer so he could be an unrestricted free agent next summer, and probably sign with Sacramento. However, Amick noted today that Pistons owner Tom Gores reaching out this week and promising he would help provide a more positive Pistons experience for Duren and hi