The Philadelphia 76ers certainly shouldn't feel bad for the Detroit Pistons right now.
As long as the Jalen Duren drama drags out it only serves as a true advantage for the Sixers, who certainly view the Pistons as a team to beat in the Eastern Conference, after they collected 60 wins just last year.
But the Pistons need to take a good look at the Sixers' past and be sure that they don't follow in the same footsteps, which ultimately led to the downfall of a talented core.
The rumor mill is creating extra drama where it doesn't exist
Oh, those aggregator accounts sure do love to stir up the drama. One X post strategically stated that Jalen Duren "believes he's in a higher tier than the Thompson twins," who just got paid.
That's not a direct quote from Duren, nor from the writers of The Athletic piece published on September 21, which offered the latest on Duren's contract negotiations with the Pistons. The exact quotes compared Ausar Thompson's new deal ($155 million) to Duren's reported ask of $200 million, while suggesting that it's "quite clear" that Duren sees his value in a higher tier due to his All-Star and All-NBA accolades. It's speculation, sure, but Duren hasn't offered his true thoughts to the public in any way.
The 76ers lived with a similar drama-filled stretch with Ben Simmons and Joel Embiid in the past. Well before Simmons' very public holdout, countless rumors suggested they didn't get along, or that one was jealous of the other. Over time, the rumors just started to come alive. In the end, Simmons and Embiid left on bad terms. A young Sixers team that once seemed close and had strong chemistry had two core players who grew apart.
The Pistons could burn themselves
The Pistons are flying way too close to the sun here. They can certainly place blame on the outside narrative, but they aren't going to do themselves any favors with the actual contract negotiations. Credit to the front office for having a firm stance against maxing out a player who looked average at his best in the playoffs, but their hardball approach could end up hurting their chemistry long-term.
A few years down the Sixers' timeline, they opted against giving James Harden the long-term deal he desired, despite the star guard building a solid chemistry with core guys like Embiid and Tyrese Maxey. That created another standoff during the Daryl Morey era and forced the 76ers to break up the trio, with Harden refusing to talk to Morey or Embiid for years. The Sixers eventually bounced back, but they certainly ended up on a path they didn't anticipate traveling.
It's unclear what's next for Duren and the Pistons, but the Sixers know that Detroit is in a difficult spot. If the Pistons need an example to help change their approach to avoid a total downspiral, they need to look no further than the post-process Sixers.
Add us as a preferred source on Google