It’s tough to tell how the new Detroit Pistons front office feels about all of the young players it inherited. Outside of rookie-max recipient Cade Cunningham, no incumbent players in the Motor City should feel super safe about their standing with this perpetual bottom-feeder.
Maybe that convinces the Knicks to make a phone call about Jalen Duren, the No. 13 pick of the 2022 draft (made by the previous regime, obviously).
Duren plays a similar bouncy, rim-running game as Robinson, meaning New York—when healthy—could effectively have an athletic, above-the-rim center on the floor as often as it wants. While there’s something to be said for change-of-pace backups, there’s also a certain comfort in being able to play the same style even when reaching into the reserve ranks.
It’s hard to say what the Pistons would want for Duren, but the Knicks should probably plan for a package featuring a first-round pick, Jericho Sims and something else—whether that’s an additional first or a good second-rounder (Brooklyn’s 2025 second, for instance). That might be worth the comfort of knowing there’s not only a capable center behind Robinson, but one also able to step into a starting role if (when?) the injury bug strikes Robinson again.
