Jalen Duren was both relieved and excited after signing a new five-year, $200 million deal to return to the Detroit Pistons after a contract negotiation that he said took "longer than both he and the organization anticipated."
But during his first news conference after signing his new deal, he wanted to clarify narratives that emerged during the negotiation that he said did not represent how he felt about the team, repeating that he was happy in Detroit and excited to return to the team.
"Detroit has become a home for me, this is where I live full-time," Duren told reporters at the team's practice facility on Sunday afternoon. "The city has embraced me as well as I've embraced the city.
"This process took way longer than any of us really wanted. Longer than I wanted, and I'm sure longer than the organization wanted. But [the Pistons] have a job to do as well as my team and my agency have a job to do to make the best outcome for both sides. I feel like we've done that."
Duren missed media day and the first few practices of training camp this week after a four-month long standoff between he and the Pistons over the value of his new contract. They eventually came to an agreement on a fully guaranteed contract late Thursday night, ahead of the deadline for him to accept a one-year qualifying offer.
On Sunday, sitting next to team president of basketball operations Trajan Langdon, Duren said he wanted to be in Detroit for the rest of his career.
"There's a business component that it took me time to realize and understand because this is my first time going through it," the 22-year old All-NBA center said. "I can admit that I have flaws. We all do and we're here to work on it.
"I don't think this should be a negative outlook or looked at as something bad has happened. I think we look at it as something great has happened. I'm locked in with a team and a core who has potential that's going through the roof and I'm super excited for what's to come."
The standoff over Duren's contract came following the best regular season of the young center's career. He averaged a career high in points (19.5), made his first All-Star team and was named to the All-NBA third team as the Pistons became the top seed in the Eastern Conference. But he struggled mightily in the postseason, dropping to 10.2 points per game in 14 playoff games before Detroit's second-round exit.
Duren said he took a step back to get his head right following a postseason he described as "humbling," and he acknowledged his own silence allowed narratives to emerge in his absence. But he said he stayed focused in the offseason on getting better and acknowledging his flaws.
"Last season was some of my highest moments in my career and some of my lowest," Duren said. "I'm willing to acknowledge that. And I'm willing to turn that frustration and that anger and whatever I felt toward my play and how things may have ended, I've learned instead of exerting my energy in being mad, exerting my energy into bettering my craft."