Detroit Secured Jalen Duren and Kemba Walker for a Future First
In June 2022 Detroit arranged to obtain the newly drafted rights to center Jalen Duren and veteran guard Kemba Walker from New York. The Knicks received a future protected Milwaukee first-round pick from the Pistons, eventually associated with No. 19 in the 2025 draft and French guard Nolan Traoré. The Knicks' official July 2022 statement confirms both outgoing players and the incoming first. Duren had been selected No. 13 earlier in the 2022 draft by Charlotte before his rights passed through New York, so it is inaccurate to say the Pistons drafted him directly using their own No. 13 choice. Detroit used a future asset to obtain a young center who could develop next to Cade Cunningham and its other prospects. The transaction has a complicated three-team rights sequence, but this canonical Detroit–New York leg was a distinct agreement.
Duren Developed into a Centerpiece for the Pistons
Duren quickly became a major Detroit rebounder, with a high field-goal percentage and frequent starting opportunities. By the 2025-26 season he had emerged as an All-NBA center and helped Detroit lead the Eastern Conference standings, a dramatic realization of the upside the franchise sought when it acquired his rights at age 18. His postseason experience and new long-term contract further illustrated that Detroit received considerably more than a fringe prospect. Those contributions are directly tied to the 2022 draft-rights acquisition and do not require counting Walker's earlier All-Star seasons as part of the Pistons return. Walker did not become a long-term Detroit point guard, so Duren is the clear source of the basketball value. The inherited Detroit A grade can be supported by years of team-specific frontcourt production and its later competitive success.
The Knicks Chose Future Draft Control Instead of Duren
New York received a protected first-round choice through Milwaukee rather than a ready center or a veteran whose NBA minutes it could use that season. The asset ultimately became a 2025 No. 19 pick associated with Nolan Traoré, but the rights path must be tracked before crediting any NBA games from that selection to the Knicks. The Knicks had other frontcourt options and chose financial and draft flexibility while declining to keep Duren. Their inherited C grade is modest because the future selection did not produce the same obvious franchise impact as Duren's Detroit development. The deal shows how heavily a rebuilding team can benefit when a later first-round selection converts into a young center who eventually becomes an All-NBA talent. The trade should not absorb unrelated Walker salary decisions or later New York transactions as if they were the entire return.
Final Verdict
Pistons Win. Detroit receives A after acquiring No. 13 Jalen Duren's rights, which developed into an All-NBA center, along with Kemba Walker. New York gets C for the future Milwaukee first-round choice that became No. 19 in 2025, associated with Nolan Traoré. Duren supplied the strongest lasting on-court return.