Three weeks into free agency, the NBA’s offseason market has mostly settled. Except for three names. Jalen Duren, Peyton Watson, and Bennedict Mathurin remain unsigned restricted free agents, each locked in a separate standoff with the team holding their rights.
Jalen Duren: the Pistons standoff deepens
Detroit’s young center is the most prominent holdout. Ramona Shelburne of ESPN reported earlier this week that negotiations are “at a standstill right now” and could drag “deep into August.” Marc Stein of The Stein Line offers a slightly more optimistic read – “modest progress” has been made – but Detroit has ruled out any sign-and-trade that would ship Duren elsewhere.
Duren’s leverage comes down to one clause: accept his $9.6 million qualifying offer and hit unrestricted free agency in 2027. It’s a gamble, especially for a 22-year-old center who has yet to prove durability over a full season. But it’s a real option, and both sides know it. The Pistons, coming off one of their strongest lottery-era seasons, need him locked in – he isn’t just a rotation piece, he’s the anchor of their rebuild.
Peyton Watson: Denver won’t budge
The Nuggets made what they consider a fair offer: five years, $70 million, per HoopsHype. Watson isn’t sold. The 23-year-old wing is reportedly weighing his $6.5 million qualifying offer as an alternate path to unrestricted free agency next summer – a bet on himself that reflects real confidence in his trajectory.
The Bucks, Clippers, and Hawks have all explored sign-and-trade routes. None have the cap room to file an offer sheet that would seriously challenge Denver’s ability to match. Which means the Nuggets can play hardball – and they are.
Bennedict Mathurin: Kawhi’s shadow
The Clippers’ situation is the strangest of the three. Los Angeles wants to re-sign Mathurin, but the franchise is frozen. The NBA’s ongoing investigation into Kawhi Leonard’s situation has stalled an expected trade to the Toronto Raptors, and with it, the Clippers can’t finalize their cap structure or make any meaningful roster moves.
The New Orleans Pelicans have entered conversations with Mathurin’s camp, per HoopsHype. His qualifying offer sits at $8.8 million. Teams without cap room could offer around the $15 million mid-level exception mark – not nothing, but nowhere near what a starting wing commands on a real deal.
Late August is the real deadline
All three situations point toward resolution in late August, one way or another. Either the teams close deals at numbers the players accept, or Duren, Watson, and Mathurin take their qualifying offers and roll the dice on 2027. Detroit has the most urgency – Duren’s development is tied to the entire franchise timeline. Denver and the Clippers can afford to wait.
The last three unsigned RFAs of 2026 aren’t just loose ends. They’re a window into how leverage works in the modern NBA – and how long players can hold out when they believe in their own value.
Sources: Ramona Shelburne (ESPN), Hoops Rumors, HoopsHype
