How should Detroit Pistons approach NBA trade deadline?
Omari and Bryce on “The Pistons Pulse” break down what options are available to Pistons and what type of move they might make at NBA trade deadline.
Jalen Duren was named an 2026 All-Star Game reserve on Sunday, Feb. 1 – joining Cade Cunningham and coach J.B. Bickerstaff in representing the Detroit Pistons during the NBA’s marquee weekend.
Duren, voted in by NBA coaches, was one of seven Eastern Conference reserves announced on NBC before the premiere of “Basketball Night in America.” All-Star Weekend is set for Feb. 13-15 in the Los Angeles area, with the 75th All-Star Game scheduled for 5 p.m. on Sunday, Feb. 15 (NBC), at the Intuit Dome – home to the LA Clippers – in Inglewood, California. The game will feature three teams – two made of U.S. players and a third of “World” competitors – in a round-robin format. The makeup of those teams will be announced next Tuesday on NBA.
Duren has established himself as a force for a Pistons team sitting atop the Eastern Conference standings at 35-12, 5½ games ahead of the New York Knicks and Boston Celtics. The fourth-year center is in the midst of a breakout season, averaging a career-high 18 points and 10.7 rebounds per game. His and Cunningham’s All-Star nods mark the Pistons’ first time with multiple representatives in the game since 2008, when Chauncey Billups, Rip Hamilton and Rasheed Wallace all made the East team as reserves.
“He’s dominated the paint on both ends of the floor, whether it’s scoring, rebounding, protecting the rim, his playmaking, his ability to score and go get it on his own,” Bickerstaff said Jan. 26. “But even on top of that, not hollow. He’s impacted winning in a high way and any time a team is sitting first in a conference anywhere, multiple guys should get the nod because if winning is the ultimate goal and that’s where you gain your respect, nobody’s done it at a higher level.”
Duren is still just 22; picked at No. 13 overall in 2022 after an abbreviated one-year stint at Memphis, he made the All-Rookie second team in 2022-23. He is a restricted free agent this offseason, with the Pistons maintaining the right to match any offer sheet from another team.
2026 NBA All-Star reserves
Eastern Conference
Donovan Mitchell, Cleveland Cavaliers.
Jalen Johnson, Atlanta Hawks.
Karl-Anthony Towns, New York Knicks.
Pascal Siakam, Indiana Pacers
Norman Powell, Miami Heat
Scottie Barnes, Toronto Raptors.
Western Conference
Anthony Edwards, Minnesota Timberwolves.
Jamal Murray, Denver Nuggets.
Chet Holmgren, Oklahoma City Thunder.
Kevin Durant, Houston Rockets.
Devin Booker, Phoenix Suns.
Deni Avdija, Portland Trail Blazers.
LeBron James, LA Lakers.
2026 NBA All-Star Game format
The 2026 All-Star Game format will have two teams of U.S.-born players and one “World” team consisting of international players. The three teams will compete in a round-robin tournament with four 12-minute games.
The breakdown, per NBA.com: “In the round-robin tournament, Team A will play Team B in Game 1. The winning team from Game 1 will take on Team C in Game 2, followed by the losing team of Game 1 meeting Team C in Game 3.
“After Game 3, the top two teams by record will advance to face each other in the championship game (Game 4). If all three teams have a 1-1 record after Game 3, the tiebreaker would be point differential in each team’s two round-robin games.”
Each squad will have a minimum of eight players. (If there aren’t 16 American and eight international players picked in All-Star voting, NBA commissioner Adam Silver will select players to add to the roster, and one team will have more than eight players.)
Pistons in 2026 NBA All-Star Weekend
Cade Cunningham was named a starter in the All-Star Game on Jan. 19, becoming the first Piston picked to start since Allen Iverson in 2008-09. Cunningham, a reserve last season, is the first Piston to make consecutive All-Star games since Chauncey Billups from 2006-08.
NBA All-Star starters 2026
Eastern Conference
Cade Cunningham, Pistons.
Jalen Brunson, Knicks.
Tyrese Maxey, 76ers.
Jaylen Brown, Celtics.
Giannis Antetokounmpo, Bucks.
Western Conference
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Thunder.
Luka Dončić, Lakers.
Stephen Curry, Warriors.
Victor Wembanyama, Spurs.
Nikola Jokić, Nuggets.
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2026 NBA All-Star Weekend schedule
(All times Eastern)
Friday, Feb. 13
All-Star Celebrity Game: 7 p.m., ESPN, Kia Forum.
Rising Stars Game: 9 p.m., Peacock, Intuit Dome.
NBA HBCU Classic (Hampton vs. North Carolina A&T): 11 p.m., Peacock, Kia Forum.
Saturday, Feb. 14
All-Star Media Day: 1:30 p.m., NBA TV, Intuit Dome.
All-Star Saturday (3-point competition, dunk contest, skills competition): 5 p.m., NBC/Peacock, Intuit Dome.
Sunday, Feb. 15
75th NBA All-Star Game: 5 p.m., NBC/Peacock, Intuit Dome.
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Contact Omari Sankofa II at [email protected]. Follow him on X @omarisankofa.
