Decisions On 2017/18 Rookie-Scale Team Options

Teams hoping to extend players eligible for rookie-scale extensions this offseason must get those deals completed by October 31, as we’ve discussed in recent weeks. However, that’s not the only reason that Halloween is a notable date on the NBA calendar. October 31 is also the deadline for clubs to exercise team options on the rookie-scale contracts of former first-round picks.

All the players whose options will be exercised or declined by October 31 are already under contract for the 2016/17 season. Their teams will have to make a decision on whether they want to keep those players beyond the coming season, picking up or turning down team options for the 2017/18 campaign.

For players who signed their rookie-scale contracts in 2014 and have been in the NBA for two years, teams must decide on fourth-year options for 2017/18. For players who just signed their rookie deals last year, and only have one season of NBA experience under their belts, teams will already be faced with a decision on third-year options for ’17/18.

In most cases, these decisions aren’t hard ones. Rookie-scale salaries are so affordable – particularly with the salary cap up to $94MM+ this year – that it usually makes sense to exercise most of these team options, even if a player isn’t a key cog on the roster. And for those players who do have a significant role on a team’s roster, the decision is even easier — it’s not as if the Timberwolves would ever consider declining their options on Andrew Wiggins or Karl-Anthony Towns.

Still, we’ll wait for a trusted reporter, a player (or his agent), or a team itself to confirm that an option is indeed being exercised or declined, and we’ll track that news in this space. Listed below are all the rookie-scale decisions for 2017/18 team options that clubs must make by October 31. This list can be found at any time under the “Hoops Rumors Features” menu on our right-hand sidebar, and will be updated throughout the rest of the offseason, as teams’ decisions are reported and announced.

Here are the NBA’s rookie-scale team option decisions for 2017/18 salaries:

Atlanta Hawks

  • None

Boston Celtics

Brooklyn Nets

Charlotte Hornets

Chicago Bulls

Cleveland Cavaliers

  • None

Dallas Mavericks

Denver Nuggets

Detroit Pistons

Golden State Warriors

Houston Rockets

Indiana Pacers

Los Angeles Clippers

  • None

Los Angeles Lakers

Memphis Grizzlies

Miami Heat

Milwaukee Bucks

Minnesota Timberwolves

New Orleans Pelicans

  • None

New York Knicks

Oklahoma City Thunder

Orlando Magic

Philadelphia 76ers

Phoenix Suns

Portland Trail Blazers

Sacramento Kings

San Antonio Spurs

Toronto Raptors

Utah Jazz

Washington Wizards

Information from Basketball Insiders was used in the creation of this post.

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