At least one 2021 NBA free agent who remains unsigned – Lauri Markkanen – is a candidate to receive an eight-figure annual salary this offseason, but it’s probably safe to assume that any deal Markkanen signs won’t crack this summer’s top 10 free agent contracts.
Based on information from our free agent tracker, there have been 10 free agent contracts signed this offseason that include at least $75MM in guaranteed money. They are as follows:
- Kawhi Leonard, Clippers: Four years, $176.27MM (fourth-year player option)
- John Collins, Hawks: Five years, $125MM (fifth-year player option)
- Jarrett Allen, Cavaliers: Five years, $100MM
- Norman Powell, Trail Blazers: Five years, $90MM
- Duncan Robinson, Heat: Five years, $90MM (fifth-year early termination option)
- Kyle Lowry, Heat: Three years, $85MM
- DeMar DeRozan, Bulls: Three years, $81.9MM
- Lonzo Ball, Bulls: Four years, $80MM (fourth-year player option)
- Chris Paul, Suns: Four years, $120MM ($75MM fully guaranteed)
- Tim Hardaway Jr., Mavericks: Four years, $75MM
While some teams come to regret their long-term, big-money free agent commitments within a couple years, several of these deals have the potential to age pretty well. Collins, Allen, and Ball, for instance, are all still just 23 years old, meaning they still have many prime years ahead of them and could even continue improving.
Signing a two-time NBA Finals MVP and a perennial All-NBA candidate like Leonard to a long-term contract is also rarely a bad move, even if it’s for maximum-salary money. However, it’s a riskier proposition when the player in question is recovering from ACL surgery and isn’t a lock to play at all during the first year of the deal. The Clippers are confident that Leonard will make a full recovery, but his health issues – both past and present – create some cause for concern.
Lowry and Paul earned significant guarantees, given their respective ages (35 and 36). The Suns, at least, will get some protection in the third and fourth years of Paul’s contract, but if they waive CP3 before his third year fully guarantees, they’d end up paying him $75MM for just two seasons.
Powell, Robinson, and Hardaway are all talented contributors, but they’re role players, not stars. If their production falls off at all, those deals could become onerous in their later years.
Finally, DeRozan is one of the league’s most talented mid-range scorers and has improved as a facilitator, but he doesn’t stretch the floor and is a below-average defender. A three-year deal worth $27MM per season is a significant price to pay for a Bulls team that also surrendered a first-round pick to acquire DeRozan via sign-and-trade.
We want to know what you think. Which of these big-money 2021 contracts would you feel most comfortable about having on your team? Which do you view as the riskiest or most misguided investment?
Head to the comment section below to share your thoughts!
Free agency
DeMar DeRozan 3 year at $27 million each
Extension
Joel Embiid 4 year $49 million each
Sign $196 million extension and miss 295 games in his career
Do you know when big man over age 30?
The biggest news today
Wolves are trying to trade roles players for Ben Simmons. Wolves keep
Ant and Kat
Edwards
DLo
Its non-negotiable
Third team will offer the player 76ers like.
Lol. Embiid has played in more games then curry last 3 years and about the same number of games as Leonard. The sixers load management with Embiid is fine. Most of those games missed were from his first two years. Embiid extension is so far away from the worst. But in this forum I don’t expect much good basketball talk.
My top 3 best contracts are
1. Portis $4MM per
2. Cam Payne 6MM per
3. Schroder 6MM
Payne yes, Portis sucks so no
Did you watch the playoffs?
He shoots a very high percentage (and last year shot even better), plus he is an excellent rebounder. Provides a lot off the bench. He could have gotten more elsewhere. He hardly ‘sucks’, even prior to this year.
Kwahi for missing more games than he plays, and then the 3 role players are by far the riskiest, small drop offs in play can make them horrendous faster than any of the others including kwahi
Kawhi has actually played in 75% of the games for the Clippers and Raptors since leaving San Antonio. Of course that number will drop considerably next season after his most recent injury. Maybe he’s OK for 2022-23.
My gut feeling is that I would rather have Collins than Leonard for the next 4 years. Somebody talk me off the ledge but Kawhi seems very fragile the past few years and I have doubts about whether he will make many more postseason contributions.
I see the risk on the court as well but No way Ballmer let’s him get away present day w the new arena going up. He’s as much as a marketing tool as he is a player to them
SO they play coy with the injury until all of the season tickets are sold. Not cynical at all.
Jarrett Allen makes no sense after drafting Evan Mobley who has sky high potential.
They needed to trade out of the third pick or not commit so much time and money to Allen.
As I’ve said previously also, thought the Suns could’ve taken a risk and passed on CP3 and instead got Lonzo Ball, and with the money saved got themselves Kelly Oubre to come back.
Obviously was highly unlikely considering Paul helped them go to the finals and all but in reality he’s 36 years old and getting 30 mil a season for the next 4 years. Thats insanely risky to give him all that, just to run it back and try again next year. Last year they got so lucky with the injured teams they faced. The Lakers without AD, the Nuggets without Murray, then the Clippers with Kawhi.
There’s no chance they win anything with Paul returning and he’s just going to stop a young team from reaching its peak. Whereas if you had put that money into Lonzo Ball and Kelly returning, they might not win as many games as last season, they might not even make the playoffs but it would give them more upside long term. Ball and Booker establish a connection and become a top backcourt. Kelly as a potential sixth man of the year. The team chemistry is through the roof. Ayton, Bridges and Johnson all continue to improve and in a year or so time they would be a playoff regular and then competing with the Nuggets, Mavs and Jazz as the top young teams in the west.
Suns made a pretty good deal for CP3 with that protections. Medium risk, high reward.
Heat has serious chance to have 2 bad max (or almost) contracts in Butler and Lowry in a couple yrs
He might have a couple of decent seasons left in him if the Suns are lucky.
But unless CP3 has actually discovered Ponce de Leon’s fountain of youth, it’s very likely that he will be released in a couple of years which will cost Phoenix $15.8M to avoid having to pay his full salary for 2023-24.
If he can deliver two more seasons in the same level that last one, 15.8M would be kinda cheap to cut him in third yr
Why doesn’t Steph’s extension qualify for this?
Because he wasn’t a free agent.
Careful. Asking Marty to actually think before he posts might cause his brain to hemorrhage.
Kawhi is really 3/176 so that’s the worst by far.
Every contract on that list is bad in its own special way.
In my opinion, the Collins and Ball deals are the best, the worst are Hardaway and Kawhi. They should have put in more protection for themselves, but maybe they were afraid it might cause him to look elsewhere and felt they had to..idk?!
Dishonorable Mention are Lowry and Duncan Robinson…Lowry is arrite at this point, but D-Rob is a one dimensional player without any upside…If he hits a shooting slump, he’s basically worthless
Worst: Hardaway. Not sure what DAL is doing.
Ball vs Caruso will be interesting in Chicago.
Allen and Mobley are not exclusive.
Worst- Tim Hardaway Jr and Derozan
* Worst extension -Pains me to say Jimmy Buckets
Best-I like the Collins and Paul deals
*Best extension – Durant
KL might be the riskiest on court contract but he would also be the riskiest to let slip away considering the franchise, timeline, La battle, Ballmer, and new arena surrounding Clipper Nation present day
Best: Kawhi, Duncan Robinson, Jarrett Allen, Chris Paul, Norman Powell.
Committing 75-120mm to anyone who’s not a superstar is risky. The hawks did the right thing in keeping Collins. They were forced to.
Sometimes the best mega deals are the ones you *don’t* make. Signing guys for less can often be more in the case of unproven, or older, injured players. There’s always a gamble, and gambles don’t always pay off.