Players Eligible For Rookie Scale Extensions In 2021
When the NBA’s 2021/22 league year begins in August, players eligible for free agency will be able to begin negotiating and reaching contract agreements with suitors. In addition to those free agents, another group of players will also become eligible to sign new deals.
For players who are entering the fourth and final year of their rookie scale contracts, the first day of the new league year (August 3) is the first day they can agree to rookie scale extensions. Those players, who were 2018 first-round selections, will have until October 18 (the day before the ’21/22 regular season starts) to finalize long-term agreements with their current teams.
Players eligible for rookie scale extensions can sign new deals that run for up to four – or five – years, with those contracts taking effect beginning in 2022/23. If they don’t sign extensions during the coming offseason, those players will be eligible for restricted free agency in the summer of 2022.
Ten players who were eligible for rookie scale extensions signed new deals during 2020’s brief offseason window. That number was higher than usual, but we’ve seen an uptick in rookie extensions during the last couple years as more teams look to lock up their promising young players in advance of free agency. We should expect several more rookie scale extensions to be signed in August, September, and October of 2021.
Here are the players who will be eligible to sign rookie scale extensions during the 2021 offseason:
- Grayson Allen (Bucks): Extended
- Deandre Ayton (Suns)
- Marvin Bagley III (Kings)
- Mohamed Bamba (Magic)
- Mikal Bridges (Suns): Extended
- Miles Bridges (Hornets)
- Troy Brown (Bulls)
- Wendell Carter Jr. (Magic): Extended
- Donte DiVincenzo (Bucks)
- Luka Doncic (Mavericks): Extended
- Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (Thunder): Extended
- Aaron Holiday (Wizards)
- Kevin Huerter (Hawks): Extended
- Jaren Jackson Jr. (Grizzlies): Extended
- Kevin Knox (Knicks)
- Josh Okogie (Timberwolves)
- Michael Porter Jr. (Nuggets): Extended
- Collin Sexton (Cavaliers)
- Landry Shamet (Suns): Extended
- Anfernee Simons (Trail Blazers)
- Lonnie Walker (Spurs)
- Robert Williams (Celtics): Extended
- Trae Young (Hawks): Extended
The following players were selected in the first round of the 2018 draft along with the players listed above. However, they aren’t eligible for rookie scale extensions this year for the reasons noted:
- Jacob Evans: Waived by Knicks in 2020.
- Chandler Hutchison: Waived by Spurs in 2021.
- Dzanan Musa: Waived by Pistons in 2020.
- Jerome Robinson: Fourth-year option declined by Wizards in 2020.
- Zhaire Smith: Waived by Pistons in 2020.
- Omari Spellman: Fourth-year option declined by Knicks in 2020.
- Moritz Wagner: Fourth-year option declined by Wizards in 2020.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Mavericks Notes: Hardaway, Star Search, Roster, Carlisle
Mavericks swingman Tim Hardaway Jr. will be an unrestricted free agent this summer, and should command a sizable new contract. It’s possible he’ll get that deal in Dallas, since it sounds as if he and the Mavs’ brass are hoping to continue their partnership.
Ahead of his free agency, Hardaway acknowledged his enthusiasm for the Mavericks, per Callie Caplan of the Dallas Morning News (Twitter link). “If you were to talk to anybody in this organization and anybody that’s around me, they will definitely say that I love it here,” Hardaway said.
Bringing Hardaway back to Dallas on a long-term deal is one of the club’s top offseason goals, writes Dwain Price of Mavs.com. The 6’5″ veteran wing was a big contributor to a Mavericks team that pushed the Clippers to the brink in a competitive seven-game first-round series matchup. Hardaway averaged 16.6 PPG, 3.3 RPG, and 1.8 APG across 70 regular season games with the Mavericks. He boasted a shooting line of .447/.391/.816.
“It’s a big summer for us,” team president Donnie Nelson acknowledged. “We’re looking forward to putting the other building blocks in place. We’ll look internally first, as we always do. We like a lot of the things that we’ve seen.”
There’s more out of Dallas:
- Mavericks All-Star Luka Dončić put up a terrific playoff series performance against the Clippers, but it appears that he could use the help of a true second option after his team fell short to L.A. in the first round for the second straight season. Sam Quinn of CBS.com takes an in-depth look at Dallas’ potential paths for adding another star.
- The Mavericks will have an action-packed offseason as they look to cement their roster for the 2021/22 season, which will include decisions on several key role players and one essential superstar, writes Callie Caplan of the Dallas Morning News. Caplan notes that the Mavericks could have as many as eight free agents and five contract extensions to juggle. Ahead of the final year of his rookie-scale deal, Dončić will be eligible for a maximum contract extension this summer worth over $200MM. Other choices facing Dallas include a determination on whether or not to extend reserve guard Jalen Brunson.
- Mavericks head coach Rick Carlisle acknowledged that the club’s roster will undergo some changes this summer in an interview with Dallas-area radio station 96.7 The Ticket, per Callie Caplan of the Dallas Morning News (Twitter link). “I don’t know at this time whether the majority of our moves will be through trade or will be through free agency, but I know we will be active,” Carlisle said.
Donte DiVincenzo Undergoes Left Ankle Surgery
The Bucks have announced (via Twitter) that starting shooting guard Donte DiVincenzo underwent successful left ankle surgery for a torn ligament today in Wisconsin.
DiVincenzo suffered the season-ending ailment during the third game of the Bucks’ first-round playoff series sweep of the Heat. The Bucks are missing his offense thus far in their second-round matchup with the Nets. The team has been outscored by 47 points across its two losses in Brooklyn.
The third-year swingman out of Villanova had been enjoying his best season as a pro prior to the injury, his first as a full-time starter. For the 2020/21 regular season, he averaged 10.4 PPG, 5.8 RPG, 3.1 APG, and 1.1 SPG across 66 games with Milwaukee, with shooting percentages of .420/.379/.718.
The Bucks have the ability to extend DiVincenzo during the summer, ahead of the last year of his rookie deal in 2021/22.
Atlantic Notes: Brown, Griffin, Simmons, Raptors
With James Harden sidelined, Bruce Brown‘s role has expanded and the Nets guard is thriving, Peter Botte of the New York Post writes. Brown blanketed Khris Middleton while piling up 13 points, six rebounds, four assists and no turnovers in Brooklyn’s Game 2 blowout of the Bucks on Monday. “Bruce just comes in and plays extremely hard,” Kevin Durant said. Brown’s value is rising at an opportune time, as he’ll be a restricted free agent this summer.
We have more from the Atlantic Division:
- Blake Griffin, who will be an unrestricted free agent this summer, continued his resurgence with another strong defensive outing against Giannis Antetokounmpo in Game 2, Brian Lewis of the New York Post notes. The Nets big man only took four shots, making three, after his 18-point, 14-rebound performance in Game 1. “He always plays with that good energy, fire to him,” Brown said. “They counted him out at the beginning of this year, so he’s got something to prove.”
- Sixers coach Doc Rivers has compiled a series of video clips to demonstrate to the league that Ben Simmons doesn’t get a fair shake when guarding smaller players, according to Dave McMenamin of ESPN. “You should never be penalized for playing straight, solid, legal, physical defense,” Rivers said. Rivers has an ulterior motive to lobby for Simmons since the Sixers would prefer to have him guard the Hawks’ top scorer, Trae Young, during the conference semifinals.
- The Raptors have enough versatile defenders to get by without a traditional center, Eric Koreen of The Athletic argues. Finding a big man with athleticism and agility should be the priority, with a free agent such as JaMychal Green, Daniel Theis, Richaun Holmes or Nerlens Noel filling that need.
Nikola Jokic Wins Most Valuable Player Award
6:45pm: Jokic was the runaway winner, per an official press release from the NBA.
[RELATED: MVP Makes Jokic Eligible For Super-Max In 2022]
Jokic received 91 of 100 first-place votes and racked up 971 points. Embiid finished second despite receiving just one first-place vote; he had 586 points, aided by 62 second-place votes; Curry finished third with five first-place votes and 453 points.
Giannis Antetokounmpo and Chris Paul rounded out the top five finishers, while 10 other players received at least one vote. The only real surprise among that group was Derrick Rose, who, oddly, received a first-place vote.
4:39pm: Nuggets center Nikola Jokic has won the league’s Most Valuable Player award, Shams Charania of The Athletic tweets.
Jokic averaged a career-high 26.4 points, 10.8 rebounds and 8.3 assists per game this season. In an era in which players are regularly given nights off for rest, Jokic showed his toughness and durability by appearing in all 72 regular-season games.
As the 41st selection in the 2014 draft, Jokic is by far the lowest draft pick to ever earn the honor. He’s also the first Nuggets player to win the award.
Sixers center Joel Embiid and Warriors guard Stephen Curry were the other finalists for the award.
Embiid averaged 28.5 PPG and 1o.6 RPG but only appeared in 51 regular-season games, mainly due to a knee injury. Curry led the NBA in scoring at 32.0 PPG along with 5.8 APG while playing 63 games.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sport Images.
MVP Makes Jokic Eligible For Super-Max In 2022
By virtue of winning the Most Valuable Player award, Nuggets center Nikola Jokic will be eligible for the largest super-max extension in NBA history, according to ESPN’s Bobby Marks (Twitter link).
Jokic would be eligible to sign the super-max contract worth in excess of $240MM in the 2022 or 2023 offseason. He’s not eligible to sign it this summer because he is one year shy of the service year criteria. Jokic is in his sixth season after being drafted in the second round in 2014. A player needs at least seven years of NBA experience to sign a designated veteran extension that starts at 35% of the salary cap.
[RELATED: Hoops Rumors Glossary: Designated Veteran Extension]
The exact value of Jokic’s next contract will depend on exactly where the 2023/24 cap lands. If the cap is $125MM, the deal would be worth $253.75MM over five years.
Jokic has two years remaining on his current deal — he’ll make approximately $31.6MM next season and $33.6MM in 2022/23.
Grizzlies Notes: Offseason, Morant, Winslow
In the wake of the Grizzlies‘ elimination from the postseason, executive VP of basketball operations Zach Kleiman vowed to “keep pushing forward” and expressed a “massive belief” in the team’s core, as Michael Wallace of Grind City Media writes.
[RELATED: Grizzlies Sign Zach Kleiman To Contract Extension]
Kleiman acknowledged that the team’s growth and progress toward contending for a title may not always be linear, but said he’s confident it’s headed in the right direction and that he believes players will want to be part of what the Grizzlies are putting together.
“The culture we’re building, the way we want to play, the personalities of Ja (Morant) and Jaren (Jackson Jr.), players are going to want to play with these guys,” Kleiman said. “We’re building an organization that’s going to compete at the highest level, have the best medical care, the best player development, no state income tax in Memphis, it’s an incredibly comfortable place to live. We’re building something here guys are going to want to continue to be a part of, and I believe something that players are going to be attracted to.”
Here’s more on the Grizzlies:
- While the Grizzlies need to continue upgrading the roster around him, Ja Morant‘s leadership and next developmental steps will be a crucial part of the team’s offseason, Wallace writes in a separate story for Grind City Media.
- Evan Barnes of The Memphis Commercial Appeal weighs the pros and cons of bringing back Justise Winslow for the 2021/22 season. Memphis has until August 1 to make a decision on Winslow’s $13MM team option, though the team could technically re-sign him even after declining his option.
- In the first part of a two-part series, Chris Herrington of The Daily Memphian ranks the Grizzlies’ players in order of their importance going forward, starting with the players who aren’t locks to be part of the team’s future. Herrington speculates that Memphis will pick up Winslow’s team option and suggests that if the club makes a major trade, there’s a good chance that at least one of Brandon Clarke and Xavier Tillman would be on the move.
Community Shootaround: Team USA’s Olympic Roster
Long delayed due to the coronavirus pandemic, the Tokyo Olympics are now just a month-and-a-half away. The games are scheduled to begin on July 23 and will run through August 8.
With the Olympics around the corner, USA Basketball will soon have to determine which players will make its preliminary roster, then will have to pare that group down to 12 players for Tokyo.
Team USA announced an initial pool of 57 players in March, so there are seemingly plenty of options to represent the country at next month’s Olympics. However, many of the names on that list may be off limits.
As Joe Vardon of The Athletic writes, Lakers stars LeBron James and Anthony Davis are expected to skip this year’s Olympics in favor of letting their late-season injuries recover. Other players on that list of 57 names, such as Celtics stars Jaylen Brown and Kemba Walker, Pacers center Myles Turner, Heat guard Victor Oladipo, Spurs guard Derrick White, and Knicks center Mitchell Robinson were also dealing with injuries when the season ended and probably won’t be prepared to suit up this summer. LaMarcus Aldridge has retired.
Meanwhile, players who could be poised for deep playoff runs, such as Nets stars Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving, and James Harden, also may be off the table for Team USA, since the NBA Finals could run as late as July 22. Olympic training camps will begin well before then.
Jazz guards Donovan Mitchell and Mike Conley, Sixers forward Tobias Harris, Hawks guard Trae Young, Suns guards Devin Booker and Chris Paul, and Clippers forwards Kawhi Leonard and Paul George are among the other players who may not be inclined to participate if they’re in the playoffs until July, or even late June.
Still, there are several intriguing names potentially available for Gregg Popovich‘s squad. Vardon hears that Warriors guard Stephen Curry is “50-50” on participating, while Trail Blazers guard Damian Lillard is thought to have strong interest in playing. Vardon also suggests that Celtics forward Jayson Tatum could be a headliner for Team USA.
Among players whose NBA seasons are over, Pelicans forward Zion Williamson, Bulls guard Zach LaVine, Knicks big man Julius Randle, Wizards guards Bradley Beal and Russell Westbrook, and Heat stars Jimmy Butler and Bam Adebayo are among the most intriguing names. Raptors guard Kyle Lowry, Spurs guard DeMar DeRozan, Warriors big man Draymond Green, and Kings forward Harrison Barnes were members of the 2016 Team USA squad that won Olympic gold and could be considered again.
If Team USA’s top choices opt not to participate, there are plenty of other intriguing names on the list of 57 candidates, including up-and-comers like Jarrett Allen, Jerami Grant, Christian Wood, Duncan Robinson, and Fred VanVleet.
We want to know what you think. Taking into account the players who are unlikely to participate for health reasons or due to deep postseason runs, what would your ideal 12-man USA Basketball roster look like?
Head to the comment section below to weigh in with your picks!
Hawks Notes: Roster, Hunter, Bogdanovic, McMillan
The Hawks‘ decision to load up on players who excel at dribbling, passing and shooting has helped them turn into an instant contender, writes Chris Kirschner of The Athletic. Appearing in the playoffs for the first time since 2017, Atlanta had too much offense for the Knicks to handle in their first-round matchup, then surprised the Sixers in Game 1 of the conference semifinals.
The Hawks began their turnaround by drafting Trae Young in 2018. They have steadily built the offense around him, with deadly shooters like Danilo Gallinari and Bogdan Bogdanovic among their offseason additions. Atlanta set a franchise record by making 20 three-pointers in Sunday’s win at Philadelphia.
“That’s something we do. We have a lot of guys who can shoot the ball,” Kevin Huerter said. “When we get the ball moving side-to-side and not take the first shot on possessions, we’re a team that is capable of hitting 20 a game. I hope we don’t need to hit 20 moving forward in the series, but anytime you shoot like that, you give yourself a really good chance to win.”
There’s more from Atlanta:
- One of the impressive things about Sunday’s victory is that it came without De’Andre Hunter, the team’s best perimeter defender, Kirschner adds. Hunter was ruled out after experiencing pain in his right knee, which was operated on in February to fix a partially torn meniscus. Hunter has felt on-and-off soreness in the knee since the surgery. He was able to do some shooting Monday and is considered a game-time decision for Game 2, Kirschner tweets.
- After three seasons in Sacramento, Bogdanovic is thrilled to finally be in the NBA playoff spotlight, notes Paolo Uggetti of The Ringer. Bogdanovic earned a reputation as a big-game player in Europe before coming to the United States. “Here, he had to perform under pressure all the time,” said Maurizio Gherardini, general manager of Bogdanovic’s former Fenerbahce team. “But he likes that sort of pressure. … He was not afraid of that kind of responsibility on his shoulders.”
- Young said in a recent radio interview that he expects Nate McMillan to be installed as the team’s permanent head coach, but isn’t surprised an announcement hasn’t been made yet, relays Tim Daniels of Bleacher Report. Counting the playoffs, McMillan is 32-12 since becoming interim coach. “It’s just the timing. We’re in the playoffs, it’s the end of the season,” Young said. “I don’t think it’s something they want to take away from the team right now. I mean, obviously, he’s done a great job with helping us turn this around, so I’d be surprised if he’s not with us next year.”
Mike Conley To Miss Game 1 Vs. Clippers
Jazz guard Mike Conley won’t play in tonight’s opener of the Western Conference Semifinals, tweets Tim MacMahon of ESPN. The team announced he will miss the game with a mild right hamstring strain.
Conley felt tightness in the hamstring in the first quarter of Utah’s closeout win against the Grizzlies last Wednesday, according to Eric Walden of The Salt Lake Tribune. He was ruled out of the game at halftime.
Conley was only a partial participant at Monday’s practice, and the team decided to sit him out tonight after today’s shootaround, Walden adds.
“Hopefully we get him back as quickly as possible, but those things are tricky,” coach Quin Snyder told reporters (Twitter link from Walden).
Conley is coming off the first All-Star season in his 14-year NBA career, averaging 16.2 points, 3.5 rebounds and 6.0 assists in 51 games. Game 2 of the series will be Thursday night.