Hoops Rumors Originals

The term “poison pill” doesn’t actually show up in the NBA’s Collective Bargaining Agreement, but it’s used colloquially to refer to a provision in the CBA that affects players who recently signed rookie scale contract extensions.

As we explain in our glossary entry, the so-called poison pill provision applies when a player who signed a rookie scale extension is traded before the extension takes effect.

In that scenario, the player’s incoming value for the receiving team for matching purposes is determined by averaging his current-year salary and the salaries in each year of his new extension. His current team, on the other hand, simply treats his current-year salary as the outgoing figure for matching purposes.

For instance, Rockets big man Alperen Sengun is earning a $5,424,654 salary in 2024/25, but signed a five-year, $185MM extension that will begin in ’25/26.

Therefore, if Houston wanted to trade Sengun this season, his outgoing value for salary-matching purposes would be $5,424,654 (this year’s salary), while his incoming value for the team acquiring him would be $31,737,442 (this year’s salary, plus the $185MM extension, divided by six years).

[RELATED: 2024 NBA Rookie Scale Extension Recap]

Most of the players who signed rookie scale extensions aren’t realistic candidates to be traded anytime soon. But even in the event that a team does want to look into trading one of these recently extended players, the gap between the player’s incoming trade value and outgoing trade value could make it a real challenge to find a deal that works for both sides — especially if a team is operating in or near tax apron territory.

The “poison pill” provision applies to 11 players who signed rookie scale extensions in 2024. Here are those players, along with their outgoing salaries and incoming salaries for trade purposes:

Once the 2025/26 league year begins next July, the poison pill provision will no longer apply to these players. At that time, the player’s ’25/26 salary would represent both his outgoing and incoming value.

Until then, the gap between those outgoing and incoming figures will make it tricky for several of these players to be moved, though it affects some more significantly than others.

The difference of nearly $30MM between Wagner’s incoming and outgoing trade figures, for instance, means there’s essentially no chance he could be dealt to an over-the-cap team in 2024/25 — given that the Magic have no desire to move Wagner, that’ll be a moot point, but it’s still worth noting.

On the other hand, the much smaller divide between Moody’s incoming and outgoing salaries makes a trade involving him a more viable option, though the Warriors will have a hard cap to deal with that could complicate matters in they event they look to include Moody in a deal.

Decisions on rookie scale options for the 2025/26 season were due on Thursday — any team that wanted to exercise a third- or fourth-year option on a player for next season was required to do so by October 31.

As is typically the case, a huge majority of those options were picked up. Even for top picks, who are paid higher salaries due to the NBA’s rookie scale, those third- and fourth-year options are relatively team-friendly. So unless a player has fallen well short of his team’s expectations, it generally makes sense to lock in his salary for the following season at this point.

However, not every player with a 2025/26 team option had it exercised by Thursday’s deadline. A player who had his option declined will now be on track to reach unrestricted free agency during the summer of 2025, assuming he’s not waived before then. At the end of the season, his team won’t be able to offer him a starting salary that exceeds the value of his declined option.

Listed below are the players who had their options turned down, followed by the players whose options were exercised. If a player had his option picked up, his ’25/26 salary is now guaranteed and he won’t be eligible for free agency until at least 2026.

Declined options:

• Johnny Davis, Wizards (fourth year, $6,746,229)
• AJ Griffin, Rockets (fourth year, $5,967,137)
  • Note: Griffin’s fourth-year option was declined when he was bought out and waived.
• Jake LaRavia, Grizzlies (fourth year, $5,163,127)
• David Roddy, Hawks (fourth year, $4,831,766)
• MarJon Beauchamp, Bucks (fourth year, $4,781,276)
• Wendell Moore, Pistons (fourth year, $4,574,283)
• Patrick Baldwin, Wizards (fourth year, $4,420,156)
• Jalen Hood-Schifino, Lakers (third year, $4,064,640)

We saw more rookie scale options turned down this season than usual, which is perhaps a side effect of the NBA’s new tax apron system that has teams more wary than ever of carrying extraneous salary.

It’s also a little unusual to see so many players remain on their teams’ respective rosters after having their options declined. A year ago, for instance, five of the six of the players who didn’t have their rookie scale options exercised ahead of October’s deadline were waived outright, resulting in their options being declined as part of the transaction. That only happened with Griffin this year, and only because he chose to step away from basketball.

Among the players whose fourth-year options were declined, Davis, Moore, and Baldwin were the least surprising decisions. I was half-expecting one or more of them to be cut during the offseason or preseason. I also wasn’t shocked to see the Hawks and Bucks pass on Roddy’s and Beauchamp’s options, respectively. Neither player has established himself as a reliable rotation piece, and Milwaukee especially has luxury tax penalties to consider — the Bucks are better off replacing Beauchamp’s $4.8MM salary with a minimum-salary contract in 2025/26.

I didn’t view LaRavia as a lock to have his option picked up, but I thought the Grizzlies might pull the trigger on it, since he’s playing rotation minutes in the early going this season. That decision looks like it’s as much about roster flexibility as it is financial flexibility — Memphis has about $157MM in guaranteed money on its books for next season, which is well below the luxury tax line, but that’s for 12 players. Not locking in LaRavia’s contract gives the club some more room to maneuver with those last few roster spots.

Of all these option decisions, the Lakers declining Hood-Schifino’s was the biggest eyebrow-raiser. It’s rare for a player to have his third-year option turned down just a year after being made a first-round pick. It’s even rarer when it’s a player who was drafted as high as Hood-Schifino (No. 17). The Lakers have their cap situation to consider, and clearing Hood-Schifino from the books for 2025/26 could created some additional spending flexibility, but it’s a tacit acknowledgment from the front office that its top 2023 pick was a miss.

Exercised options:

Fourth year:

Note: These players will become eligible for rookie scale extensions in July of 2025. If they’re not extended, they’ll be on track for restricted free agency in 2026.

• Paolo Banchero, Magic ($15,334,769)
• Chet Holmgren, Thunder ($13,731,368)
• Jabari Smith, Rockets ($12,350,392)
• Keegan Murray, Kings ($11,144,093)
• Jaden Ivey, Pistons ($10,107,163)
• Bennedict Mathurin, Pacers ($9,187,573)
• Shaedon Sharpe, Trail Blazers ($8,399,983)
• Dyson Daniels, Hawks ($7,707,709)
• Jeremy Sochan, Spurs ($7,096,231)
• Ousmane Dieng, Thunder ($6,670,882)
• Jalen Williams, Thunder ($6,580,997)
• Jalen Duren, Pistons ($6,483,144)
• Ochai Agbaji, Raptors ($6,383,525)
• Mark Williams, Hornets ($6,276,531)
• Tari Eason, Rockets ($5,675,766)
• Dalen Terry, Bulls ($5,399,118)
• Malaki Branham, Spurs ($4,962,033)
• Christian Braun, Nuggets ($4,921,797)
• Walker Kessler, Jazz ($4,878,938)
• Blake Wesley, Spurs ($4,726,328)
• Nikola Jovic, Heat ($4,445,417)
• Peyton Watson, Nuggets ($4,356,476)

These 22 players who had their fourth-year options exercised, along with the seven listed in the section above who had their fourth-year options declined, were drafted in the first round in 2022.

The 30th first-round pick in that class was TyTy Washington, who was waived by the Thunder in August 2023. Washington had both his third- and fourth-year options declined as part of that transaction last summer.

Third year:

Note: Teams will have to make fourth-year option decisions for 2026/27 on these players by October 31, 2025.

• Victor Wembanyama, Spurs ($13,376,880)
• Brandon Miller, Hornets ($11,968,800)
• Scoot Henderson, Trail Blazers ($10,748,040)
• Amen Thompson, Rockets ($9,690,600)
• Ausar Thompson, Pistons ($8,775,000)
• Anthony Black, Magic ($7,970,280)
• Bilal Coulibaly, Wizards ($7,275,600)
• Jarace Walker, Pacers ($6,665,520)
• Taylor Hendricks, Jazz ($6,127,080)
• Cason Wallace, Thunder ($5,820,240)
• Jett Howard, Magic ($5,529,720)
• Dereck Lively II, Mavericks ($5,253,360)
• Gradey Dick, Raptors ($4,990,560)
• Jordan Hawkins, Pelicans ($4,741,320)
• Kobe Bufkin, Hawks ($4,503,720)
• Keyonte George, Jazz ($4,278,960)
• Jaime Jaquez, Heat ($3,861,600)
• Brandin Podziemski, Warriors ($3,687,960)
• Cam Whitmore, Rockets ($3,539,760)
• Noah Clowney, Nets ($3,398,640)
• Dariq Whitehead, Nets ($3,262,560)
• Kris Murray, Trail Blazers ($3,132,000)
• Olivier-Maxence Prosper, Mavericks ($3,007,080)
• Marcus Sasser, Pistons ($2,886,720)
• Ben Sheppard, Pacers ($2,790,720)
• Nick Smith Jr., Hornets ($2,710,680)
• Brice Sensabaugh, Jazz ($2,693,760)
• Julian Strawther, Nuggets ($2,674,200)
• Kobe Brown, Clippers ($2,654,880)

As usual, nearly every player from the 2023 draft class had his third-year option picked up, with 29 of 30 exercised. As noted above, Hood-Schifino was the only player from 2023’s first round who is on track to become an unrestricted free agent in 2025.

For a team-by-team breakdown of this year’s rookie scale option decisions for the 2025/26 season, along with full stories on each decision, you can check out our tracker.

At Hoops Rumors, we track virtually every kind of transaction, including free agent signings, trades, contract extensions, and many more. One form of roster move that has become increasingly common in recent years is the two-way conversion, involving a player either being converted from an Exhibit 10 contract to a two-way deal, or from a two-way deal to the standard roster.

We’re going to track all of the two-way conversions (either to or from the standard roster) in 2024/25 in the space below.

Let’s dive in…

Exhibit 10 contracts to two-way contracts:

When a player signs a contract during the offseason that includes Exhibit 10 language, he gives his new team the ability to unilaterally convert his deal into a two-way contract. The deadline to convert such a deal is the day before the season begins — this year that was Monday, October 21.

A player who signs a training camp contract that doesn’t include Exhibit 10 language could still sign a two-way deal with his club as long as his camp contract doesn’t include a guarantee exceeding $75K. However, he’d have to clear waivers before inking that new two-way contract.

Here are the players who had their Exhibit 10 contracts converted into two-way deals in 2024/25:

• Jamison Battle (Raptors) (story)
• Brandon Boston Jr. (Pelicans) (story)
• Jazian Gortman (Mavericks) (story)
• Kai Jones (Clippers) (story)
• Yuki Kawamura (Grizzlies) (story)
• E.J. Liddell (Bulls) (story)
• Tyrese Martin (Nets) (story)
• Mac McClung (Magic) (story)
• Riley Minix (Spurs) (story)
• Quincy Olivari (Lakers) (story)
• Jared Rhoden (Hornets) (story)
• Liam Robbins (Bucks) (story)

The majority of these players were invited to training camp on Exhibit 10 contracts and ultimately earned two-way slots based on their performances in camp and the preseason.

That wasn’t the case for all of them though. Boston and Rhoden were cut at the end of the preseason by the Spurs and Raptors, respectively, then were claimed off waivers by the Pelicans and Hornets and immediately converted to two-way deals just ahead of the start of the regular season.

No additional names will be added to this list for the rest of the 2024/25 season, since players can’t be converted to two-way deals after the regular season begins.

Two-way contracts to standard contracts:

A player who is on a two-way contract can have his deal unilaterally converted a one-year, minimum-salary contract by his team (or a two-year, minimum-salary contract if the player’s two-way deal covers two years, but this is rare).

Generally though, the team’s preference is to negotiate a longer-term contract with the player in order to avoid having him reach free agency at season’s end.

When converting a player from a two-way contract to the standard roster, the team can use cap room or the non-taxpayer mid-level exception to negotiate a deal of up to four years; the room exception for a deal up to three years; or the taxpayer mid-level exception, bi-annual exception, or minimum salary exception for a two-year deal.

For any contract that is worth more than the minimum or exceeds the number of years left on the player’s two-way pact, the player must agree to the terms — a team can’t complete that sort of deal unilaterally.

Here are the players who have been converted from two-way deals to standard contracts so far in 2024/25, along with the terms of their new contracts, in chronological order:

• Scotty Pippen Jr. (Grizzlies): Four years, minimum salary (story). First two years fully guaranteed. Third year partially guaranteed ($350K). Fourth-year team option. Signed using non-taxpayer mid-level exception.
• Jay Huff (Grizzlies): Four years, minimum salary (story). First two years fully guaranteed. Third year partially guaranteed ($379,382). Fourth-year team option. Signed using non-taxpayer mid-level exception.
• Ariel Hukporti (Knicks): Two years, minimum salary (story). First year non-guaranteed. Second-year team option. Signed using minimum salary exception.
• Keshad Johnson (Heat): Two years, minimum salary (story). First year fully guaranteed. Second-year team option. Signed using minimum salary exception.
• Ajay Mitchell (Thunder): Two years, $6MM (story). First year fully guaranteed. Second-year team option. Signed using room exception.
• Quinten Post (Warriors): Two years, minimum salary (story). First year fully guaranteed. Second-year team option. Signed using minimum salary exception.
• Jamison Battle (Raptors): Three years, $5,251,648 (story). First year fully guaranteed. Second and third years non-guaranteed. Signed using mid-level exception.
• Moussa Diabate (Hornets): Three years, $5,689,960 (story). First year fully guaranteed. Second and third years non-guaranteed. Signed using room exception.
• Justin Edwards (Sixers): Two years, minimum salary (story). First year fully guaranteed. Second-year team option. Signed using minimum salary exception.
• Jared Butler (Sixers): Two years, minimum salary (story). First year fully guaranteed. Second-year team option. Signed using minimum salary exception.
• Tyrese Martin (Nets): Two years, $2,827,750 (story). First year fully guaranteed. Second-year team option. Signed using mid-level exception.
• Brandon Boston Jr. (Pelicans): Two years, minimum salary (story). First year fully guaranteed. Second-year team option. Signed using minimum salary exception.
• Jaylen Clark (Timberwolves): Two years, minimum salary (story). Fully guaranteed. Signed using minimum salary exception.
• Jordan Miller (Clippers): Four years, $8,194,108 (story). First year fully guaranteed. Second and third years non-guaranteed. Fourth-year team option. Signed using mid-level exception.
• Jeenathan Williams (Rockets): Four years, $8,037,293 (story). First year fully guaranteed. Second and third years non-guaranteed. Fourth-year team option. Signed using mid-level exception.
• Justin Champagnie (Wizards): Four years, $9,822,607 (story). First year fully guaranteed. Second and third years non-guaranteed. Fourth-year team option. Signed using mid-level exception.
• Orlando Robinson (Raptors): One year, minimum salary (story). Fully guaranteed. Signed using minimum salary exception (straight conversion).
• Dominick Barlow (Hawks): Two years, minimum salary (story). First year fully guaranteed. Second-year team option. Signed using minimum salary exception.
• Ryan Rollins (Bucks): One year, minimum salary (story). Fully guaranteed. Signed using minimum salary exception (straight conversion).
• Pat Spencer (Warriors): One year, minimum salary (story). Fully guaranteed. Signed using minimum salary exception (straight conversion).
• Isaac Jones (Kings): Two years, minimum salary (story). First year fully guaranteed. Second-year team option. Signed using minimum salary exception.
• Jordan Goodwin (Lakers): Two years, minimum salary (story). First year fully guaranteed. Second-year team option. Signed using minimum salary exception.
• Brandon Williams (Mavericks): Two years, minimum salary (story). First year fully guaranteed. Second year non-guaranteed. Signed using minimum salary exception.
• A.J. Lawson (Raptors): Two years, $2,370,735 (story). First year fully guaranteed. Second year non-guaranteed. Signed using mid-level exception.
• Braxton Key (Warriors): One year, minimum salary (story). Fully guaranteed. Signed using minimum salary exception (straight conversion).
• JD Davison (Celtics): Two years, minimum salary (story). First year fully guaranteed. Second-year team option. Signed using minimum salary exception.

Players on two-way contracts can be converted to standard deals until the last day of the regular season, so this list will continue to grow until mid-April.

With the 2024/25 NBA season underway, our calendar of important 2024 preseason dates and deadlines can be retired in favor of a list of the key in-season dates for the ’24/25 campaign.

Here’s a breakdown of the deadlines and events that will influence player movement for the next several months across the NBA:

October 26

• NBA G League draft.

October 28

• NBA G League training camps open.

October 31

• Deadline for teams to exercise rookie scale options for 2025/26.

November 8

• NBA G League Tip-Off Tournament begins.

November 12

• Emirates NBA Cup (in-season tournament) begins.

December 1

• Priority order for waiver claims is now based on 2024/25 record, rather than 2023/24 record. Teams with the worst records receive the highest waiver priority.

December 3

• Emirates NBA Cup group play concludes.

December 10-11

• Emirates NBA Cup quarterfinals.

December 14

• Emirates NBA Cup semifinals.

December 15

• Most offseason signees become eligible for inclusion in trades.

December 17

• Emirates NBA Cup final.

December 19-22

• NBA G League Winter Showcase and Tip-Off Tournament championship.

December 27

• NBA G League regular season begins.

January 5

• First day teams can sign players to 10-day contracts.

January 7

• Last day to waive non-guaranteed NBA contracts (including two-way contracts) before they become guaranteed for the rest of the season. Salaries officially guarantee on January 10 if players haven’t cleared waivers before that date.

January 15

• Most other offseason signees become eligible for inclusion in trades.
• Last day to apply for a disabled player exception.

February 1

• Former first-round picks who were stashed overseas may sign rookie scale NBA contracts for the 2025/26 season.

February 6

• Trade deadline (2:00pm CT).

February 7

• The value of teams’ unused mid-level exceptions and bi-annual exceptions begins to prorate downward by 1/174th per day.

February 14-16

• All-Star weekend in San Francisco.

February 29

• Last day for contract renegotiations.

March 1

• Last day a player can be waived by one team and remain eligible to appear in the postseason for another team.
• Last day for a restricted free agent to sign an offer sheet.

March 4

• Last day for a team to sign a player to a two-way contract.

March 10

• Last day for a team to use a disabled player exception.

March 29

• NBA G League regular season ends.

April 1

• NBA G League playoffs begin.

April 10

• Last day to waive a player on an expiring contract or a player with an option for 2025/26 (4:00pm CT).

April 13

• Last day of the NBA regular season.
• Last day players can sign contracts for 2024/25.
• Last day two-way contracts can be converted to standard NBA contracts.
• Luxury tax penalties calculated based on payroll as of this day.

April 14

• Playoff rosters set (2:00pm CT).

April 15-18

• NBA play-in tournament.

April 19

• NBA playoffs begin.

Larry Coon’s Salary Cap FAQ and NBA.com were used in the creation of this post.

The NBA’s annual deadline for rookie scale contract extensions passed on Monday, officially bringing the extension period for 2021 first-round picks to an end.

There was some speculation that there may be a downturn in rookie scale extensions this year, given the lack of projected cap room around the NBA in 2025. However, that turned out not to be the case, as 11 eligible players signed new contracts this year.

We’ve seen a noticeable uptick in rookie scale extensions in recent years, with at least 10 such deals completed in each of the last five offseasons. Prior to 2020, the last time as many as 10 rookie scale extensions were signed in a single league year was back in 2006, when players like LeBron James, Carmelo Anthony, Dwyane Wade, and Chris Bosh were signing their second NBA contracts.

Since 2020, however, the total rookie scale extensions by year has been as follows:

• 2020: 10
• 2021: 11
• 2022: 11
• 2023: 14
• 2024: 11

Here’s a breakdown of the 11 rookie scale extensions signed before this year’s deadline, sorted by total value. In cases where we haven’t yet seen the official contract terms for the extension, we’re basing our figures on the latest reports and will update these numbers as necessary. These deals will go into effect beginning in 2025/26.

Note: Projected values for maximum-salary extensions are based on a 10% annual salary cap increase in 2025. If the cap doesn’t increase by that much, those max extensions won’t be worth as much, since they’re based on a percentage of the cap.

• Scottie Barnes (Raptors): Five years, maximum salary (story). Projected value of $224,238,150. Projected value can increase to $269,085,780 if Barnes meets Rose Rule performance criteria. Includes 15% trade kicker.
• Cade Cunningham (Pistons): Five years, maximum salary (story). Projected value of $224,238,150. Projected value can increase to $269,085,780 if Cunningham meets Rose Rule performance criteria.
• Evan Mobley (Cavaliers): Five years, maximum salary (story). Projected value of $224,238,150. Projected value can increase to $246,661,965 or $269,085,780 if Mobley meets Rose Rule performance criteria. Includes 15% trade kicker.
  
• Franz Wagner (Magic): Five years, maximum salary (story). Projected value of $224,238,150. Projected value can increase to $246,661,965 or $269,085,780 if Wagner meets Rose Rule performance criteria.
• Alperen Sengun (Rockets): Five years, $185,000,000 (story). Includes fifth-year player option.
• Jalen Suggs (Magic): Five years, $150,500,000 (story).
• Jalen Johnson (Hawks): Five years, $150,000,000 (story).
• Trey Murphy (Pelicans): Four years, $112,000,000 (story).
• Jalen Green (Rockets): Three years, $105,333,333 (story). Includes third-year player option and 10% trade kicker.
• Corey Kispert (Wizards): Four years, $54,050,000 (story). Includes fourth-year team option.
• Moses Moody (Warriors): Three years, $37,500,000 (story). Includes $1,500,000 in incentives.

As is typically the case, the maximum-salary deals were completed relatively early in the offseason, with Barnes, Cunningham, and Wagner all signed by July 10 and Mobley’s deal coming a couple weeks later.

While I’m not necessarily surprised that those four players got max extensions, it’s worth noting that their career résumés are a little lighter than what we typically see from that group of maximum-salary players. Barnes is the only one of the four who has earned an All-Star nod. By comparison, Anthony Edwards, Tyrese Haliburton, and LaMelo Ball had each made an All-Star team before signing their max extensions a year ago.

That’s not to say that this year’s maximum-salary rookie scale extensions are ill-advised investments, but they’re certainly big bets on continued growth from those four players.

No rookie scale extension agreements were reached between July 22 – when Mobley signed his contract with the Cavs – and October 19, but we got a flurry of action in the final 24 hours before Monday’s deadline, with Warriors guard Moses Moody striking a deal on Sunday night and six more players following suit on Monday.

Moody’s three-year, $39MM deal with Golden State was the smallest of 2024’s rookie scale extensions in terms of both overall money and average annual value, but it’s one of the more intriguing deals of the year. Securing $39MM in guaranteed money is a big win for a player who has never averaged more than 17.5 minutes per game or made more than 11 starts in a season, but Moody still has enough upside that the contract could turn into a steal for the Warriors.

Kispert got the only other rookie scale extension worth less than $100MM overall, with his new four-year deal coming in a little under the non-taxpayer mid-level exception. That’s a fair price for a player who can spread the floor like Kispert, and it could look more team-friendly if he continues to expand his offensive game and/or improves defensively.

I wasn’t necessarily expecting the Rockets to extend Sengun and Green at this time, since they could have put themselves in position to be a cap-space team in 2025 by not locking up that duo quite yet.

That option is likely off the table now, but that’s OK — Houston did well to get Sengun for nearly $40MM below his projected max, and the deal with Green is a unique one that could be a win-win. The former No. 2 overall pick gets a nine-figure payday while the Rockets get another two or three years to observe his growth and assess whether he’s worth a more lucrative longer-term commitment.

Reporting leading up to Monday’s deadline indicated that Suggs and Johnson were among the players seeking $30MM+ annual salaries on rookie scale extensions. Both players got there, just barely, on new five-year contracts with their respective Southeast clubs. Already an All-Defensive player, Suggs is poised to take on more offensive responsibilities in 2024/25 and beyond. If he handles that increased offensive role well, he should deliver a solid return on investment for the Magic.

The Johnson deal could be viewed as a risky bet on a relatively small sample, since the forward had played an extremely limited role for the Hawks in his first two seasons before breaking out in an injury-shortened year in 2023/24. But there’s a path to stardom for Johnson, and if he continues along that path, that $30MM annual salary will eventually look like a bargain for Atlanta.

Finally, Murphy locked in a new deal at $28MM per year with the Pelicans, who have now secured Zion Williamson, Dejounte Murray, Herbert Jones, and Murphy on long-term contracts. Murphy’s extension suggests that either Brandon Ingram or CJ McCollum might be playing for a new team within a year or two, since the cost-conscious Pels would have to go well into luxury tax territory to hang onto both veterans beyond 2025.

A total of 24 players entered the offseason eligible for rookie scale extensions, so almost half the players in that group signed them. That leaves 13 players who didn’t reach agreements and will be entering contract years.

Here’s that list of those players, who are now eligible to become restricted free agents during the 2025 offseason, assuming they finish out their current contracts:

• Santi Aldama (Grizzlies)
• Chris Duarte (Bulls)
• Josh Giddey (Bulls)
• Quentin Grimes (Mavericks)
• Bones Hyland (Clippers)
• Isaiah Jackson (Pacers)
• Jonathan Kuminga (Warriors)
• Tre Mann (Hornets)
• Davion Mitchell (Raptors)
• Day’Ron Sharpe (Nets)
• Jaden Springer (Celtics)
• Cam Thomas (Nets)
• Ziaire Williams (Nets)

Kuminga is the most noteworthy extension candidate not to sign a new deal before Monday’s deadline. He and the Warriors reportedly had discussions throughout the offseason but didn’t ultimately gain serious traction toward an agreement.

Golden State’s offer was rumored to be in the neighborhood of $30MM per year, whereas a maximum-salary extension for Kuminga would have been worth in the $43-45MM range. He’ll bet on himself this season in hopes of securing a huge payday in restricted free agency.

Giddey and Thomas are among the other notable extension candidates who didn’t get new deals and could be targets for lucrative offer sheets in July of 2025. I had viewed players like Aldama, Grimes, Jackson, and Mann as potential candidates for modest extensions, but they’ll have to prove their worth this season too.

A few players in this group – like Duarte, Springer, and Williams – never looked like serious extension candidates and will need to make their case this season that they’re worthy of qualifying offers in 2025 free agency.

Finally, it’s worth mentioning that there were six players selected in the first round of the 2021 draft who weren’t eligible at all for rookie scale extensions entering this offseason, for various reasons. Those players are as follows:

• James Bouknight: Fourth-year option declined by Hornets in 2023; waived in 2024.
• Josh Christopher: Waived by Grizzlies in 2023.
• Usman Garuba: Waived by Thunder in 2023.
• Keon Johnson: Waived by Suns in 2023.
• Kai Jones: Waived by Hornets in 2023.
• Joshua Primo: Waived by Spurs in 2022.

Of these six players, only Johnson is currently on a standard NBA contract — he has a non-guaranteed deal with the Nets. Christopher (Heat) and Jones (Clippers) are on two-way contracts, while Garuba is playing in Spain for Real Madrid. Bouknight and Primo aren’t on a roster and may open the season in the G League.