This off-season has seen a trio of Thunder players receive max contract extensions in Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Jalen Williams, and Chet Holmgren, as well as the Grizzlies‘ Jaren Jackson Jr., who signed his deal after Memphis renegotiated his contract.
That still leaves several dominoes to fall, according to John Hollinger of The Athletic, many of which are more interesting than your usual run-of-the-mill negotiations. It’s already been reported that Nikola Jokic will likely not sign an extension with the Nuggets, as he would be eligible for a much higher number if he waits a year.
One example of a conversation that is more complicated than it would appear is the Lakers and Luka Doncic. Because Doncic was traded while on his second contract, he is not supermax eligible. Because of that, it’s possible that he could negotiate to remove his player option and extend for three years with a player option, which would set him up for a 10-year veteran deal in 2028.
Kristaps Porzingis and Trae Young of the Hawks, Darius Garland with the Cavaliers, Mikal Bridges with the Knicks, Kevin Durant with the Rockets, De’Aaron Fox with the Spurs, and Toumani Camara with the Blazers are other names Hollinger looks at.
We have more from around the world of hoops:
- The beauty of Summer League is that there’s something for every fan base to find hope in. ESPN’s Kevin Pelton and Jeremy Woo go through all 30 rosters to spotlight a player to watch for every team. While some, like Cooper Flagg for the Mavericks, are obvious, not every team has a top pick. Pelton points to L.J Cryer for the Warriors and Kobe Brown for the Clippers, while Woo looks at Kobe Bufkin for the Hawks and Taelon Peter for the Pacers, among others.
- Ricky Rubio recently opened up about his mental health struggles that have kept him out of basketball for the last year. He spoke with Jorge Quiroga of Marca about his time with the Timberwolves, saying, “I had a rough time in my third year. Things weren’t going well, and I gave an interview to a journalist. My parents came to see me in Minneapolis, and after the game, I talked to my mom and cried, telling her I wanted to leave.” When it comes to the future, he said, “I’d like to play basketball without being Ricky Rubio, but it’s impossible. I want to play basketball, but I can’t. I’m trying my best to see if I can.”
- Former Knicks guard Ryan Arcidiacono has agreed to a deal with Trapani Shark, a Sicilian-based team in Italy’s top league. Arcidiacano played seven years in the NBA, averaging four points and 1.9 assists. He most recently played with the Windy City Bulls G League team, averaging 8.2 points and 3.3 assists in 21 minutes a night.