Understanding Jalen Brunson’s Extension with the Knicks

Keith SmithJuly 12, 2024

Jalen Brunson and the New York Knicks signed a Veteran Extension to much hullaballoo. Brunson signed a four-year, $156.5 million extension. That was the maximum that Brunson was allowed to sign for at this moment.

It’s that last part that is the key: “at this moment”.

As has been reported, Brunson could have signed for more money had he waited and re-signed with the Knicks as a free agent a year from now. By now, you’ve probably read that Brunson gave up $113 million by extending with New York now.

But did Brunson really leave $113 million on the table?

Yes…well kind of…but not really.

Let’s break it down!

The Veteran Extension

Here’s what Jalen Brunson did sign for:

2025-26: $34,944,001
2026-27: $37,739,521
2027-28: $40,535,041
2028-29: $43,330,561 (Player Option)
Total: four years, $156,549,124

In Brunson’s case, he signed under the Veteran Extension rules. This allows for him to extend for 140% of his previous salary. To sign a four-year extension, Brunson declined his 2025-26 player option, so this extension is based off his current salary for 2024-25 of $24,960,001.

From there, Brunson can add four new years of salary with 8% raises off the first year. That’s how we get to figures above.

For now, we can assume that Brunson will opt out of his contract to become a free agent in 2028. That would allow him to sign for the 35% of the cap maximum, because he’ll have 10 Years of Service following the 2027-28 season. But more to come on that later!

Re-signing with New York in 2025

Here’s what Jalen Brunson could have signed for next summer:

2025-26: $46,394,000
2026-27: $50,105,628
2027-28: $53,817,156
2028-29: $57,528,684
2029-30: $61,240,212
Total: five years, $269,085,780
This contract reflects the 30% of the cap max, with 8% raises for Brunson. Had he played out this upcoming season, opted out of his contract, this is the maximum amount he could have signed for in July of 2025.

Breaking down the differences

This is where things get interesting!

If you compare what Brunson did actually sign for vs what he could have signed for, you get a difference of roughly $112.5 million. So, that’s where that “Brunson gave up $113 million” line-of-thinking came from.

But it’s not really that simple.

If you’ve ever read one of our “Next Contract” pieces here on Spotrac, you know we try to present things in a lens of what a player could get by extending vs re-signing vs leaving for another team. In this case, we’re going to do it, but within the lens of Brunson extending vs re-signing with the Knicks.

We’re not going to pretend that it’s inaccurate to say Brunson left nearly $113 million on the table. Instead, we’ll say that’s a little misleading. Because the chances of Brunson ever getting to that $113 million number are pretty low.

Instead, let’s first look at a four-year vs four-year comparison:

Extending: four years, $156,549,124
Re-signing: four years, $207,845,568
Difference: $51,296,444

Already, we’ve cut the amount Brunson gave up by over half. This is much like why it’s not always a fair comparison to look at what a player can re-sign for with their own team vs what they can get by leaving for a new team. Only their own team can give them a fifth year. In this case, Brunson could only get a fifth year by delaying and re-signing next summer.

Now, let’s go a step further!

In Brunson’s new deal, he has a player option for Year 4 in 2028-29. It’s already been suggested that part of his motivation by extending vs re-signing was to get back into free agency in 2028. So, we’re going to assume he’ll opt out.

That means, the real comparison point here is Extension Years 1-3 vs Re-signing Years 1-3.

Extending: three years, $113,218,563
Re-signing: three years, $150,316,884
Difference: $37,098,321

Now, we’re down to about 33% of the original $113 million that Brunson actually gave up.

Let’s pause for a moment here…

Giving up over $37 million is still a lot of money to leave on the table. For reference, during 2024 NBA free agency to date, only 21 of over 90 players got more than $37 million in total in their new contracts.

So, even as we try to pushback on reported $113 million sacrifice that Brunson made, we’re still going to recognize that the Knicks star did give up a large sum of money.

What does this mean for the Knicks?

For New York, this is big, but let’s not get too crazy here either.

For one, the Knicks now have their All-Star, All-NBA, MVP-candidate leader locked up on a below-max deal. No matter how you spin it, that’s a pretty big win.

But here’s what the Knicks save over the next three seasons after this upcoming one (Remember, we’re assuming Brunson opts out in 2028) by Brunson extending vs re-signing:

2025-26: $11,450,099
2026-27: $12,366,107
2027-28: $13,282,115

Those per-year amounts will certainly help the Knicks, but they aren’t necessarily life-changing for New York.

Here’s how much the Knicks have on the books for each of those three seasons and for how many players:

2025-26: $186,683,839 for 10 players (including Julius Randle, who has a player option for 2025-26)
2026-27: $129,935,530 for seven players
2027-28: $126,983,155 for five players

In each of the first two years, the Knicks are well above the cap. In 2026, they’ll potentially be facing free agency for Mikal Bridges, Julius Randle and Mitchell Robinson, assuming all three are still on the roster.

What giving up $11.5 million and $12.4 million in 2025 and 2026 does do is gives the Knicks some wiggle room under the now infamous tax aprons. That’s some welcomed flexibility, but won’t necessarily be the difference in making a huge addition. The reason for this is that making a big trade would likely still result in becoming hard-capped at either the first or second apron. This is basically the same dance New York did this summer with the Mikal Bridges trade.

But if we go out to the summer of 2027, this is where things could get really fun for the Knicks.

By that summer, New York could be down to Jalen Brunson, OG Anunoby, Josh Hart, Pacome Dadiet and Tyler Kolek on the roster. And that would be the final year of Brunson’s contract before he can opt out in the summer of 2028. Let’s add Mikal Bridges on a salary of $45 million for that season too, since the Knicks didn’t trade for him to watch him walk.

If New York kept the rest mostly as-is for the next couple of seasons, in the summer of 2027, they could have around $40 million in cap space. That’s a nice chunk of spending power, but that’s well shy of the projected first-year max salary of $65.5 million for that season.

Now, if the Knicks let Mikal Bridges walk (they likely won’t, but let’s live in Fantasyland for a moment!), they could have as much as $85 million in cap space that summer. That would be enough to get a max free agent and have some leftover money to spend. That’s starting to look a lot like the offseason the Philadelphia 76ers just had.

In summary: Jalen Brunson took less, which helps the Knicks create wiggle room to do their work. But this isn’t likely to result in a major addition in the next two seasons that New York couldn’t have made anyway. Three years from now, we could be in an entirely different place.

How does Jalen Brunson make back the money he gave up?

In short: he can’t.

Even on the most-accurate comparison of Extension Years 1-3 vs Re-signing Years 1-3, Brunson gave up over $37 million. He’s never getting that back.

What did happen by going this route is that Brunson will get into the free agent market a year earlier than he could have by re-signing for a full five-year deal. In this scenario, Brunson opts out in 2028. At that point, he’ll have 10 Years of Service and he’ll be eligible for a full 35% of the cap maximum salary. That contract will start with Brunson’s Age-32 season. Let’s say the Knicks do want to give him the full five-year max, that projects to look like this:

2028-29: $72,042,250
2029-30: $77,805,630
2030-31: $83,569,010
2031-32: $89,332,390
2032-33: $95,095,770
Total: five years, $417,845,050

Whew, boy!

Let that sink in for a moment…

Yeah, that’s what a max contract will look like in just four years. Mind-blowing, right?

Will the Knicks want to give Brunson a five-year maximum contract when he’s on the other side of 30 years old? Historically, small guards haven’t aged that well in the NBA, but that’s been changing over the years. Maybe Brunson will hold up just fine and will cash in. But even if it’s not the full max, it’s safe to say that Brunson will get paid, and paid handsomely when he hits 10 Years of Service in 2028.

But here’s the thing (there’s always a thing!):

Brunson could have gotten this exact same deal by signing only a four-year deal in free agency next summer. Nothing says he would have had to sign a full five-year deal. He could have signed for four years, with a player option on the last year, and gotten back on the market in 2028.

Why couldn’t the Knicks and Brunson sign one of those Super Max Extensions?

The Designated Veteran Extension, or so-called Super Max Extension, is only available to players who were drafted by their current team or acquired while still on their Rookie Scale deal. Because Brunson changed teams as a free agent, he is not eligible for a Super Max Extension.

This is bad for all other NBA players, right? Owners will want everyone to take discounts?

Eh…maybe, but probably not. This situation is fairly unique. Most players aren’t going to look at this situation and see themselves in the same place as Brunson. Most front offices and owners will understand that, and will get that their teams are not in the same place either.As far as those screaming from the rooftops that “The players lost in this new CBA! The owners won!”, that’s not really an accurate assessment at all. At the end of the day, the players still get their 51% of Basketball Related Income (BRI). So, even if some contracts come in a little lower, the players are all still getting their fair share of the money. And, let’s not forget that a bunch of players have also signed maximum extensions worth hundreds upon hundreds of millions this summer.

Also, without boring everyone to tears, the BRI calculation was updated to include even more revenue streams. And the players have additional investment outlets available to them under the new CBA, as well.

Simply put: Half of a watermelon is better than a whole grape. NBA BRI is now one giant watermelon. NBA players and NBA teams are making more money than ever, even if those distribution channels may be evolving.

Summary

Jalen Brunson should be lauded for leaving a lot of money on the table. No, it wasn’t really $113 million. Nor was it even really $51 million. But $37 million is still a lot of money.

Brunson is clearly the toast of the town in New York. He’s arguably as big of a sports star as the city has. In a lot of ways, he’s everything Knicks fans want in a star: he’s tough, he plays with heart, he’s an underdog due to his size, and, mostly importantly, he loves New York and playing for the Knicks.

Brunson also clearly values playing with guys he enjoys being around. We’ve all made the jokes about the Villanova Knicks, but there is truth there. You can’t put a price on what it’s worth to play with your friends, even if that price is apparently something like $37 million.

Lastly, the Knicks win here. Not by an overwhelming margin, but things are starting to get really tight on their cap sheet. As we’ve seen in several situations this summer, including New York’s own, any extra wiggle room can make a major difference.

In the end, things got overblown as to how much Brunson really gave up, and how he’ll recoup it eventually. Instead, let’s just focus on the perfect marriage of player, team, time and place that resulted in Brunson making a sacrifice and the Knicks getting a great deal. That’s more than enough without turning this into a fairytale about a conquering hero sacrificing it all to save the kingdom.

nba extension jalen brunson

Projecting a Paul Skenes Extension

Michael GinnittiJuly 12, 2024

To say that Paul Skenes has hit the ground running to begin his MLB career would be the understatement of the season. The numbers are already flying off of the page:

Thru 11 Starts…
IP: 66.1
SO: 89
K/9: 12.1
BB/9: 1.8
ERA: 1.90
ERA+: 215
WHIP: .920
FIP: 2.58
WAR: 3.1

Starting Pitchers in MLB are currently averaging a .708 OPS against. Skenes is operating at a .570 rate. On average, pitchers are striking out batters at a 22.3% clip. Skenes is posting one 35% of the time.

Early Extension Thoughts

The notion of Pittsburgh locking in Skenes might seem sensical to the average eye, but it’s MUCH easier said than done.

For starters, and it’s been heavily discussed, Skenes hasn’t yet gone through an elbow issue, and for a pitcher who averages 99.9 on a fastball he throws 47% of the time, unfortunately, it’s a matter of when not if.

Next, the Pirates have to be willing to admit that they’re in a major spending window. Signing Skenes without the understanding that the next few offseasons will need to come with aggressive free agent & internal signings seems an irrelevant process to follow.

Furthermore, the Pirates have to believe that having Skenes under contract for the foreseeable future is more valuable to them then having Skenes under team control as a tradable asset. In most past cases - Pittsburgh has been grooming players for the trade market. Why would this be any different? (Because it is)

Finally, the contract offer here has hit all of the notes to get Skenes (and his ISE Baseball team) to even open up the PDF file. We’ll discuss what these numbers should look like below.

The Team Control Payout

If we assume that no further action is taken, and the Pirates go year-to-year with Paul Skenes over the next 5 seasons, we can project the following pay structure based on past data. Of course, all of these projections assume that Skenes remains healthy through 2029. It should also be noted that we’re projecting a traditional arbitration path (3 years) here, not a Super 2 (4 years) breakout.

2025 (Pre-Arb 2): $775k ($15k over minimum)
2026 (Pre-Arb 3): $800k ($20k over minimum)
2027 (Arbitration 1): $7M
2028 (Arbitration 2): $11M
2029 (Arbitration 3): $17M
Total: $36.5M

This breakdown represents a $35M payout across Skene’s arbitration-eligible seasons. For reference:
Corbin Burnes: $32.1M (2022-24)
Jake Arrieta: $29.9M (2015-17)
Dallas Keuchel: $29.6M (2016-18)
Shane Bieber: $29.1M (2022-24)
Jacob deGrom: $28.5M (2017-19)
Max Scherzer: $26M (2012-14)
Gerrit Cole: $24M (2017-19)

In other words, Skenes is on pace to obliterate the current team-control pay ceiling based on his production & the continually rising league tax thresholds. No surprise here.

Comparable Extensions

Not really. While early extensions are picking up steam across the league, pitchers have been extremely reluctant to jump into that pool as of yet. There are a few deals to work from here, but no picture perfect comparison for a Paul Skenes extension exists to date.

Hunter Greene (SP, Cincinnati)

The Reds selected Greene #2 overall back in 2017 ($7.2M slot bonus). He went under the Tommy John knife about 14 months later, missing all of 2019, and putting him on a redevelopment plan through most of 2020. He would join the big club in 2022, making 24 starts in his inaugural season (4.44 ERA, 1.21 WHIP, 2.0 WAR).

Cincy rewarded this effort with a 6 year, $53M extension, buying out 2 more pre-arbitration seasons, all 3 arbitration-eligible seasons, and at least 1 free agent season (with a club option to take on 1 more).

2 Pre-Arb Years: $6M ($2M signing bonus)
3 Arb Years: $29M
2 Free Agent Years: $37M
Incentives: $18.2M

Spencer Strider (SP, Atlanta)

Strider punched his Tommy John ticket early, going under the knife in 2018-19 during his college career at Clemson. He was drafted by the Braves upon return from injury as a 4th round pick in 2020, spending the better part of the next two seasons rising through the minor league system.

He was promoted to the big club to finish the 2021 season as a bullpen arm, and would remain a reliever for Atlanta until May 30, 2022 when he was given a chance to start. His quick rise to stardom led to a 6 year, $75M contract extension amidst the Braves’ postseason run. The deal would buyout 2 years of pre-arbitration, 3 years of arbitration, and at least 1 free agent season (with a club option to take on 1 more).

2 Pre-Arb Years: $2M
3 Arb Years: $46M
2 Free Agent Years: $44M

Blake Snell (SP, Tampa Bay)

Snell became the poster child for Rays pitching through the twenty-teens, forcing them to offer a rare multi-year extension prior to the 2019 season. The 5 year, $50 million contract bought-out 1 year of pre-arbitration, 3 years of arbitration, and 1 free agency season.

1 Pre-Arb Year: $4M ($3M signing bonus)
3 Arb Years: $30M
1 Free Agent Year: $16M
Incentives: $3.5M

The Paul Skenes Projection

With all of this in mind (and fully understanding that an 11-game sample size isn’t a worthy dataset to work from), we can look at the following extension numbers for Paul Skenes and the Pittsburgh Pirates this coming Fall/Winter.

Spotrac is projecting a 7 year, $113.75M extension for Skenes, including a $5M signing bonus, $6.25M in 2025, & a $16.25M tax salary.

Under these terms, Skenes will see a near $5.5M raise for the 2025 season, including a $5M signing bonus. The cashflow drops back down to earth a bit in 2026, but at $2.5M, still represents a sizable raise over a projected $800,000 pre-arb salary.

From there, we’ve built out a truly historic pay structure for Skenes’ arbitration-eligible seasons, offering up $48M across those three years ($10M-$12M more than the projected year-to-year payout).

For his first two free agency seasons (2030-2031), Skenes would earn flat salaries of $28.5M, which represents around $4M of annual value for Pittsburgh based on our current $33.3M market valuation.

Why this Works

If we compare our year-to-year projections for the next 5 seasons ($36.5M) to the 5-year cash flow of this extension projection ($56.75M), the Pirates are basically handing Skenes a $20M payment for the right to keep him 2 additional seasons.

In turn, they would gain back some of that upfront money with free agent value, assuming Skenes is still one of the top pitchers in the game of course.

Skenes puts cash in hand, garners considerable injury protection, and still has the opportunity to negotiate his next contract before turning 30-years-old. All big wins for a young player.

Why this Fails

The list of multi-year contracts handed out to starting pitchers by the Pittsburgh Pirates since 2000 can be counted on 2 hands. (Note: these aren’t just contract extensions - this includes free agency)

Mitch Keller: 5 years, $77M (2024)
Francisco Liriano: 3 years, $39M (2015)
Ivan Nova: 3 years, $26M (2016)
Charlie Morton: 3 years, $21M (2014)
Paul Maholm: 3 years, $14.5M (2009)
Kris Benson: 4 years, $13.8M (2001)
Kevin Correia: 2 years, $8M (2011)
Francisco Liriano: 2 years, $7M (2013)

Recent deals for Keller, 3B Ke’Bryan Hayes (8 years, $70M), & OF Bryan Reynolds (8 years, $106M) are signs of life for a Pittsburgh front office that has long been stuck in neutral, but is it enough to believe they’re ready to go above and beyond with a Skenes offer?

Furthermore - even if the Pirates organization believes they now have a core they can aggressively build around over the next few offseasons, the unfortunate “certainty” of Skenes’ eventual elbow injury makes for an uncomfortable setting.

The Braves, who had already sunk hundreds of millions into their core of Acuna, Albies, Olson, Riley, Murphy, etc. before extended Spencer Strider, must have felt that the injury luck would be on their side with their ace having already gone through Tommy John some 3 seasons prior. That backfired almost immediately with Strider missing all of 2024 for another injury go-around.

It’s become a bit of a guessing game, which has not only suppressed the overall pitching market financially, but it’s changed the way teams think in constructing their rotations as a whole.

The Pirates are also trying to develop 22-year-old phenom Jared Jones alongside Skenes, which would give Pittsburgh one of the best young 1-2 punches in all of baseball. But Jones is now dealing with a lat injury that has grinded his 2024 to a screeching halt.

While common these are the ebbs and flows attached to starting pitching in the modern game that continually keep front offices second guessing themselves - even with a player as elite as Paul Skenes.

Concluding Thoughts

At the time of this post (2024 All-Star Break), the Pirates reside as a near .500 team, stuck in the middle of the NL Central, but showing plenty of signs of development and improvement across the board. They’re a prototypical candidate to become big time players this upcoming winter in an effort to contend both divisionally and for a National League Wild Card berth.

Unfortunately, based on a lack of past aggression financially speaking, Pittsburgh won’t exactly be a Top 3 destination for players set to hit the open market.

Paul Skenes can change that, and he may have already begun to do so in some player’s eyes. A worthy Paul Skenes extension can further change that, as it would act as a flag in the ground moment to the rest of the league (and agents) that the Pirates are open for business, and actively trying to win the National League for the foreseeable future.

Will our projected 7 year, $113.75M contract be enough to woo Skenes? It’s an extremely fair starting point from the player’s perspective, and solid security if and when that arm injury does rear its ugly head.

With that said, we’re probably a year away from being a year away on this one. The Pirates can argue that Skenes’ $8M draft bonus plus looming pre-arbitration bonus pool payments are more than enough to carry him through his next two seasons of team control, after which a Mitch Keller-type extension can be discussed at length.

Skenes declines that offer, plays out 2027, and is traded for a haul the following winter. It’s been the Pirates-Way for a lot of years. Why expect anything different this time around?

paul skenes

NWSL x LIGA MX Femenil Summer Cup

Taylor VincentJuly 12, 2024

While players were released for the Olympics and Olympic prep on Monday, the Olympics group stage will begin on July 25th and the Gold Medal match will take place on August 10th. In previous years, summer international tournaments like the FIFA World Cup or the Olympics have meant that teams play regular season games while missing key players, to combat it this year there will be the inaugural NWSL x LIGA MX Femenil Summer Cup.

The 33 match tournament kicks off July 19th and includes all 14 NWSL teams as well as the six teams with the most points achieved in Liga MX Femenil Clausura and Apertura during 2023. The Liga MX Femenil season consists of two tournaments: an Apertura tournament, which takes place from July to December, and a Clausura tournament, which takes place from January to May. The six teams which qualified for the Summer Cup are: Tigres UANL, Club América, Chivas de Guadalajara, Rayadas de Monterrey, Pachuca and Tijuana.

The Summer Cup will not only allow teams an opportunity to bring home some extra hardware, it also allows players who might not have as many minutes in the regular season to see game time, and it allows domestic players to potentially sign to NWSL teams as a National Team Replacement Player (NTRP) and give them an opportunity to fight for a potential contract through the end of the year.

Breakdown of players who will be missing the Summer tournament due to participation in the 2024 Paris Olympics. Yellow means the player has not yet played a game with the squad

Gotham will be missing the most players from their current starting rotation during the Summer Cup with seven players, while Orlando, Portland, and Washington all are missing five players — six if you count the players who have signed and not yet played a game with the team.

On the low side, Angel City is only missing one player for the Olympics, and Louisville, Seattle, and Kansas City are only missing two. With Ali Riley dealing with injury in the first half of the NWSL season and only playing in five of the team’s 16 matches, Angel City is definitely the team who will be the least impacted by missing players. They’ll need to take advantage of San Diego’s recent rough patch, and Bay FC losing their primary attacking/pressing strikers.

The Red Stars are the other NWSL-side in a group with both Gotham and Washington—both of whom are ahead of Chicago in the regular season table, and missing a large number of starters. Chicago will have a good opportunity to be the top NWSL team in Group D, although missing captain/goalkeeper Alyssa Naeher and forward Mallory Swanson will likely change the structure of their attack and defense.

nwsl liga mx femenil summer cup

The 2024 MLB All-Stars Financially

Michael GinnittiJuly 08, 2024

MLB announced its full 2024 All-Star cast this week, including a record 32 first timers across the board. We’ve detailed each starter below, including current compensation and positional pay rank, plus future contract financials for each.

CATCHER

William Contreras (Brewers)

2024 Salary: $766,900 (41st)

A silver slugger last season, Contreras is on pace to surpass his 2023 numbers in Milwaukee. The 26-year-old will enter arbitration for the first time this winter, putting him on pace for free agency after the 2027 season. He’s a red-hot extension candidate.

Adley Rutschman (Orioles)

2024 Salary: $760,300 (43rd)

The #1 overall pick from 2019 has officially broken out, on pace for 30+ homers, 100+ RBIs and a WAR north of 5. He’ll enter arbitration for the first time this winter, putting him on pace for free agency after 2027. Baltimore has a lot of mouths to feed in the coming months.

1ST BASE

Bryce Harper (Phillies)

2024 Salary: $26,000,000 (2nd)

Harper is on pace to have his best season in 3 years, including an OPS hovering near 1.000 as we approach the break. His massive contract contains 7 years, $170M remaining on it still through 2031 - though there have been rumblings that a renegotiation may be discussed. Harper earns an extra $50,000 bonus for the All-Star nod.

Vladimir Guerrero Jr. (Blue Jays)

2024 Salary: $19,900,000 (7th)

Vlad doesn’t appear capable of recreating his massive 2021 campaign, but he’s still checking all of the boxes, and has greatly increased his average and efficiency in 2024 thus far. The 25-year-old has one more winter of arbitration ahead of him with free agency pending after 2025.

2ND BASE

Ketel Marte (Diamondbacks)

2024 Salary: $13,000,000 (6th)

Marte carries a 3.75 WAR into July, and he’s on pace to surpass all of his notable numbers from an outstanding 2023 campaign. Contractually he’s in Year 2 of a 5 year, $76M re-up in Arizona that pays out $16M each of the next 2 seasons.

Jose Altuve (Astros)

2024 Salary: $41,000,000 (1st)

Altuve’s $41M payout in 2024 is a combination of a $26M base salary from his current contract, & a $15M signing bonus that precedes his upcoming 5 year, $125M extension in Houston. The 34-year-old is fully locked in through 2029.

SHORTSTOP

Trea Turner (Phillies)

2024 Salary: $27,272,727 (3rd)

Turner’s production is nowhere near where it’s been the past two seasons, but he’s hitting for average, and headlining the best team in baseball right now. The 31-year-old has 9 years, $245M remaining on his contract in Philly. Turner earns an extra $50,000 bonus for the All-Star nod.

Gunnar Henderson (Orioles)

2024 Salary: 756,200 (59th)

The 2023 Rookie of the Year is now making a claim for the 2024 AL MVP conversation. The 23-year-old carries a near 6 WAR toward the break, having already matched many of his numbers from 2023. He won’t be arbitration eligible until 2026, but it’s going to be tough to imagine Baltimore waiting around too long with an extension offer.

3RD BASE

Alec Bohm (Phillies)

2024 Salary: $4,000,000 (18th)

Bohm posted career production numbers in 2023, but his WAR (0.43) left something to be desired. That’s not the case thus far in 2024, as he’s filling up the stat lines plus added value (2.14 WAR headed toward the break). He settled his first arbitration go-around at $4M, and should be in for quite a nice raise this coming winter.

José Ramírez (Guardians)

2024 Salary: $17,000,000 (8th)

Still (somehow) one of the most underrated stars in the game, Ramirez is once again putting together a high-impact season for Cleveland, one of the best teams in baseball. The 31-year-old holds 4 years, $88M remaining on his contract through 2028.

OUTFIELD

Christian Yelich (Brewers)

2024 Salary: $22,000,000 (6th)

Yelich is on pace to post his best season in 6 years and is a major reason the Brewers carry a healthy lead in the NL Central to date. The 35-year-old holds 4 years, $88M remaining on his contract in Milwaukee. Yelich earns an extra $50,000 bonus for the All-Star nod.

Jurickson Profar (Padres)

2024 Salary: $1,000,000 (64th)

Profar didn’t sign his near minimum contract with San Diego until February 12th, making him one of the later free agent additions. He’s posted a 2+ WAR since then, and should have 6-year best production across the board when it’s all said and done. The 32-year-old will hit the open market again this winter.

Fernando Tatis Jr. (Padres)

2024 Salary: $11,000,000 (22nd)

Some of the numbers (RBIs, stolen bases) are lagging behind a bit, but overall Tatis Jr. continues to produce in a big way. With the “team-controlled” portion of his extension now off the books, Tatis holds a 10 year, $306M contract ahead of him through 2034.

Aaron Judge (Yankees)

2024 Salary: $40,000,000 (1st)

Judge’s first-half numbers would be an all-star season for 99% of the rest of the league. He has a legitimate chance to post a 10+ WAR for the 2nd time in his career, and MVP #2 could very well be right around the corner. The 32-year-old holds 7 years, $280M remaining through 2031.

Juan Soto (Yankees)

2024 Salary: $31,000,000 (3rd)

Soto’s historic $31M arbitration salary seems like a value play based on first half returns. He’s going to obliterate every career threshold if he can remain healthy. The 25-year-old will be one of the most coveted free agents in years this winter, with a $500M pricetag not entirely out of the question.

Steven Kwan (Guardians)

2024 Salary: $757,600 (86th)

Steven Kwan had a weird 2023 - and so did the Guardians. Steven Kwan is having an outstanding 2024 - and so are the Guardians. The 26-year-old enters July with a batting average north of .360, a WAR north of 3, and a career-high 9 homers already. Kwan becomes arbitration-eligible for the first time this winter.

DESIGNATED HITTER

Shohei Ohtani (Dodgers)

2024 Salary: $2,000,000 (18th)

Obviously there’s a big ole asterisk attached to Ohtani’s $2M payout this year, but it is what it is. He’s on pace for another 40 homer, 1.0+ OPS season, and he’s also going to post a career-high in stolen bases as well. Contractually, he’ll earn another $18M from 2025-2033, then $680M from 2034-2043.

Yordan Alvarez (Astros)

2024 Salary: $10,000,000 (12th)

Everything about the Astros came with a slow start this season, but Alvarez’s numbers are starting to round right into form as we approach the break. He’s got a legitimate shot at 40 doubles, 40 homers, 100 RBIs for the first time. The 27-year-old holds another 4 years, $93M on his current contract through 2028.

STARTING PITCHER

Tyler Glasnow (Dodgers)

2024 Salary: $25,000,000 (6th)

Glasnow’s had more efficient first halves, but he’s on pace to have his most fulfilling season by every measure. In fact, he’s just 11 innings away from posting a career-high. There’s a 3 year, $90M guarantee remaining on his contract through 2027.

Paul Skenes (Pirates)

2024 Salary: $740,000 (211th)

As a May 11th call-up, Skenes’ minimum salary actually maxes out at $560,898 if we’re zeroing in. Talks about generational talent, tommy john, & massive contract extensions are already following this guy wherever he steps on a mound. For now, he’s just one of the best values in all of sports.

Shota Imanaga (Cubs)

2024 Salary: $10,000,000 (53rd)

Imanaga came out firing on all cylinders, but has since been brought back down to earth a bit in recent weeks (as have the Cubs collectively). He’ll earn $13M in 2025, after which the Cubs will have a 3 year, $57M option to decide on.

Reynaldo López (Braves)

2024 Salary: $4,000,000 (89th)

The Braves ace has been lights out to begin 2024, hovering well under a 2 ERA, approaching 100 punchouts, while posting a 3+ WAR as we head into the break. He’ll earn $11M in each of 2025 & 2026, and an $8M club option for 2027 seems highly likely at this point.

Chris Sale (Braves)

2024 Salary: $17,000,000 (23rd)

The Red Sox are paying all of Chris Sale’s 2024 salary, making his comeback in Atlanta an even better story for the Braves. The 35-year-old is on pace for 250 strikeouts, and a WAR approaching 5 after years of injury disappointment. He holds a $22M guarantee in 2025, & an $18M club option in 2026.

Zack Wheeler (Phillies)

2024 Salary: $23,500,000 (12th)

Wheeler is about as consistent as star pitchers get in this generation. He’s well on his way to another 200+ strikeout, 4+ WAR campaign, and he tacked on 3 years, $126M to an expiring contract before the start of the season.

Tyler Anderson (Angels)

2024 Salary: $13,000,000 (41st)

Easily the brightest bulb in the Angels box this season, Anderson has re-found the form he showed in 2022 with the Dodgers. He’s guaranteed another $13M in 2025 and remains one of the top trade candidates heading toward July 30.

Corbin Burnes (Orioles)

2024 Salary: $15,637,000 (29th)

Burnes avoided arbitration with Milwaukee before they shipped him off to Baltimore, locking in his final salary before free agency this coming winter. He’s having a great season even against his own standards (2.32 ERA, 105 Ks, 2.2 WAR in 18 starts), and should find a bidding war ahead of him.

Garrett Crochet (White Sox)

2024 Salary: $800,000 (131st)

Injury-plagued for the better part of two seasons, Crochet is now leading the league in strikeouts, FIP, and K/9. He’ll be due a healthy raise in arbitration this winter, but won’t become free agent eligible until 2027.

Logan Gilbert (Mariners)

2024 Salary: $4,050,000 (88th)

Gilbert is now making it three straight seasons of above average starting pitching. That’s a pretty good way to ensure financial security. The 27-year-old has 3 more years of arbitration still ahead of him.

Tanner Houck (Red Sox)

2024 Salary: $770,000 (135th)

It’s already career-highs across the board for Houck just halfway through the season, putting himself in a nice spot for his first pending arbitration winter.

Seth Lugo (Royals)

2024 Salary: $15,000,000 (30th)

The former reliever has now had successful stints as a starter both in San Diego and Kansas City. He carries a 2.21 ERA and a 3.5 WAR into July, and a 2 year, $30M contract through 2027.

Cole Ragans (Royals)

2024 Salary: $753,750 (151st)

The 2016 1st rounder made 12 outstanding starts for KC after being acquired at least year’s deadline, and has carried that momentum through the first half of 2024 (134 Ks, 130 ERA+). He doesn’t project to be arbitration eligible until 2026, so the Royals are working off of house money here.

Tarik Skubal (Tigers)

2024: $2,650,000 (104th)

It’s been back to back very strong seasons for Skubal, who currently possesses a league-best .900 WHIP. He hasn’t been able to put together a full season since 2021, but he’s on his way to doubling his currently salary this coming winter for a second go-around at arbitration.

RELIEF PITCHER

Tanner Scott (Marlins)

2024 Salary: $5,700,000 (40th)

Scott carries a 1.42 ERA, 2.6 WAR through the first half of the season, easily establishing himself as the Marlins player to get the All-Star nod. Contractually, Scott is finishing his final year of arbitration in Miami, set to hit free agency this coming winter.

Matt Strahm (Phillies)

2024 Salary: $7,500,000 (25th)

One of the better middle relievers on baseball’s best team, Strahm holds a 1.59 ERA, including 45 strikeouts across 34 innings thus far. He signed an extension prior to the season that keeps him at a $7.5M pay rate through 2025, with a team option for another $7.5M in 2026. Strahm earns an extra $50,000 bonus for the All-Star nod.

Robert Suarez (Padres)

2024 Salary: $10,000,000 (14th)

The man asked to replace Josh Hader in San Diego has done so well, posting 22 saves (33 games finished) in 36 appearances. He’s guaranteed another $26M over the next three seasons, but does possess the ability to opt-out after the 2025 campaign.

Ryan Helsley (Cardinals)

2024 Salary: $3,800,000 (63rd)

Helsley leads the leagues in saves & games finished at the time of this posting, though his general numbers (171 ERA+, 2.76 FIP, 10.9 K/9) fall a little more in the average range currently speaking. The 30-year-old is arbitration eligible one more time this winter.

Jeff Hoffman (Phillies)

2024 Salary: $2,200,000 (90th)

Hoffman has done a little bit of everything for the Phillies thus far this season, and he’s done so to the tune of a 1.21 ERA, 0.88 WHIP across nearly 40 innings. The 31-year-old is set to hit the open market this winter.

Emmanuel Clase (Guardians)

2024 Salary: $2,500,000 (79th)

Clase has led the league in games finished and saves each of the past 2 full seasons - and he’s doing so again in 2024. Here’s the rest of his current story: 0.85 ERA, 472 ERA+, 0.63 WHIP across 42 innings. He’ll cost Cleveland $4.5M & $6M through 2026 respectively, with $10M club options available each of the two seasons thereafter.

Clay Holmes (Yankees)

2024 Salary: $6,000,000 (37th)

Holmes has been a rocksteady anchor to the back of the Yankees bullpen without possessing any numbers that really pop off of the page. The 31-year-old is slated for free agency this winter.

Mason Miller (Athletics)

2024 Salary: $740,000 (238th)

The player all 29 other teams hope the Athletics’ decided to trade this month has struck out 66 batters in just 37 innings of work (a 15.8 K/9 pace). With arbitration still a few years away, Oakland won’t be too threatened to move on unless the price blows them away.

Kirby Yates (Rangers)

2024 Salary: $5,750,000 (51st)

Yates showed sounds of rounding back into form late last year in Atlanta, and he’s turned the corner again for Texas in 2024. He’s carrying a sub-1 ERA, sub-1 WHIP and a 12.4 K/9 rate into July. The 37-year-old signed a 1 year deal with the Rangers and should hit the open market again this winter.

RESERVES

The 2024 All-Star reserves including their 2024 compensation and free agent eligibility season.

NL Reserves	2024 $/Free Agency	AL Reserves	2024 $/Free Agency
CJ Abrams (WSH, SS)	$752k/2029	Carlos Correa (MIN, SS)	$36.1M/2033
Pete Alonso (NYM, 1B)	$20.5M/2025	Rafael Devers (BOS, 3B)	$25M/2034
Luis Arraez (SD, 2B)	$10.6M/2026	Jarren Duran (BOS, OF)	$760k/2029
Mookie Betts (LAD/SS)	$22M/2033	David Fry (CLE, C)	$741k/TBD
Elly De La Cruz (CIN, SS)	$742k/TBD	Riley Greene (DET, OF)	$766k/2029
Freddie Freeman (LAD, 1B)	$20M/2028	Josh Naylor (CLE, 1B)	$6.5M/2026
Teoscar Hernandez (LAD, OF)	$15M/2025	Isaac Paredes (TB, 3B)	$3.4M/2028
Ryan McMahon (COL, 3B)	$12M/2028	Salvador Perez (KC, C)	$20M/2026
Jackson Merrill (SD, OF)	$740k/TBD	Marcus Semien (TEX, 2B)	$26M/2029
Marcell Ozuna (ATL, DH)	$16M/2026	Kyle Tucker (HOU, OF)	$12M/2026
Heliot Ramos (SF, OF)	$740k/TBD	Bobby Witt Jr. (KC, SS)	$9.7M/2038
Bryan Reynolds (PIT, OF)	$10M/2032
Will Smith (LAD, C)	$38.5M/2034

Thompson Wins John Deere Classic

Scott AllenJuly 07, 2024

Davis Thompson wins the John Deere Classic. Thompson earns $1.44 million million bringing his 2024 on-course earnings to $3.18 million and his career on-course earnings to $5.58 million.

John Deere Classic Top 10 Payouts

Full Results

2024 Earnings Leaders Update

Full List

pga davis thompson

2024 NBA Offseason Signings

Keith SmithJuly 05, 2024

A running list of notable 2024 NBA Free Agents agreements and signings throughout the free agency period, ordered by agreement date.

Franz Wagner – Orlando Magic

Status:

Agreed on July 5, 2024 – Designated rookie extension

Terms:

5 year, $224.23 million (AAV: $44.8 million)

Estimated Salaries:

2025-26: $38,661,750

2026-27: $41,754,690

2027-28: $44,847,630

2024-25: $49,987,718

2025-26: $53,986,735

Thoughts:

The only real question for LeBron James was if he would take his max?Or was he going to give the Lakers a discount to make other moves. After a handful of James’ reported preferred targets went elsewhere, he went for the max. There’s still a possibility James takes a little less to help the Lakers out, but it won’t be a meaningful amount. Now, we get to see how a Lakers team, one that has made very few changes to their roster to date (veterans Spencer Dinwiddie and Taurean Prince out, rookies Dalton Knecht and Bronny James in), can upgrade with limited resources to do so.

Kyle Anderson – Golden State Warriors

Status:

Agreed on July 2, 2024 – Free agent via Sign-and-Trade with Minnesota

Terms:

3 year, $27 million (AAV: $9 million)

Estimated Salaries:

2024-25: $8,571,429

2025-26: $9,000,000

2026-27: $9,428,571

Thoughts:

Golden State is continuing to rebuild their roster as a non-tax team for the first time in years. After adding De’Anthony Melton for backcourt depth, the Warriors are adding Kyle Anderson to the frontcourt. He’s an ideal for the Warriors, because he can do a little of everything. Anderson’s pass-and-move style of play is a great fit for Golden State’s movement-based offense. For barely more than the Room Exception, this is a really good addition for the retooling Warriors.

Jonathan Isaac – Orlando Magic

Status:

Agreed on July 2, 2024 – Renegotiation-and-extend

Terms:

5 year, $84 million (AAV: $16.8 million)

Estimated Salaries:

2024-25: TBD

2025-26: TBD

2026-27: TBD

2027-28: TBD

2028-29: TBD

Thoughts:

Orlando made good use of their remaining cap space to get Jonathan Isaac signed long-term. The Magic will up Isaac’s salary for this coming season. In return, Isaac will take less per season on the four new years he’s adding to his contract. A renegotiation-and-extension deal is the only form of extreme front-loaded contract in the NBA. It’s smart cap management to use the space while you have it, to keep things in line later, when the rest of the roster will start getting more expensive.

Xavier Tillman – Boston Celtics

Status:

Agreed on July 2, 2024 – Free agent

Terms:

2 year, $4.78 million (AAV: $2.4 million)

Estimated Salaries:

2024-25: $2,237,692

2025-26: $2,546,675

Thoughts:

Boston is now running it back with their entire big man rotation from last season. Xavier Tillman Sr. joins Luke Kornet and Neemias Queta as staying with the champs. Tillman will be relied upon heavily this upcoming season. Kristaps Porzingis is out until sometime around the holidays, and Boston will aggressively manage Al Horford this season. Getting Tillman back on the minimum is big for the Celtics. Now, if he can keep refining that three-point shot…

Monte Morris – Phoenix Suns

Status:

Agreed on July 2, 2024 – Free agent

Terms:

1 year, $2.8 million (AAV: $2.8 million)

Status:

Agreed on July 1, 2024 – Free agent

Terms:

2 year, $14 million (AAV $7 million)

Estimated Salaries:

2024-25: $6,730,769

2025-26: $7,269,231

Thoughts:

Really good value for the Magic here. Gary Harris was a starter for Orlando for most of last season, and he was the team’s most consistent shooter. He’ll likely back up Kentavious Caldwell-Pope now, but this gives the Magic four good guards with Harris, Caldwell-Pope, Jalen Suggs and Cole Anthony. And Orlando has Anthony Black in the development pipeline as well. Don’t be surprised if the second season of this deal involves some form of team control, such as a team option or non-guaranteed season.

Goga Bitadze – Orlando Magic

Status:

Agreed on July 1, 2024 – Free agent

Terms:

3 year, $25 million (AAV $8.3 million)

Estimated Salaries:

2024-25: $7,716,049

2025-26: $8,333,333

2026-27: $8,950,617

Thoughts:

Orlando did well to keep Goga Bitadze in the fold. He was excellent as a spot starter when Wendell Carter Jr. had to miss time. This coming season, Bitadze may be in for a bigger role as a regular backup. Getting him for roughly the Room Exception is a win for both Bitadze and the Magic.

Jayson Tatum – Boston Celtics

Status:

Agreed on July 1, 2024 – Designated Veteran extension

Terms:

5 year, $314 million (AAV $62.8 million)

Estimated Salaries:

2025-26: $54,126,450

2026-27: $58,456,566

2027-28: $62,786,682

2028-29: $67,116,798

2029-30: $71,446,914 (Player Option)

Thoughts:

As expected, Jayson Tatum got the full supermax extension from the Celtics. No surprises here. Tatum earned this deal by becoming one of the best players in the NBA.

Klay Thompson – Dallas Mavericks

Status:

Agreed on July 1, 2024 – Free agent via Sign-and-Trade with Golden State

Terms:

3 year, $50 million (AAV $16.7 million)

Estimated Salaries:

2024-25: $15,873,016

2025-26: $16,666,667

2026-27: $17,460,317

Thoughts:

(Note: When we get the full sign-and-trade details, we’ll do a full trade recap for this deal.)

It’s hard to believe Klay Thompson is leaving the Warriors. But landing with the Mavericks is a really solid outcome. Thompson will likely replace Derrick Jones Jr. in the starting lineup. Thompson isn’t the defender he once was, but he’s still a really good shooter. Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving coming off screens will love having Thompson spacing the floor for them. As long as folks have tempered expectations that this isn’t All-Star-level Klay Thompson, but instead wily veteran shooter Klay Thompson, this addition will be a hit.

De’Anthony Melton – Golden State Warriors

Status:

Agreed on July 1, 2024 – Free agent

Terms:

1 year, $12.8 million (AAV $12.8 million)

Estimated Salaries:

2024-25: $12,822,000

Thoughts:

If De’Anthony Melton didn’t have concerns about his back, he gets a far larger deal than this. As it is, this is a good get for the Warriors. Golden State needed another ballhandler behind Stephen Curry. If healthy, Melton will give Golden State solid depth at both guard spots. Also, non-Bird rights should be enough to re-sign Melton with after this season.

Aaron Holiday – Houston Rockets

Status:

Agreed on July 1, 2024 – Free agent

Terms:

2 year, $9.56 million (AAV $4.78 million)

Estimated Salaries:

2024-25: $4,668,000

2025-26: $4,901,400

Thoughts:

This is a small, but solid value for Aaron Holiday and the Rockets. Holiday gave Houston good minutes at times last season, as Amen Thompson got healthy and adjusted to the NBA game. The second season of this deal is reportedly a team option, which gives the Rockets an easy out if they are going the cap space route next summer.

Delon Wright – Milwaukee Bucks

Status:

Agreed on July 1, 2024 – Veteran extension

Terms:

1 year, $3.0 million (AAV $3.0 million)

Estimated Salaries:

2024-25: $3,003,427

Thoughts:

The Bucks had a backup point guard problem for lots of last season. That’s not good, considering Damian Lillard is older and tends to miss games now. Wright gives Milwaukee a solid backup. He’s also got starting experience, if necessary. Good add for the minimum for Milwaukee.

Derrick White – Boston Celtics

Status:

Agreed on July 1, 2024 – Veteran extension

Status:

Agreed on July 1, 2024 – Free agent

Terms:

3 year, $87 million (AAV $29 million)

Estimated Salaries:

2024-25: $30,526,316

2025-26: $29,000,000

2026-27: $27,473,684

Thoughts:

The Thunder are doing work. This is a big contract, but an important signing for Oklahoma City. They needed to add some additional size and to get more versatile in the frontcourt. Now, the Thunder have the option to go big against teams like Denver and Minnesota. Isaiah Hartenstein has experience starting or coming off the bench. He’s also going to immediately improve the defense and rebounding. Is this an overpay? Perhaps a bit, but the Oklahoma City cap sheet can afford it for a couple more years.

Jalen Smith – Chicago Bulls

Status:

Agreed on July 1, 2024 – Free agent

Terms:

3 year, $27 million (AAV $9 million)

Estimated Salaries:

2024-25: $8,571,429

2025-26: $9,000,000

2026-27: $9,428,571

Thoughts:

Outstanding value signing for the Bulls. Smith is only 24 years old, so he fits if Chicago flips towards a rebuild, or if they chase a postseason spot. He was probably a bit above his head with his shooting last year, but not so much so that it was a fluke. For $9 million AAV, this one of the best values of 2024 free agency so far.

Isaiah Joe – Oklahoma City Thunder

Status:

Agreed on July 1, 2024 – Free agent

Terms:

4 year, $48 million (AAV $12 million)

2024-25: $49,205,800

2025-26: $51,666,090

2026-27: $54,126,380

2027-28: $56,586,670 (Player Option)

Thoughts:

The major free agent domino has fallen. The Sixers got their guy. After lining up for over a year to add a third star around Joel Embiid and Tyrese Maxey, Daryl Morey pulled it off. When healthy, George is a perfect fit with Embiid and Maxey. He’s a big wing to slide right in between the center and the ballhandler. George is very good playing off-ball, which he’ll have to do quite a bit to give Embiid and Maxey reps. The lone question is George’s track record of missing games and his age. Given those same questions exist for Embiid, there’s a chance this could go sideways a bit. However, the upside and fit are too good to pass up, simply because of health concerns. This is a tremendous addition for the 76ers, who vault themselves back into title contention in the Eastern Conference.

Kelly Oubre Jr. –Philadelphia 76ers

Status:

Agreed on July 1, 2024 – Free agent

Terms:

2 year, $16.3 million (AAV $8.2 million)

2024-25: $3,303,771

Thoughts:

Mason Plumlee has dropped off some from his most productive years, but he’s still a solid backup. The Suns can’t offer free agents anything more than the minimum. That means those minimum lottery tickets have to hit. This one feels like it should. Plumlee will return at least minimum value for Phoenix behind Jusuf Nurkic.

Jonas Valanciunas – Washington Wizards

Status:

Agreed on June 30, 2024 – Free agent

Status:

Agreed on June 30, 2024 – Free agent

Terms:

3 years, $66 million (AAV $22 million)

Estimated Salaries:

2024-25: $20,952,381

2025-26: $22,000,000

2026-27: $23,047,619

Thoughts:

This is a great pickup for the Magic. They’ll have an elite defensive backcourt with Caldwell-Pope joining Jalen Suggs. Caldwell-Pope will also help with spacing, as well. And Orlando still has around $30 million in cap space to spend. The Magic aren’t done yet.

Andre Drummond – Philadelphia 76ers

Status:

Agreed on June 30, 2024 – Free agent

Terms:

2 years, $10+ million (AAV $5 million)

Estimated Salaries:

2024-25: $4,878,049

2025-26: $5,121,951

Thoughts:

The 76ers had to use part of their cap flexibility this summer to add a reliable backup for Joel Embiid. It’s a luxury when Embiid is healthy, but a must when he’s not. The team has familiarity with Andre Drummond and he’s become an extremely productive backup. This is a homerun signing for not much over a minimum contract per year.

Luke Kornet – Boston Celtics

Status:

Agreed on June 30, 2024 – Free agent

Terms:

1 years, $2.8 million (AAV $2.8 million)

2024-25: $7,142,857

2025-26: $7,714,286

2026-27: $8,285,714

2027-28: $8,857,143

Thoughts:

Max Christie needs a consistent role to earn this contract. The good news? He may have one next year. Christie is a good athlete, solid defender and an improving shooter. If he gets regular minutes, Christie will deliver very good value on this contract.

Obi Toppin – Indiana Pacers

Status:

Agreed on June 30, 2024 – Free agent

Terms:

4 years, $60 million (AAV $15 million)

Estimated Salaries:

2024-25: $13,392,857

2025-26: $14,464,286

2026-27: $15,535,714

2027-28: $16,607,143

Thoughts:

This is a good deal for both Toppin and the Pacers. It’s essentially the MLE, and Toppin will outproduce the MLE amount, even when he plays primarily as a backup to Pascal Siakam. Something to keep an eye on: Indiana has a lot of money invested in Siakam and Toppin. Could that make Jarace Walker gettable via trade?

Alex Len – Sacramento Kings

Status:

Agreed on June 30, 2024 – Free agent

Terms:

1 years, $3.31 million (AAV $3.31 million)

Estimated Salaries:

2024-25: $3,313,453

Thoughts:

Each of the last three years, Len has started out of the Kings rotation, but finished the year as Domantas Sabonis’ primary backup. There is a comfort level there and Sacramento trusts him to stay ready when his number is called. For the veteran minimum, you can’t ask for much more.

Patrick Williams – Chicago Bulls

Status:

Agreed on June 29, 2024 – Free agent

Terms:

5 years, $90 million (AAV $18 million)

Estimated Salaries:

2024-25: $15,517,241

2025-26: $16,758,621

2 years, $25.9 million (AAV $11.6 million)

Estimated Salaries:

2024-25: $12,634,146

2025-26: $13,265,854 ($250,000 guaranteed)

Thoughts:

This is a weird one. Holmes hasn’t shown this kind of value in recent years. He’s struggled to get consistent minutes and hasn’t done much when he has. Washington does need to fill center minutes, though. Also, and this may be the real purpose of this contract, the Wizards gave Holmes a deal that is extremely tradable. Don’t be surprised if that happens sooner, rather later.

Royce O’Neale – Phoenix Suns

Status:

Agreed on June 29, 2024 – Free agent

Terms:

4 years, $44 million (AAV $11 million)

Estimated Salaries:

2024-25: $9,821,429

2025-26: $10,607,143

2026-27: $11,392,857

2027-28: $12,178,571

Thoughts:

This is a fair value deal for O’Neale. As a second-apron team, the Suns can’t let talent walk out the door, because they have no way to replace them. O’Neale is a good 3&D wing/forward for Phoenix. Just as importantly: the Suns now have a bit of salary to trade in-season, should the need arise.

Immanuel Quickley – Toronto Raptors

Status:

Agreed on June 28, 2024 – Free agent

Terms:

5 years, $175 million (AAV $35 million)

Estimated Salaries:

2024-25: $30,172,414

2025-26: $32,586,207

2026-27: $35,000,000

2027-28: $37,413,793

2028-29: 39,827,586

Thoughts:

Quickley checking in at $35 million AAV is exceedingly fair. There seems to be this stigma with some that he’s still a backup-level point guard. He’s not. Quickley is a good starter. He showed that in his half-season in Toronto. This is a good deal for the Raptors and they now have Quickley and Scottie Barnes both locked in as their long-term building blocks.

Nicolas Claxton – Brooklyn Nets

Status:

Agreed on June 26, 2024 – Free agent

Terms:

4 years, $100 million (AAV $25 million)

Estimated Salaries:

2024-25: $22,321,429

2025-26: $24,107,143

2026-27: $25,892,857

2027-28: $27,678,571

Thoughts:

Some seem to think $25 million AAV is too much for Claxton. That’s probably not the case. He’s a top-tier defensive center. He can switch and hold his own, and he’s a terrific rim protector. Claxton is a limited offensive player, but he’s been improving as a screener and passer. At no point will this contract turn sour or become untradeable for Brooklyn.

OG Anunoby – New York Knicks

Status:

Agreed on June 26, 2024 – Free agent

Terms:

5 years, $212.5 million (AAV $42.5 million)

Estimated Salaries:

2024-25: $36,637,931

2025-26: $39,568,966

2026-27: $42,500,000

2027-28: $45,431,034

2028-29: $48,362,069

Thoughts:

The Knicks are all-in on this group. They said they were confident in keeping Anunoby after surrendering a lot of talent to get him ahead of last season’s trade deadline. They certainly had to pay up to do so, but it’s worth it. Anunoby will pair with the newly-acquired Mikal Bridges to give the Knicks a dynamite defensive wing duo.

Bam Adebayo – Miami Heat

Status:

Agreed on June 26, 2024 – Maximum veteran extension

Terms:

3 years, $165.83 million (AAV $55.3 million)

Estimated Salaries:

2026-27: $51,183,000

2027-28: $55,277,640

2028-29: $59,372,280

Thoughts:

Adebayo could have gotten more money from the Heat. A lot more money, actually. If Adebayo had waited a year, he could have added four years and a total of $229.3 million. If Adebayo had made All-NBA or won Defensive Player of the Year (neither are a stretch for him) in either 2024-25 or 2025-26, he could have signed a five-year supermax extension for $346.3 million. This deal is a massive win for the Heat. Adebayo will get back on the market in his early-30s, so he’ll get a fourth contract too. That’s nice, but still a bit strange that he passed up on a realistic chance at becoming supermax eligible in either of the next two seasons.

Scottie Barnes – Toronto Raptors

Status:

Agreed on June 24, 2024 – Rookie Scale extension

Terms:

5 years, $224.90 million (AAV $44.98 million)

Estimated Salaries:

2025-26: $38,775,000

2026-27: $41,877,000

2027-28: $44,979,000

2028-29: $48,081,000

2029-30: $51,183,000

Deal contains Designated Rookie language for 30% of the 2025-26 cap

Thoughts:

Barnes got exactly what we predicted. He’s the face of the franchise for the Raptors now. This contract and commitment reflects that.

Malik Monk – Sacramento Kings

Status:

Agreed on June 20, 2024 – Free Agent

Terms:

4 years, $77.9 million (AAV $19.5 million)

Estimated Salaries:

2024-25: $17,405,203

2025-26: $18,797,619

2026-27: $20,190,035

2027-28: $21,582,451 (Player Option)

Thoughts:

This is a steal for the Kings. Monk could have gotten a deal between $20 and $25 million AAV in free agency. But you can’t put a price on comfort and happiness, which Monk has found in Sacramento.

Pascal Siakam – Indiana Pacers

Status:

Agreed on June 19, 2024 – Free Agent

Terms:

4 years, $189.5 million (AAV $47.4 million)

Estimated Salaries:

2024-25: $42,300,000

2025-26: $45,684,000

2026-27: $49,068,000

2027-28: $52,452,000

Thoughts:

Siakam was always destined to re-sign with the Pacers. They gave up too much to get him to let him leave after a half-season run. Indiana did well to keep this to a four-year max deal instead of the full five years they could have offered. This contract should take Siakam through the rest of his prime.

nba nba free agency

Understanding the Sasha Vezenkov Situation

Keith SmithJuly 05, 2024

Sasha Vezenkov is somewhat of an afterthought in terms of the NBA. He signed with the Sacramento Kings to some fanfare during the 2023 offseason. After an injury-plagued and non-descript rookie season, Vezenkov was traded to the Toronto Raptors. This trade was mostly designed to clear Sacramento some flexibility under the tax aprons for future moves.

Seems like a pretty standard NBA move, right?

Not so fast, my friend!

This situation is far murkier and more complex than a simple salary-shedding trade in the NBA between a playoff contender and a rebuilding team. Most of it revolves around Vezenkov and his own desires being in conflict with the contract he signed with Sacramento a year ago.

A bit of background first, to better understand the complete situation.

Vezenkov was a two-time early entrant into the NBA Draft in both 2015 and 2016. The 6-foot-8 forward withdrew both times. In 2017, when Vezenkov was auto-eligible, he was drafted by the Brooklyn Nets with the 27th pick in the second round (57th overall).

In 2021, Vezenkov’s draft rights were traded by the Nets to the Cleveland Cavaliers. The Cavaliers then traded Vezenkov’s draft rights to the Sacramento Kings in 2022.

During this time, Vezenkov established himself as one of the best players in Europe. The dual-national of Bulgaria and Cyprus played for Barcelona in 2017-18, before moving to Olympiacos in Greece in 2018-19. Vezenkov blossomed while playing for Olympiacos.

While back in Greece, where he had previously won Greek League MVP in 2015 with Aris, Vezenkov won back-to-back MVPs for Olympiacos in 2022 and 2023. He was also named EuroLeague MVP in 2023, after leading Olympiacos to the top of the EuroLeague table and runners-up in the EuroLeague playoffs.

Following that season, Vezenkov decided to head to the NBA. He signed a three-year deal with the Kings worth $19.9 million. His per-year salaries on that deal are:

2023-24: $6,341,464 (season completed)
2024-25: $6,658,536 (current season)
2025-26: $6,975,609 (team option)
Total: three years, $19,975,609

Vezenkov’s rookie season with Sacramento wasn’t what either side hoped for. Just when it seemed like the scoring forward was finding his rhythm in the NBA, Vezenkov suffered a sprained right ankle. He returned two weeks later and re-injured the same ankle. Vezenkov then returned to play out the final few weeks of the season for the Kings.

Following the season, rumors came up that Vezenkov was disenchanted with his role with the Kings and with the NBA overall. Reports were that he would seek a return to Europe, with a return to Olympiacos high on his list. Several reports went as far as to suggest that Vezenkov had already told the Kings that he wouldn’t be returning to Sacramento for next season.

That’s all well and good, minus the fact that Vezenkov is under contract for the 2024-25 season for a guaranteed $6.6 million. In order for him to leave the Kings, he’d need a buyout or trade from Sacramento. A trade from Sacramento is what he got. The Kings traded Vezenkov and Davion Mitchell to the Raptors for Jalen McDaniels ahead of the 2024 NBA Draft.

Vezenkov’s desire to leave the NBA is now Toronto’s problem.

Immediately upon the trade being completed, Toronto media reported that the Raptors were looking forward to having Vezenkov on the roster. There were also reports that Toronto had no intentions of simply waiving Vezenkov.

Still, rumors of Vezenkov wanting to leave the NBA won’t go away. So much so, that reporting hit in the wee hours of July 5 in North America, that Vezenkov had already agreed to terms with Olympiacos on a long-term contract starting with the 2024-25 season.

Again: not so fast, my friend!

There isn’t a feasible way for Vezenkov to just leave Toronto to sign with Olympiacos. He’s not a free agent, nor do the Raptors currently seem inclined to make him one.

So, where does this situation stand? Let’s answer some of the most commonly asked questions.

Can Sasha Vezenkov just leave the Toronto Raptors? Why does he have to stay?

The simple answer is: No, he can’t just leave. Vezenkov is under contract with Toronto for $6.6 million for the 2024-25 season. He has to honor those terms.

Why does he have to honor that NBA contract? Olympiacos isn’t an NBA team.

In professional basketball, clubs who fall under the jurisdiction of FIBA have a thing called a “Letter of Clearance”. This letter is essentially what frees a player up to sign with a new team. The wording reads:

“By applying for this letter of clearance and affixing my signature below, I hereby attest that I have fulfilled all contractual obligations stipulated in any and all contracts between myself and any team, club or national federation. I have read and fully understand all material within this application and have answered all questions truthfully and honestly.”

The second part of the first sentence is the most important line. In order to receive this Letter of Clearance to sign with Olympiacos, Vezenkov will have to prove he has fulfilled his contract with the Toronto Raptors. Simply walking away doesn’t fulfill that obligation.

Fine…How does Vezenkov get that Letter of Clearance?

Since NBA teams cannot trade, nor sell, contracts to non-NBA teams, Vezenkov’s options are limited. He can ask Toronto to waive him. They won’t do that, as simply eating his $6.6 million contract doesn’t make sense.

The other option is that Vezenkov asks the Raptors to work with him on a buyout. That’s a more reasonable path. He could offer to give up as much as all $6.6 million to get free of his contract with Toronto.

Walking away from $6.6 million is an awful lot to give up. But, if Vezenkov is that unhappy in the NBA, he may wish to.

In technical terms, working a buyout still results in a waiver. There is a bit of a challenge with that process, as another NBA could claim Vezenkov off waivers. At that point, that team would assume his full remaining contract, and we’d be right back in this same place.

Simply put: In order to obtain a Letter of Clearance, Vezenkov will need to get waived and then clear waivers to become a full free agent again.

Wait…Why won’t the Raptors just waive Vezenkov?

Toronto gets nothing out of simply waiving Vezenkov. They’d have $6.6 million in dead money on their cap sheet in that case.

Beyond that, the Raptors may like Vezenkov as a player. They may see a better path towards playing time, and a better roster fit with them, than the one Vezenkov had with the Kings.

Finally, if nothing else, $6.6 million is a valuable piece of salary-matching in future trades for Toronto. They aren’t likely to want to just give that up without getting back a significant return of salary through a buyout.

What if Vezenkov just left and signed with Olympiacos? What would happen?

It wouldn’t play out like this. FIBA wouldn’t approve his contract, because he hasn’t received a Letter of Clearance. That would mean he could not play for Olympiacos in any sanctioned competitions.

As for him just leaving the Raptors, he could try that path. That would be a from of holdout. That would begin to trigger some of the same things we talked about potentially happening with the James Harden and Ben Simmons situations.

Essentially, to keep it simple, if Vezenkov held out long enough, the Raptors could effectively pause his contract and could keep him from becoming a free agent.

What happens after this season? Is Vezenkov a free agent in 2025?

Kind of…The Raptors, or any NBA team that holds Vezenkov’s current contract, have a team option for the 2025-26 season. If that option is picked up by the team, Vezenkov will be on the roster for $6.9 million for the 2025-26 season.

If the team declines their option for Vezenkov next summer, he would be a free agent. The Raptors, or any NBA team that holds his contract at the time, could make Vezenkov a restricted free agent. That gives them the right to match any NBA contract he signs. But Vezenkov would be free and clear to sign with a non-NBA club, as his contract will have been fulfilled.

So, what exactly are Sasha Vezenkov’s options here?

There are a few:

Play out the 2024-25 season with the Toronto Raptors, or another team if traded again. Vezenkov could then become a free agent in 2025, if the Raptors, or any NBA team, declines their team option for him for the 2025-26 season. If that option is picked up, we could do this whole dance again next summer.
Work a straight waiver with the Toronto Raptors, upon which Toronto would eat $6.6 million in dead money on their cap sheet. If Vezenkov clears waivers, he could then be a free agent. If he was claimed off waivers, his contract would move in full to the new NBA team.
Work a buyout with the Toronto Raptors. In this scenario, Vezenkov would give back some or all of his $6.6 million contract for the 2024-25 season to become a free agent. He would still need to clear waivers upon a buyout, as listed above.

Sasha Vezenkov may yet return to Greece for Olympiacos for the 2024-25 season. That’s certainly possible. But that will require the Toronto Raptors assistance to happen. And that may require Vezenkov leaving a significant amount of money on the table in a buyout from Toronto.

This isn’t a simple situation with easy decisions, for Vezenkov or the Raptors. It’s going to require a good amount of patience, working together, and ultimately, it may result in Vezenkov having to delay a return to Europe for at least another season.

nba sasha vezenkov

Mid-Year NWSL End of Season Award Guesses

Taylor VincentJuly 05, 2024

A little more than halfway through the regular season and on the eve of the 2024 Paris Olympics summer break, it’s a good time to look into the individual performance awards and who the front-runners are at the moment.

There are five individual awards: Most Valuable Player, Golden Boot, Defender of the Year, Goalkeeper of the Year, and Rookie of the Year. Additionally, there are Best XI First and Second team honors up for grabs. As per the current NWSL collective bargaining agreement (CBA), each of the previous awards comes with a $5,000 bonus.

Reference previous award winners: here

With the surplus of Under-18 players who have joined the league and players from external leagues, in the next CBA it would be nice to see the expansion of awards to ones like Newcomer of the Year and Young Player of the Year.

Golden Boot

Although Sophia Smith started the season off with a bang, Barbra Banda’s arrival in Orlando and the explosiveness of the Kansas City Current led by Temwa Chawinga has resulted in a crazy golden boot race this season. As a reminder, the Golden Boot goes to the NWSL’s highest scorer, and the tiebreaker is assists—so this one comes down purely to the numbers. In the 2023 regular season, Sophia Smith took home the trophy with 11 goals, and there might be a chance for someone to break the NWSL season-high of 18 goals set by Sam Kerr back in 2019.

Current Golden Boot standings

Most Valuable Player

Coming off of the crazy scoring frenzy, it’s easy to see the impressive impact of Barbra Banda (Orlando Pride), Sophia Smith (Portland Thorns), Temwa Chawinga (Kansas City Current) and how they are also at the forefront of the MVP race. Looking at the award historically, forwards have received the award the last two seasons, six of the ten years the award has been given out—the other four have been given to midfielders—and six out of ten years the winner has also been the Golden Boot winner.

Keep an eye on: Trinity Rodman (Washington Spirit, Forward), Croix Bethune(Washington Spirit, Midfielder), Ashley Sanchez (North Carolina Courage, Midfielder)

Defender of the Year

Taking full advantage of free agency, Casey Krueger signed with the Washington Spirit this offseason and has immediately made an impact. She’s had three assists, one goal, and 75 possessions won along the wing. After being just a few minutes short of having an Ironwoman season Orlando’s Emily Sams came into year two and earned her first NWSL goal, and her first assist—not often things you see from a center back. She has had an 88% passing accuracy, 86 possessions won, and her performance earned her a call-up to the USWNT training camp ahead of the Olympics. San Diego Wave defender Naomi Girma is coming off back to back years winning this award, taking it home in both her rookie (2022) and second season (2023) in the league. This year she is showing her consistency boasting a 91% passing accuracy and 70 possessions won.

Keep an eye on: Isabella Obaze (Portland Thorns), Sam Staab (Chicago Red Stars), Sarah Gorden (Angel City)

Goalkeeper of the Year

Currently only two goalkeepers have conceded less than one goal per 90, with Orlando’s Anna Moorhouse and Gotham’s Ann-Katrin Berger boasting 0.73 goals against/game. Berger is leading the league in save percentage with an impressive 83% rate, while Moorhouse is a close second at 81%. Moorhouse is also leading the league in clean sheets with seven. It will truly come down to the backend of the season to see who ends up ahead.

Keep an eye on: Kailen Sheridan (San Diego Wave), Jane Campbell (Houston Dash)

Rookie of the Year

Right now, Washington Spirit midfielder Croix Bethune is by far the front runner in the Rookie of the Year race. With five goals and nine assists, she is currently leading the entire league in assists and on trend to break the single season record of 10 set by Tobin Heath in 2016 for the Portland Thorns. If she continues to score as she has, Bethune also has the chance to break the record for most goals in a regular season by a rookie which currently sits at 11—set by Diana Ordonez back in 2022.

Keep an eye on: Hal Hershfelt (Washington Spirit, midfielder), Madison Curry (Angel City, defender)

nwsl awards

10 Remaining NBA Offseason Questions

Keith SmithJuly 02, 2024

The NBA offseason is fully in swing now. We’ve seen nearly 50 new contracts agreed to for more than $2 billion in new salary. There have also been several trades made, both officially executed and agreed to.

However, there some situations that remain unresolved. Here are some of the big ones we have our eyes on!

Utah Jazz

The Jazz are involved in all kinds of discussions right now. Are they saving a bunch of cap space to renegotiate-and-extend Lauri Markkanen’s contract? Are they going the other way and trading Markkanen away for even more future draft capital? Are they going to use some of their projected $37.7 million in cap space to trade for an All-Star-level player?

There’s a lot of confusion around Utah right now, maybe because they haven’t picked a direction yet themselves. They’ve got the most cap space left in the league, and they’ve got some good veterans to trade. That’s a lot of flexibility. Danny Ainge has control of the market to some extent, which is just how he likes it.

DeMar DeRozan

DeMar DeRozan is easily the best free agent who is actually available, since LeBron James is returning to the Los Angeles Lakers. After operating for months like DeRozan would simply return to the Chicago Bulls, it’s clear now that isn’t happening. The Bulls are heading in a different direction (more on them next), and so is DeRozan.

The challenge is that the teams with cap space left aren’t great fits for DeRozan, and vice versa. There has been some reporting that DeRozan may sign a one-year deal, possibly for the $12.8 million Non-Taxpayer MLE. Then, the veteran wing would hit free agency again next summer.

Chicago Bulls

What are the Bulls doing? They traded for Josh Giddey, which seems to have been a getting-younger domino that set DeMar DeRozan on a course to leave Chicago. They’ve tried to move Zach LaVine and Nikola Vucevic, but found extremely tepid markets for both.

Jalen Smith was a good signing for part of the Non-Taxpayer MLE, because he can fit on a rebuilding team or a team chasing a playoff spot. But Chicago has a lot more work to do with this roster. The LaVine situation is still uncomfortable and won’t get better the longer it drags out. The Bulls have a lot of guards, especially if they’re going to try to play Lonzo Ball. As it stands, it feels like this offseason is half-done, at most.

Los Angeles Lakers

This one has been talked to death, so we’ll keep it simple. LeBron James offered to take less money to open up flexibility under the first apron for the Lakers to add talent. As of now, the Lakers haven’t done anything. Free agent options have dried up considerably, unless DeMar DeRozan is coming home for the Non-Taxpayer MLE.

The bigger option is to make some sort of trade where the Lakers will probably hard-cap themselves at the first apron. Otherwise, James is going to run out of patience, take his full max salary and leave the Lakers to figure out the rest with some restrictions on doing so.

Brandon Ingram and New Orleans Pelicans

Well before free agency opened, it was rumored that Brandon Ingram was on the trade market. He’s going into the final year of his contract, and there doesn’t seem to be a lot of momentum towards an extension. Lots of contenders still need a wing. The Pelicans are now overstuffed with perimeter talent, with Dejounte Murray joining the team. Trading Ingram could bring some balance to the roster.

Where is that balance most needed? In the frontcourt. The big man rotation for New Orleans right now is Zion Williamson, rookie center Yves Missi and…that’s it. It may not be as easy as swapping Ingram for a center, but that’s something the Pelicans need to look at. Or maybe C.J. McCollum is the trade piece. Either way, New Orleans has to add a lot more to their frontcourt.

Expanded Trades

Speaking of the Pelicans…they are a good candidate for an expanded trade. An expanded trade is when the deal gets larger than what was previously reported. The Dejounte Murray trade isn’t complete yet, because it had to wait until the league year changed over. (Cap/CBA Nerd Alert! Because Murray has incentives that would have flipped from unlikely to likely, plus his trade bonus, the Pelicans would have ended up in the tax for 2023-24 if they completed the deal in the last league year.) That gives the Pelicans a chance to expand that trade by bringing in an additional team, or by possibly adding an additional player from the Hawks.

The Mikal Bridges deal to the Knicks is in a similar place. New York would like to avoid being hard-capped at the first apron, if at all possible. That will mean expanding this deal to send more salary out to Brooklyn, or to a third team. That’s certainly possible now, as offseason rosters expand to 21 players per team (as opposed to 15 players on standard contacts, plus three two-way players in the regular season). A handful of teams also have cap space or plenty of room under the tax to eat a small salary in a deal. The Knicks may have to pay an additional pick to avoid a first-apron hard-cap, but that’s probably worth it for the additional flexibility it would create.

Miles Bridges

It’s a bit of a surprise that Miles Bridges’ free agency has lingered into the third day. The Hornets publicly said they “made it clear” to Bridges that they wanted to keep him in Charlotte. Bridges doesn’t seem to have bigger offers to leave. So, what’s the holdup?

There are a couple of possibilities here. Maybe Bridges and the Hornets are far apart in contract terms. Charlotte is rebuilding under a new leadership group from ownership to the front office to the coaching staff. They may not want to lock in on big money for Bridges right now. As much as the Hornets have supported Bridges, that reluctance could have something to do with his past history of domestic violence. That’s not something a team can fully look past, even if Charlotte has already welcomed Bridges back.

The other possibility is that Bridges has sign-and-trade opportunities available to him. He may be looking to leave Charlotte for a contender. If so, that’s likely to take a bit to sort out.

Bruce Brown

The Raptors picked up Brown’s $23 million option, presumably to use him as a trade chip. That hasn’t happened yet. Of course, there was never a guarantee it would happening in the opening moments of the offseason. But it should happen sooner, rather than later.

Toronto has a lot of wings and wing-like players on this roster. Scottie Barnes, RJ Barrett, Gradey Dick, Ochai Agbaji and rookie Ja’Kobe Walter all overlap on the wing with Brown, at least to some extent. If you consider Brown as an on-ball guard, then he’s overlapping with Immanuel Quickley and Davion Mitchell. That means something has to give, and ideally before the regular season starts. Otherwise, Darko Rajakovic is going to have a hard time getting everyone minutes.

Portland Trail Blazers

The Trail Blazers got under the tax by moving Malcolm Brogdon to the Wizards in exchange for Deni Avdija. That was a good trade for Portland, even if they did have to give up some draft capital. But that’s probably not enough movement for this roster.

The Blazers are only about $3.7 million under the tax line. That’s not a lot of wiggle room. More importantly in the immediate, Portland is out of roster spots. Something has to give with Deandre Ayton and Robert Williams III at center, because the Blazers didn’t draft Donovan Clingan to sit. And, no, those guys don’t make a good double-big pairing, no matter which two you pick.

Portland also has Jerami Grant, Anfernee Simons and Matisse Thybulle who they could look at moving. Right now, the Tral Blazers have one foot in the rebuilding pool. It’s time to fully jump in by moving another veteran or two…or three.

Veteran Point Guards

There are a lot of veteran point guards still on the market, but spots for their services seem to be drying up rather quickly. Tyus Jones is the best of the bunch. The Wizards acquired Malcolm Brogdon and Bub Carrington, but there’s still room for Jones. Brogdon is a combo guard and Carrington isn’t ready to be an NBA point guard yet. He’s probably going to get the biggest deal of the remaining free agent lead guards.

Beyond Jones, the list is flush with recognizable names for vets who still have lots to offer. Markelle Fultz, Kyle Lowry, Monte Morris, Patrick Beverley, Spencer Dinwiddie, Cameron Payne, Dennis Smith Jr., and Jordan McLaughlin are all guys who could be in NBA rotations. In a flip from previous years, backup centers flew off the market, while several teams are still looking for big man help. This year, it’s the point guards who are hanging out, while available jobs are rapidly thinning out around the league.

nba offseason nba free agency

Davis Wins Rocket Mortgage Classic

Scott AllenJune 30, 2024

Cam Davis wins the Rocket Mortgage Classic. Davis earns $1.656 million million bringing his 2024 on-course earnings to $2.67 million and his career on-course earnings to $13.1 million.

Rocket Mortgage Classic Top 10 Payouts

Full Results

2024 Earnings Leaders Update

Full List

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