The D-League is certainly not a basketball destination of riches, with the highest salaries in the league last season topping out at $26K, according to Jonathan Givony of DraftExpress (Twitter link). Of course, some NBA players spend time on assignment in the D-League, and when they do, they receive their full NBA salaries. In most cases, a player on D-League assignment is making a rookie or minimum salary, and a D-League stint is usually a sign that the player isn’t performing well enough to earn NBA minutes. With NBA minutes comes NBA money, and spending time in the D-League doesn’t portend well for a player’s bank account.
Martell Webster is the exception. He appeared in eight games for the Fort Wayne Mad Ants in 2005/06, on assignment from the Trail Blazers, who’d drafted him directly out of high school the previous summer. That D-League experience was a distant memory when he signed a four-year, $21.991MM deal with the Wizards for the full amount of the mid-level exception this past offseason. Matt Barnes is the only other player with D-League experience to have signed a seven-figure NBA contract this year.
Teams around the NBA have just recently begun to realize the potential of the D-League, and many are taking advantage of new rules that allow them to more liberally assign their players. Nearly half the teams in the NBA have a one-to-one affiliation with a D-League team, furthering the player development relationship. More lucrative contracts could find their way into the hands of D-League alums in the years ahead, but this year’s free agent crop shows no sign of that happening yet. Here’s every player with D-League experience to sign a free agent contract with an NBA team this offseason. Non-guaranteed contracts that cover just one season at the minimum salary — mere invitations to training camp — are not included.
- Martell Webster — four years, $21.991MM
- Matt Barnes — three years, $10.189MM
- Earl Clark — two years, $8.5MM
- Chris Copeland — two years, $6.135MM
- Dorell Wright — two years, $6.135MM
- Will Bynum — two years, $5.75MM
- Josh McRoberts — two years, $5.423MM
- DeMarre Carroll — two years, $5MM
- Darius Morris — four years, $4.2MM
- C.J. Watson — two years, $4.093MM
- Gani Lawal — four years, $3.736MM
- Chris Andersen — two years, $3.434MM
- John Lucas III — two years, $3.2MM
- Jon Leuer — three years, $2.902MM
- Robert Sacre — three years, $2.685MM
- Greg Stiemsma — one year, $2.676MM
- Andray Blatche — two years, $2.183MM
- Alan Anderson — two years, $2.011MM
- Byron Mullens — two years, $2.011MM
- Reggie Williams — two years, $2.011MM
- Donald Sloan — two years, $1.832MM
- Lance Thomas — two years, $1.832MM
- Jeremy Tyler — two years, $1.832MM
- Dwight Buycks — two years, $1.516MM
- Shaun Livingston — one year, $1.272MM
- Ryan Hollins — one year, $1.186MM
- Jordan Farmar — one year, $1.107MM
- Aaron Brooks — one year, $1.027MM
- Anthony Tolliver — one year, $1.027MM
- Garrett Temple — one year, $916K
The Hoops Rumors Free Agent Tracker was used in the creation of this post.