A source within an NBA team told Eric Pincus of the Los Angeles Times and Basketball Insiders that he expects Ryan Anderson will be able to command a maximum-salary contract this summer (Twitter link). The Pelicans are willing to consider trading Anderson for Markieff Morris, especially if Anderson indicates he doesn’t want to sign a new deal with the Pelicans, as Adrian Wojnarowski and Shams Charania of Yahoo Sports reported earlier today. Pincus’ source, who isn’t with one of the Los Angeles teams, cited the 2016 free agent market, which isn’t particularly strong past the top few names.
Anderson is making $8.5MM in the final season of his contract. He’ll be a veteran of eight years by this summer, so he’d be eligible for the middle-tier max of a projected $24.9MM. New Orleans, which has his Bird rights to exceed the cap to re-sign him, already has more than $63.8MM in guaranteed salary for next season, as Pincus notes, so a new max deal for Anderson would make it difficult for the team to open significant cap room. Phoenix has about $60MM in guaranteed salary for 2016/17, including $7.4MM for Morris.
Two executives recently told Sean Deveney of The Sporting News that Rajon Rondo is in play for a max deal next summer, just one year after he signed a one-year, $9.5MM contract with Sacramento. Those executives cautioned that it’s not a certainty, particularly with so much of the season remaining, and that’s likely the case with Anderson, too. Driving such talk about lucrative deals is the rising cap, projected to surge to $89MM with many reportedly believing it’ll go as high as $95MM. It will leave many teams with max-level cap flexibility to either retain their own players or pay a premium to nab free agents from others.
How much do you think Anderson should see on his next deal? Leave a comment to tell us.
I know Anderson is pretty good, I like him, and I know the cap is going up big time soon, but it still shocks me how Ryan Anderson, someone a follower of the NBA let alone a casual fan might not even know, is a possibility for a max deal…shocking.
I wouldn’t give him more than 15 mill. He’s a poor mans Kevin love
For Ryan Anderson to even be considered max money frightens me, but tt got 6yr-82 mil for effort means he’ll probably get more. Which means he would be overpaid to lol shocking to believe
After Tristan Thompson got paid what he got paid, Anderson definitely makes sense at at least 85 million. That being said…
4 years 56 mil would be the absolute max I would give him. Any more than that you can get better alternatives with that money.
I follow bball very closely and I barely even know who the guy is
Then you don’t follow it closely at all
No offense but that’s like me following soccer if you don’t know you shouldn’t comment on it
I follow closely, too, and I dont know much abt him other than that he’s one of the best shooters in the league – better than Love, imo, but not the rebounder (to my knowledge). Couldnt tell u where he played collegiately. So, yes, u CAN follow hoops closely and not know a lot abt Ryan Anderson.
And, he’s worth more $ than tt… at least 2mil per yr more, if not more
Not the max. It would be ridiculous if he got the max. I think $12M-$13M a year is fair for him. He’s a great 6th man.
Is tta starter he comes off the bench with the tune of 82mil, I’m just saying 82mil comes off the bench every game and he’s not a skill player at least Ryan can shoot tt is just effort that’s all he got