Veterans Eligible For Extensions Until June 30

Rookie scale extensions have historically been the most common form of contract extension in the NBA. Veteran extensions are signed occasionally, but few players are eligible to receive them due to restrictive regulations — and for many of those extension-eligible vets, it simply makes more sense to wait until free agency to maximize their earnings.

The NBA’s new Collective Bargaining Agreement has loosened the rules on eligibility for veteran contract extensions, and has also made them a little more financially advantageous for players who don’t expect mega-deals.

For stars like DeMarcus Cousins and Paul George, who are currently eligible for veteran extensions, it still makes sense to wait until free agency, since the maximum raise they can receive on an extension is far below the maximum salary they’re eligible to get on the open market. However, the new rules have made veteran extensions more viable for a number of players. As our extension tracker shows, six of the 10 contract extensions signed during the 2017/18 league year were veteran deals, including three Designated Veteran Extensions.

Once the regular season starts, the number of veterans eligible for contract extensions shrinks, since players with more than one year left on their contracts are no longer permitted to extend their deals. But there are a number of veterans in the final year of their respective contracts who remain eligible for extensions right up until June 30, the last day of the current league year.

Listed below are the players who meet the criteria for a veteran extension. Players who were recently traded can be extended, but they have to wait for six months after the trade to sign a contract longer than three total years (including the current season). So if a player below is noted as having “limited” eligibility until a certain date, that’s probably why. Once those six months pass, he’s eligible to sign a contract of up to five years (including the current season).

Additionally, extension-eligible players with a player or team option for 2018/19 would have to eliminate that option year as part of an extension agreement in order to meet the necessary criteria.

Here’s the full list of veterans eligible for contract extensions until June 30:

Atlanta Hawks

• None

Boston Celtics

• None

Brooklyn Nets

• Sean Kilpatrick
  • Note: Will become extension-eligible on March 19.

Charlotte Hornets

• None

Chicago Bulls

• None

Cleveland Cavaliers

• None

Dallas Mavericks

• Wesley Matthews (if 2018/19 player option is declined)
• Salah Mejri

Denver Nuggets

• Will Barton
• Wilson Chandler (if 2018/19 player option is declined)
• Devin Harris
  • Note: Extension eligibility limited.
• Nikola Jokic (if 2018/19 team option is declined)

Detroit Pistons

• None

Golden State Warriors

• None

Houston Rockets

• Trevor Ariza
• Chris Paul

Indiana Pacers

• Cory Joseph (if 2018/19 player option is declined)
• Glenn Robinson III
• Joe Young (if 2018/19 team option is declined)
• Thaddeus Young (if 2018/19 player option is declined)

Los Angeles Clippers

• Avery Bradley
  • Note: Extension eligibility limited.
• Montrezl Harrell
• DeAndre Jordan (if 2018/19 player option is declined)
• Lou Williams (Update: Signed extension)

Los Angeles Lakers

• Corey Brewer
• Channing Frye
  • Note: Extension eligibility limited.
• Brook Lopez
• Isaiah Thomas
  • Note: Extension eligibility limited.

Memphis Grizzlies

• Brandan Wright

Miami Heat

• None

Milwaukee Bucks

• None

Minnesota Timberwolves

• Nemanja Bjelica

New Orleans Pelicans

• DeMarcus Cousins

New York Knicks

• Enes Kanter (if 2018/19 player option is declined)
  • Note: Extension eligibility limited until March 25.
    
• Kyle O’Quinn (if 2018/19 player option is declined)

Oklahoma City Thunder

• Paul George (if 2018/19 player option is declined)
• Jerami Grant

Orlando Magic

• None

Philadelphia 76ers

• Robert Covington (Update: Signed extension)
• Richaun Holmes (if 2018/19 team option is declined)
• T.J. McConnell (if 2018/19 team option is declined)

Phoenix Suns

• None

Portland Trail Blazers

• Pat Connaughton
• Ed Davis

Sacramento Kings

• Kosta Koufos (if 2018/19 player option is declined)

San Antonio Spurs

• Danny Green (if 2018/19 player option is declined)
• Tony Parker

Toronto Raptors

• None

Utah Jazz

• Derrick Favors
• Raul Neto
• Iman Shumpert (if 2018/19 player option is declined)

Washington Wizards

• None

Information from ESPN was used in the creation of this post.