NBA Player Option Decisions For 2018/19

A number of NBA contracts include player options in the final year. Those option years give the player the opportunity to either opt into the final year of his deal, finishing out his contract, or to decline the option and hit the free agent market a year early.

Over the last two years, only eight of 53 veterans who held player options on their contracts have actually exercised those options. Half of those eight players (Tim Duncan, Caron Butler, Mo Williams, and Spencer Hawes) haven’t played a single NBA minute since picking up their options, having either retired or been waived. Another one of the eight (Chris Paul) only opted in because it cleared the way for him to be traded to his preferred destination.

In other words, if you had a player option decision to make during the last two offseasons, declining that option was almost a no-brainer. That’s unlikely to be the case again in 2018, however.

With less cap room available around the NBA this summer and teams not expected to be as aggressive on the free agent market as they were in 2017 or – especially – 2016, exercising a player option may be the most prudent move for a veteran mulling his future. After all, in many cases, there’s no guarantee that he’d do better on the open market.

This year’s player options are listed below. Option decisions are due by the end of the day on June 29 unless a player’s contract specifically calls for an earlier deadline, so we’ll continue to update this list through to note the latest decisions.

Point Guards

• Cory Joseph, Pacers ($7,945,000): Opted in
• Jeremy Lin, Nets ($12,516,746): Opted in
• Garrett Temple, Kings ($8,000,000): Opted in
• Milos Teodosic, Clippers ($6,300,000): Opted in

Shooting Guards

• Ron Baker, Knicks ($4,544,400): Opted in
• Jamal Crawford, Timberwolves ($4,544,400): Opted out
• Danny Green, Spurs ($10,000,000): Opted in
• Jodie Meeks, Wizards ($3,454,500): Opted in
• Austin Rivers, Clippers ($12,650,000): Opted in
• Iman Shumpert, Kings ($11,011,234): Opted in

Small Forwards

• Wilson Chandler, Nuggets ($12,800,562): Opted in
• Kevin Durant, Warriors ($26,250,000): Opted out
• Rudy Gay, Spurs ($8,826,300): Opted out
• Paul George, Thunder ($20,703,384): Opted out
• LeBron James, Cavaliers ($35,607,968): Opted out
• Wesley Johnson, Clippers ($6,134,520): Opted in
• Wesley Matthews, Mavericks ($18,622,514): Opted in

Power Forwards

• Carmelo Anthony, Thunder ($27,928,140): Opted in *
• Darrell Arthur, Nuggets ($7,464,912): Opted in
• Thaddeus Young, Pacers ($13,764,045): Opted in

Centers

• Dewayne Dedmon, Hawks ($7,200,000): Opted in
• DeAndre Jordan, Clippers ($24,119,025): Opted out
• Enes Kanter, Knicks ($18,622,514): Opting in
• Kosta Koufos, Kings ($8,739,500): Opted in
• Joffrey Lauvergne, Spurs ($1,656,092): Opted out
• Mike Muscala, Hawks ($5,000,000): Opted in
• Kyle O’Quinn, Knicks ($4,256,250): Opted out
• Jason Smith, Wizards ($5,450,000): Opted in

* Note: Anthony had an early termination option on his contract. This isn’t technically a player option, but practically speaking, it serves the same function.