The NBA has formally announced the All-NBA First, Second, and Third Teams for the 2017/18 season, with James Harden and LeBron James leading the way as the two unanimous selections for the First Team.
The voting results will have major financial implications for the three All-NBA centers, Anthony Davis, Joel Embiid, and Karl-Anthony Towns. As Bobby Marks of ESPN notes (via Twitter), Davis is now eligible for a supermax extension from the Pelicans next summer. Davis will be eligible to sign that deal, which projects to be worth $230MM, as of July 1, 2019.
As for Embiid, missing out on a First Team nod means his maximum-salary contract will remain at 25% of the cap rather than being bumped up to 30%. That means he’ll miss out on approximately $29MM over the next five years, as Dan Feldman of NBC Sports details.
Towns, meanwhile, will be eligible for an extension worth 30% of the cap this summer, Marks tweets. An extension of that sort, which would make the cap outlook in Minnesota very interesting, would go into effect for the 2019/20 season.
The full All-NBA teams are listed below, with their vote totals in parentheses. Players received five points for a First Team vote, three points for a Second Team vote, and one point for a Third Team vote, so Harden and James scored a perfect 500 — First Team nods from all 100 voters.
First Team
- Guard: James Harden, Rockets (500)
- Guard: Damian Lillard, Trail Blazers (432)
- Forward: LeBron James, Cavaliers (500)
- Forward: Kevin Durant, Warriors (426)
- Center: Anthony Davis, Pelicans (492)
Second Team
- Guard: Russell Westbrook, Thunder (322)
- Guard: DeMar DeRozan, Raptors (165)
- Forward: Giannis Antetokounmpo, Bucks (354)
- Forward: LaMarcus Aldridge, Spurs (236)
- Center: Joel Embiid, Sixers (294)
Third Team
- Guard: Stephen Curry, Warriors (164)
- Guard: Victor Oladipo, Pacers (105)
- Forward: Jimmy Butler, Timberwolves (81)
- Forward: Paul George, Thunder (54)
- Center: Karl-Anthony Towns, Timberwolves (99)
Among those results, the tightest race saw DeRozan edge Curry by a single point for a spot on the All-NBA Second Team. Both players received two First Team votes and 39 Second Team votes, with DeRozan grabbing one extra Third Team vote (38 to 37) to bump him up to the Second Team ahead of Curry.
As for the players who didn’t quite make the cut, Rockets point guard Chris Paul (54 points), Jazz center Rudy Gobert (51), Celtics guard Kyrie Irving (42), and Sixers guard/forward Ben Simmons (36) received the most support.
Al Horford (Celtics), Nikola Jokic (Nuggets), Andre Drummond (Pistons), Clint Capela (Rockets), Draymond Green (Warriors), Kyle Lowry (Raptors), Steven Adams (Thunder), Donovan Mitchell (Jazz), Klay Thompson (Warriors), Trevor Ariza (Rockets), DeMarcus Cousins (Pelicans), Dwight Howard (Hornets), Kevin Love (Cavaliers), and Kristaps Porzingis (Knicks) also each received at least one All-NBA vote.
My biggest argument is Steph. He played 51 regular season games compared to Kyrie’s 60 and Ben Simmons(if you consider him a PG) 81. Availability should have some kind of merit.
My only complaint as well
well said
I am mostly surprised that KD is ahead of Giannis, I simply cannot see that, the rest there are some surprises for me as always. Personally I would have had:
FIRST TEAM
Russell Westbrook
James Harden
Lebron James
Anthony Davis
Demarcus Cousins
SECOND TEAM
Damian Lillard
Stephen Curry
Kevin Durant
Giannis Antetokounmpo
Karl-Anthony Towns
THIRD TEAM
Ben Simmons
Chris Paul
Jimmy Butler/Blake Griffin
Lamarcus Aldridge
Nicola Jokic
The only thing with the first is that I counted AD as a PF, but if not then I would put Giannis in it, & move DMC to the 2nd & KAT to the 3rd.
Really surprised they left Ben Simmons, Jokic & Boogie out, though Boogie is probably due to his lost time by injury, but up to then he was putting MVP numbers, any player ever in history with numbers like his has always been MVP, I thought he deserved more.
Whoever voted for Aliza should be fired
Ariza
What about Steven Adams? I don’t follow the NBA that well but I have never thought of him as a top 10 to 20 player which this would make him. Has he been that good this year?