July 1 marks the start of the NBA’s new league year. At that point, players eligible for free agency will be able to begin negotiating and reaching contract agreements with suitors. In addition to those free agents, another group of players will also become eligible to sign new deals.
For players who are entering the fourth and final year of their rookie scale contracts, July 1 is the first day that they can sign rookie scale extensions. Those players, who are – for the most part – 2015 first-round selections, will have until the start of the 2018/19 regular season to finalize long-term agreements with their current teams.
Players eligible for rookie scale extensions can sign new deals that run up to four or five years, with those contracts taking effect to start the 2019/20 season. If they don’t sign extensions during this offseason, those players will be eligible for restricted free agency in the summer of 2019.
A year ago, only four players eligible for rookie scale extensions signed new deals between July 1 and the start of the season, which was an unusually low number. Here are the players eligible to sign rookie scale extensions this year, beginning on July 1:
- Justin Anderson (Hawks)
- Devin Booker (Suns): Extended
- Willie Cauley-Stein (Kings)
- Sam Dekker (Cavaliers)
- Jerian Grant (Magic)
- Rondae Hollis-Jefferson (Nets)
- Stanley Johnson (Pistons)
- Tyus Jones (Timberwolves)
- Frank Kaminsky (Hornets)
- Trey Lyles (Nuggets)
- Jarell Martin (Magic)
- Emmanuel Mudiay (Knicks)
- Larry Nance Jr. (Cavaliers): Extended
- Kelly Oubre Jr. (Wizards)
- Cameron Payne (Bulls)
- Bobby Portis (Bulls)
- Kristaps Porzingis (Knicks)
- Terry Rozier (Celtics)
- D’Angelo Russell (Nets)
- Karl-Anthony Towns (Timberwolves): Extended
- Myles Turner (Pacers): Extended
- Justise Winslow (Heat): Extended
- Delon Wright (Raptors)
The following players were selected in the first round of the 2015 draft along with most of the players listed above, but aren’t eligible for rookie-scale extensions this year:
- Mario Hezonja: Fourth-year option declined in 2017.
- R.J. Hunter: Waived in 2016.
- Kevon Looney: Fourth-year option declined in 2017.
- Chris McCullough: Fourth-year option declined in 2017.
- Nikola Milutinov: Has yet to sign rookie contract.
- Jahlil Okafor: Fourth-year option declined in 2017.
- Rashad Vaughn: Fourth-year option declined in 2017 (waived in 2018).
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
In hindsight, the 14 draft was fairly weak. The 15 draft seems a bit stronger, but there aren’t many more than 4 that I would call locks for an extension. Towns and Booker and Porzingis (depending on his rehab) are the only ones I would call locks. Russell is likely. I think of the group of Turner, Cauley-Stein, Mudiay, Lyles, Winslow, Rozier, and Johnson…it will probably take a strong start to next season to get one. I could see all of them getting one and I could just as easily see them all not getting one. Of the rest, I don’t see any of them as likely to get one. Maybe Portis, but probably not.
I agree with the four that you consider likely to get one, although I’d probably add Turner too. There will probably be someone else that gets one, in which case I’d think Rozier could be deserving of one.
Also, I doubt Mudiay is getting one, especially considering the Knicks have Frank and Trey Burke impressed down the stretch. I feel like they took a cheap flyer on Mudiay to see if they could catch lightning in a bottle, and they probably wouldn’t be willing to throw a ton of money at him.
Yeah I was on the fence on Turner as well, but the injury-filled season kind of took off some of his luster. That being said, of the group I listed as “maybes,” I think Turner is most likely to get one followed by Lyles surprisingly enough. The Nuggets would have the most cap room to comfortably fit an extension in.
I also doubt Mudiay is getting one, but I included him because it is the Knicks, so you never know with them.
This was supposed to have been a great draft, yet I only see 4 guys getting one (at least the max type, which is really the only guys it really makes sense for). KAT, KP, Turner and Booker.
TJWarren signed for 4/$47mil last year, so it’s not just max-type players signing. But I don’t see a longer list either.