And-Ones: Super-Max, Team USA, Evans, Bibby

As ESPN’s Zach Lowe writes in his latest column, the “super-max” extension, also known as the Designated Veteran Extension, was included in the NBA’s latest Collective Bargaining Agreement in part as a reaction to Kevin Durant signing with the Warriors in 2016. The thinking was that giving a team the opportunity to give its star player a larger contract (35% of the cap instead of 30%) earlier in his career would help clubs keep their very best players.

However, as Lowe writes, while offering the super-max to a top-five player is a no-brainer, it becomes a dicier proposition for a top-10, top-15, or top-20 player.

The Bulls decided to trade Jimmy Butler rather than having to decide on a super-max offer, and according to Lowe, some members of the Pacers‘ front office had “qualms” about making such an offer to Paul George. John Wall and Russell Westbrook both received super-max extensions, but those deals will run through 2023 and could very well become albatrosses before they expire.

While there’s no indication that the league is considering any changes to the Designated Veteran Extension at this point, Lowe offers up some potential tweaks to the rule, along with thoughts from NBA executives. One idea, for example, would see super-max contracts become exempt from luxury-tax penalties — that proposal wouldn’t do much besides save owners money though, and would complicate potential trades. For more of Lowe’s ideas, be sure to check out his piece in full.

Here are a few more odds and ends from around the basketball world:

• With Team USA’s mini-camp in Las Vegas continuing today, ESPN’s Brian Windhorst has published an FAQ explaining the purpose of the camp and why certain players aren’t attending, and looking ahead to the next major competitions for USA Basketball.
• A group of NBA.com reporters and analysts weighs in on the offseason’s best under-the-radar moves, with the Pacers‘ signing of Tyreke Evans receiving multiple votes. The Nerlens Noel (Thunder), Anthony Tolliver (Timberwolves), and Isaiah Thomas (Nuggets) deals are also mentioned.
• Mike Bibby took a step toward his goal of coaching the NBA by helping out with the Grizzlies‘ Summer League squad earlier this month. The former NBA point guard spoke to Michael Wallace of Grizzlies.com about the experience.
• ESPN’s Kevin Pelton and Mike Schmitz (Insider link) identify the candidates for the NBA’s 2018/19 Rookie of the Year award, with Pelton identifying Deandre Ayton as his frontrunner while Schmitz picks Luka Doncic.