Under the revamped schedule for the 2020/21 league year, NBA teams have until December 29 to make decisions on the third- and fourth-year team options for players on rookie scale contracts.
All the players whose options will be exercised or declined by December 29 are already under contract for the 2020/21 season. Their teams will have to make a decision on whether they want to lock in those players’ contracts beyond the coming season, picking up or turning down team options for the 2021/22 campaign.
For players who signed their rookie scale contracts in 2018 and have already been in the NBA for two years, teams must decide on fourth-year options for 2021/22. For players who just signed their rookie deals last year and only have one season of NBA experience under their belts, teams will already be faced with a decision on third-year options for ’21/22.
In many cases, these decisions aren’t hard ones. Rookie scale salaries are affordable enough that it usually makes sense to exercise most of these team options, even if a player isn’t a key cog on the roster. And for those players who do have a significant role on a team’s roster, the decision is even easier — it’s not as if the Mavericks ever considered turning down their option on Luka Doncic, for instance.
Still, we’ll wait for a trusted reporter, the NBA, a player (or his agent), or a team itself to confirm that an option is indeed being exercised or declined, and we’ll track that news in this space.
Listed below are all the rookie scale decisions for 2021/22 team options that clubs must make by December 29. This list will be updated throughout the rest of the month as teams’ decisions are reported and announced. The salary figures listed here reflect the cap hits for each team.
Here are the NBA’s rookie scale team option decisions for 2021/22 salaries:
Atlanta Hawks
Trae Young (fourth year, $8,326,471): Exercised- De’Andre Hunter (third year, $7,775,400): Exercised
- Cam Reddish (third year, $4,670,160): Exercised
- Kevin Huerter (fourth year, $4,253,357): Exercised
Boston Celtics
- Romeo Langford (third year, $3,804,360): Exercised
- Robert Williams (fourth year, $3,661,976): Exercised
- Grant Williams (third year, $2,617,800): Exercised
Brooklyn Nets
- Landry Shamet (fourth year, $3,768,342): Exercised
Charlotte Hornets
- Miles Bridges (fourth year, $5,421,493): Exercised
- P.J. Washington (third year, $4,215,120): Exercised
Chicago Bulls
- Wendell Carter Jr. (fourth year, $6,920,027): Exercised
- Coby White (third year, $5,837,760): Exercised
- Chandler Hutchison (fourth year, $4,019,459): Exercised
Cleveland Cavaliers
- Darius Garland (third year, $7,040,880): Exercised
- Collin Sexton (fourth year, $6,349,671): Exercised
- Dylan Windler (third year, $2,239,200): Exercised
- Kevin Porter Jr. (third year, $1,782,621): Exercised
Dallas Mavericks
- Luka Doncic (fourth year, $10,174,391): Exercised
Denver Nuggets
- Michael Porter Jr. (fourth year, $5,258,735): Exercised
Detroit Pistons
- Zhaire Smith (fourth year, $4,915,856): Waived
- Dzanan Musa (fourth year, $3,615,054): Waived
- Sekou Doumbouya (third year, $3,613,680): Exercised
Golden State Warriors
- Jordan Poole (third year, $2,161,440): Exercised
Houston Rockets
- None
Indiana Pacers
- Aaron Holiday (fourth year, $3,980,551): Exercised
- Goga Bitadze (third year, $3,098,400): Exercised
Los Angeles Clippers
- Mfiondu Kabengele (third year, $2,174,880): Declined
Los Angeles Lakers
- None
Memphis Grizzlies
- Ja Morant (third year, $9,603,360): Exercised
- Jaren Jackson Jr. (fourth year, $9,180,560): Exercised
- Grayson Allen (fourth year, $4,054,695): Exercised
- Brandon Clarke (third year, $2,726,880): Exercised
Miami Heat
- Tyler Herro (third year, $4,004,280): Exercised
Milwaukee Bucks
- Donte DiVincenzo (fourth year, $4,675,830): Exercised
Minnesota Timberwolves
- Jarrett Culver (third year, $6,395,160): Exercised
- Josh Okogie (fourth year, $4,087,904): Exercised
New Orleans Pelicans
- Zion Williamson (third year, $10,733,400): Exercised
- Jaxson Hayes (third year, $5,348,280): Exercised
- Nickeil Alexander-Walker (third year, $3,261,480): Exercised
New York Knicks
- RJ Barrett (third year, $8,623,920): Exercised
- Kevin Knox (fourth year, $5,845,978): Exercised
- Jacob Evans (fourth year, $3,641,263): Waived
- Omari Spellman (fourth year, $3,588,845): Declined
Oklahoma City Thunder
- Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (fourth year, $5,495,532): Exercised
- Darius Bazley (third year, $2,513,040): Exercised
- Ty Jerome (third year, $2,412,840): Exercised
Orlando Magic
- Mohamed Bamba (fourth year, $7,568,743): Exercised
Philadelphia 76ers
- Matisse Thybulle (third year, $2,840,160): Exercised
Phoenix Suns
- Deandre Ayton (fourth year, $12,632,950): Exercised
- Mikal Bridges (fourth year, $5,557,725): Exercised
- Cameron Johnson (third year, $4,437,000): Exercised
Portland Trail Blazers
- Anfernee Simons (fourth year, $3,938,818): Exercised
- Nassir Little (third year, $2,316,240): Exercised
Sacramento Kings
- Marvin Bagley (fourth year, $11,312,114): Exercised
San Antonio Spurs
- Lonnie Walker (fourth year, $4,447,896): Exercised
- Luka Samanic (third year, $2,959,080): Exercised
- Keldon Johnson (third year, $2,145,720): Exercised
Toronto Raptors
- None
Utah Jazz
- None
Washington Wizards
- Jerome Robinson (fourth year, $5,340,916): Declined
- Troy Brown (fourth year, $5,170,564): Exercised
- Rui Hachimura (third year, $4,916,160): Exercised
- Moritz Wagner (fourth year, $3,893,618): Declined
Information from Basketball Insiders was used in the creation of this post. Photos courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Jordan Poole better step up in training camp and the first week of the Season. Not sure if I’d want to extend this guy. His shooting just is not there. Hope he worked on his game over the summer.
With Oubre and Wiggins starting that leaves Bazemore and Damion Lee as the other potential backups competing with Poole. He’s in real trouble if he can’t beat out either of those two for a spot in the rotation.
Bazemore has a role and I think a pretty big one on this year’s team. Hopefully he’s capable of fulfilling expectations.
He looks so good a few years ago with Atlanta, now he has to play much better this season to get a decent contract next year among a very strong class of free agents in 2021.
Agreed.
This article just reminds me of what Atlanta is building down in the South. They have slowly but surely put together a very solid and complete roster through the draft and via free agency.
I think the emergence of Collins, Reddish, and Hunter will truly go a long way to how far they’re able to go in the playoffs, but either way, I think they now have enough talent to make some noise in the East.
All that’s left now is for their younger guys to continue to develop, and then they just have to learn to win together as a cohesive team.
People have spent several years saying that Atlanta is doing it right with nothing yet to show for it. I was one of them when GM Schlenk cleared house.
But the outcomes have shown the danger of “blowing it all up” and starting from scratch. There’s no continuity. It’s a collection. I see more of a trend than something brewing.
They have Trae Young, Rondo, and Dunn at the point, running the first and second team offenses. Then, they have Bogdanovic, Huerter, Snell, and Mays at the 2. Next, the Hawks just have a bounty of athletic wings in Reddish, Hunter, Gallinari, and Hill. Finally, the Hawks have another solid group of versatile bigs in Collins, Okungwu, Capela, and Fernando.
PG: Young, Rondo, Dunn
SG: Bogdanovic, Reddish, Huerter, Snell
SF: Gallinari, Hunter, Reddish/Huerter, Snell
PF: Collins, Hunter, Gallinari, Fernando
C: Okungwu, Capela, Fernando
Several of these guys are able to play multiple positions, if not all of them, except maybe Rondo and Capela..Either way, the Hawks have now put together a solid roster mixed with young studs and quality veterans, adding up to a very complete 13 man rotation!!
man you guys should be good this year. the roster was really well constructed. i hope the coaching goes next level too. health shouldn’t be as big an issue with this team as others because of the depth. the egos of the players might be the hardest thing to overcome this year.
Memphis looks the best on this list. OKC is in good shape despite their trading for picks. I am quite pleased with Cleveland’s four, albeit all 2Gs.