Heading into the 2020 offseason, 29 veterans held player options on their contracts, allowing them to either opt in for the 2020/21 season or opt out and reach the open market. Of those 29 players, 13 decided to turn down their options and become free agents.
For some players, that decision was a simple one. Jerami Grant, for instance, was never going to exercise his $9.3MM option with the Nuggets, since opting out allowed him to get a raise and gain long-term security — and, as it turned out, to land with a new team.
The decision wasn’t so easy for every player who opted out though. Now that those 13 veterans have officially signed new contracts and the salary details are in, we want to look back on those decisions and see if they paid off.
Let’s dive in…
Players who received a 2020/21 raise and a multiyear contract:
Anthony Davis
- Option: $28,751,774 (Lakers)
- New contract: Five years, $189.9MM (Lakers)
- Jerami Grant
- Option: $9,346,153 (Nuggets)
- New contract: Three years, $60MM (Pistons)
- Kentavious Caldwell-Pope
- Option: $8,543,746 (Lakers)
- New contract: Three years, $39.11MM (Lakers)
- Note: Third year isn’t fully guaranteed.
- JaMychal Green
- Option: $5,005,350 (Clippers)
- New contract: Two years, $15MM (Nuggets)
- Rajon Rondo
- Option: $2,692,991 (Lakers)
- New contract: Two years, $15MM (Hawks)
Opting out was a win-win for these players, who will not only receive a higher salary in 2020/21 than they would have if they’d opted in, but also received at least one more guaranteed year beyond the coming season. In Green’s case, his second year is a player option, so he’ll be faced with another opt-out decision in 2021.
Players who received a raise for 2020/21:
- Rodney Hood
- Option: $6,003,900 (Trail Blazers)
- New contract: Two years, $20.9MM (Trail Blazers)
- Note: Second-year is not guaranteed.
- Avery Bradley
- Option: $5,005,350 (Lakers)
- New contract: Two years, $11.6MM (Heat)
- Note: Second year is not guaranteed.
- Austin Rivers
- Option: $2,436,046 (Rockets)
- New contract: Three years, $10MM (Knicks)
- Note: Second and third years are not guaranteed.
- Willie Cauley-Stein
- Option: $2,286,357 (Mavericks)
- New contract: Two years, $8.2MM (Mavericks)
- Note: Second year is not guaranteed.
- Robin Lopez
- Option: $5,005,350 (Bucks)
- New contract: One year, $7.3MM (Wizards)
- Wesley Matthews
- Option: $2,692,991 (Bucks)
- New contract: One year, $3.6MM (Lakers)
- James Ennis
- Option: $2,130,023 (Magic)
- New contract: One year, $3.3MM (Magic)
This group of players didn’t receive any guarantees beyond 2020/21, but it’s hard to argue that any of them made the wrong move by opting out, since they’ll all earn more this season than they would have on their respective options.
Players who received a long-term commitment and more overall money:
Gordon Hayward
- Option: $34,187,085 (Celtics)
- New contract: Four years, $120MM (Hornets)
Hayward’s decision to opt out received more scrutiny than any other player’s, since turning down a $34MM+ option raised eyebrows — especially since so few teams had cap room available. But it had always seemed likely that Hayward would be able to secure an overall guarantee that significantly exceeded $34MM, even if he had take a modest pay cut in the short term.
As expected, Hayward won’t earn as much in 2020/21 on his new deal as he would have if he’d opted in. But he’ll still have a $28.5MM salary this season, and the Hornets were willing to give him raises for three years on top of that, resulting in a $120MM overall commitment.
Of the 13 players who opted out, Hayward is the only one who will earn less this season than he would have if he’d exercised his option. However, he also increased his overall guarantee by nearly $86MM, making him one of free agency’s biggest winners. He and the other dozen players who turned down their player options all clearly made the right call.
Photos courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
The second year of Cauleu-Stein’s contract is not guaranteed. It’s a team option.
Good catch, thanks.
Robin Lopez: Per 36 min – 13.4 ppg, 6.1rpg, 3.6 fouls, BPM: -2.6, PER: 10.21 (292nd in league)
Wizards: “Hmm, we have a mid-level exception to spend. Let’s give Lopez $7.3m of it”
Idc if it’s for one year, what a waste of money.
Considering this is the team that paid Ian Mahinmi over $14MM last season, I think getting Lopez for only $7MM is a relative bargain
Yeah thats crazy. They gave Mahinmi a 4 yr $60m contact after one “breakout” season with pacers after putting up 9-5-1 stat line lol. And again Lopez has only a one season contract so it’s not that big a deal, but it still frustrates me sometimes when players that deserve that money or roster spot don’t get it. Like, Whiteside had a 15-13-and 3 block season. Yet he gets stuck with Sacramento on a veteran minimum deal? Oh well, life’s not fair.
2016 was a trip for contracts
Crowder is excluded？
He didn’t have a player option — he was just a free agent.
Luke the sav knowing his stuff props
Except for AD, not much talent there.
Denver lost Jeremi Grant for 3/$60 but gained Jymicl Green at 2/$15. There has been so much talk about what the Nuggets would do at the 4; a sacrifice would have to be made in some way. There were too many, or some thought nobody taking over.
I think the exchange was a case of a smaller ego (Green) acquired to make room for the huge ego (M.Porter). Grant makes sacrifices to his team, but in doing so, took a step back from positional competition from the brilliant but self-serving Porter… and got out after a year of it, to Detroit where he can be dominant.
The extent to which the Nuggets will go to accommodate Porter will either win them a title or lose one they could’ve had.
Since their agents knew what was available prior to them opting out, it would be a shocker if a guy didn’t improve his situation economically. In salary or years.
I’m am always surprised when a team like the Wizards (no cap space, still rebuilding) use the full MLE for a 1 year deal, without a team option.
The Wizards owner has publicly said that they are NOT rebuilding. It doesn’t matter whether you or even everyone else on Earth thinks they are or should be rebuilding. Ted Leonsis is the only one that makes the decision and he wants to go for it. With the roster they have, they probably should go for it because trading Beal now would be a waste. You have Westbrook, you might as well do what he is good at, make the playoffs.
I actually agree with Leonsis that they should go for it. If RW, Beal and Bertans are worth near their contracts, the Wiz (who also have talented young players) should be at least 10 games over .500 in the East.
By rebuilding (bad term to use), I meant they are not contenders like the Clips or Lakers who are signing players like Ibaka or Harrell that, in exchange for accepting the MLE, can insist on a 1/1 (player option) contract. A team gets one MLE a year, whether they use it on a 1 year or multi-year contract. If Lopez outplays his contract and decides not to re-sign, then they have to choose between using next year’s MLE on a C, or to sure up another position. Rebuilding or not, avoid 1 year FA contracts unless you can’t. With Lopez, I think they could avoid it.
That’s a fair point, but the best team in the playoffs doesn’t always win. Getting there and getting hot at the right time, like Miami last season, can get you into the Finals. Upsets are rare in the NBA, but they do happen occasionally. Most (64 out of 66) of the NBA Champs have been either a 1, 2, or 3 seed, but lower seeds have won it all a couple of times with the 6 seeded Rockets in 1995 being the lowest ever to win it all. And even then, they were the defending champs, so it wasn’t THAT surprising.
Anyway, the point is that if you make it in, you have a chance to win the title. Pull an upset yourself and maybe get lucky have another upset or two from someone else in the opposite conference and you could have a surprise title team. But for a franchise like Washington, just getting to the conference finals would be a victory for the fanbase. You can have an extremely successful season without winning everything.
I wonder if Sheppard/Leonsis wanted Robin Lopez’ cheerleading or attitude. His PT and stats don’t support $7mil at any team stage. I think the signing will look good when they get into the play-ins, which looked like a good chance even before Westbrook.
Lopez is a great player to have, always brings energy and effort, good boxing out and disturbing the paint on D. Much better than Whiteside or Drummond (both of whom cant do anything on D and need the ball on offense)
Dude what?
Defensive win shares:
Drummond- 8th in league
Whiteside- 25th
R Lopez-127th
Defensive Box plus/minus:
Drummond- 33th
Whiteside-50th
R Lopez-Ineligible (would be tied for 62nd)
There is a stat that says Drummond is a top 8 defensive player in league? Well then I dont know anything
Dre got votes for 1st All-NBA Defensive team… you learn every day, just how good the big penguin really is!
People laughed at that and many said whoever casted that vote should be stripped of voting rights
Are you talking about Brook Lopez? Because that makes sense if you are since B Lopez somehow ranks 4th in DWS and 4th in DBPM