Having already created a space to track this offseason’s player option decisions, we’re turning our attention today to team options. Over the next couple months, we’ll use the space below to keep tabs on all the team options for 2021/22, making note of whether they’re picked up or declined.
True team options are somewhat rare in the NBA, since clubs often prefer to include a non-guaranteed year or two in player contracts. Non-guaranteed salaries are less restrictive and provide a little more flexibility than team options, which clubs must act upon by a specific date each year. Typically, that deadline falls in late June, but this year it will be August 1.
Still, team options can be useful at the end of a contract, since turning down that option allows the team to retain some form of Bird rights on the player — waiving a player with a non-guaranteed salary doesn’t present that same opportunity. Additionally, a handful of contracts still don’t become fully guaranteed once an option is picked up, giving teams an extra level of flexibility.
The list below doesn’t include rookie scale team options for 2021/22, since those third- and fourth-year options function differently than team options on standard veteran contracts. Those ’21/22 rookie scale team option decisions were made during the 2020 offseason, and can be found here.
The standard team options for 2021/22 are listed below. This list – which can be found anytime under the “Hoops Rumors Features” menu on the right sidebar on our desktop site or on the “Features” page in our mobile menu – will be updated throughout the fall to note the latest decisions.
Chicago Bulls
- Ryan Arcidiacono ($3,000,000): Declined
Dallas Mavericks
- Willie Cauley-Stein ($4,100,000): Exercised
Houston Rockets
- Avery Bradley ($5,916,750): Declined
Indiana Pacers
- Edmond Sumner ($2,320,000): Exercised
Memphis Grizzlies
- Justise Winslow ($13,000,000): Declined
Miami Heat
- Goran Dragic ($19,440,000): Exercised
- Andre Iguodala ($15,000,000): Declined
- Omer Yurtseven ($1,517,981): Declined
- Note: Yurtseven’s salary will remain non-guaranteed even if his option is exercised.
New Orleans Pelicans
- Didi Louzada ($1,517,981): Declined
New York Knicks
- Mitchell Robinson ($1,802,057): Exercised
San Antonio Spurs
- DaQuan Jeffries ($1,701,593): Declined
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
I never realized how overpaid the corpse of Andre Iguodala is
Way too much for a guy coming off the bench. He is a luxury item for a team that is going to a championship not a team getting knocked out of the first round.
On the list
Anything more than $5 million will be turned down and still have bird right
If Knicks want the free agents, restricted or bird right means nothing
Knicks are the killer, kill it
Bradley just hasn’t been the same since he opted to sit out of the bubble in Orlando last year. The only reason to pick up his option would be if the Rockets are certain they can trade him and get something decent in return.
I would say he hasn’t been the same since he left Boston
He seems like a good teammate but the bulls can get arcidiacono production from an undrafted free agent, hopefully they use that 3 million on part of schröders deal instead of arch
Heat loss of Olynyck may be having more of an effect than expected,
They are getting crushed in the paint and on the boards and Oladipo damaged goods. Additionally Bradley and Harmless were big whiffs, have to point some blame at Pat Riley. Forbes and Portia both finished in top 4 for 3 point shooting percentage.