While decisions on player and team options for veteran NBA contracts are typically due in June, the deadline to exercise third- and fourth-year team options for players on rookie scale contracts arrives each fall. This year’s deadline for teams to pick up rookie scale options is October 31, 2023.
All the players whose options will be exercised or declined by Oct. 31 are already under contract for the 2023/24 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 2024/25 campaign.
For players who signed their rookie scale contracts in 2021 and have already been in the NBA for two years, teams must decide on fourth-year options for 2024/25. 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 ’24/25.
In many cases, these decisions aren’t difficult 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 Kings will consider turning down their option on Keegan Murray, 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 2024/25 team options that clubs must make by Oct. 31. This list will be updated through the deadline 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 2024/25 salaries:
Atlanta Hawks
- Jalen Johnson (fourth year, $4,510,905): Exercised
- AJ Griffin (third year, $3,889,920): Exercised
Boston Celtics
- None
Brooklyn Nets
- Cam Thomas (fourth year, $4,041,249): Exercised
- Day’Ron Sharpe (fourth year, $3,989,122): Exercised
Charlotte Hornets
- James Bouknight (fourth year, $6,064,496): Declined
- Kai Jones (fourth year, $4,693,735): Waived
- Mark Williams (third year, $4,094,280): Exercised
Chicago Bulls
- Dalen Terry (third year, $3,510,480): Exercised
Cleveland Cavaliers
- Evan Mobley (fourth year, $11,227,657): Exercised
Dallas Mavericks
- None
Denver Nuggets
- Christian Braun (third year, $3,089,640): Exercised
- Peyton Watson (third year, $2,413,560): Exercised
Detroit Pistons
- Cade Cunningham (fourth year, $13,940,809): Exercised
- Jaden Ivey (third year, $7,977,240): Exercised
- Jalen Duren (third year, $4,536,840): Exercised
Golden State Warriors
- Jonathan Kuminga (fourth year, $7,636,307): Exercised
- Moses Moody (fourth year, $5,803,269): Exercised
Houston Rockets
- Jalen Green (fourth year, $12,483,048): Exercised
- Jabari Smith (third year, $9,770,880): Exercised
- Alperen Sengun (fourth year, $5,424,654): Exercised
- Tari Eason (third year, $3,695,160): Exercised
Indiana Pacers
- Bennedict Mathurin (third year, $7,245,720): Exercised
- Isaiah Jackson (fourth year, $4,435,381): Exercised
Los Angeles Clippers
- Bones Hyland (fourth year, $4,158,439): Exercised
Los Angeles Lakers
- None
Memphis Grizzlies
- Ziaire Williams (fourth year, $6,133,005): Exercised
- Josh Christopher (fourth year, $4,346,615): Waived
- Santi Aldama (fourth year, $3,960,531): Exercised
- Jake LaRavia (third year, $3,352,680): Exercised
- David Roddy (third year, $2,847,240): Exercised
Miami Heat
- Nikola Jovic (third year, $2,464,200): Exercised
Milwaukee Bucks
- MarJon Beauchamp (third year, $2,733,720): Exercised
Minnesota Timberwolves
- Wendell Moore (third year, $2,537,040): Exercised
New Orleans Pelicans
- Dyson Daniels (third year, $6,059,520): Exercised
- Trey Murphy (fourth year, $5,159,854): Exercised
New York Knicks
- Quentin Grimes (fourth year, $4,296,682): Exercised
Oklahoma City Thunder
- Chet Holmgren (third year, $10,880,640): Exercised
- Josh Giddey (fourth year, $8,352,367): Exercised
- Ousmane Dieng (third year, $5,027,040): Exercised
- Tre Mann (fourth year, $4,908,373): Exercised
- Jalen Williams (third year, $4,775,760): Exercised
- Usman Garuba (fourth year, $4,392,515): Waived
- TyTy Washington Jr. (third year, $2,431,080): Waived
Orlando Magic
- Paolo Banchero (third year, $12,160,800): Exercised
- Jalen Suggs (fourth year, $9,188,385): Exercised
- Franz Wagner (fourth year, $7,007,092): Exercised
Philadelphia 76ers
- Jaden Springer (fourth year, $4,018,363): Exercised
Phoenix Suns
- Keon Johnson (fourth year, $4,474,291): Waived
Portland Trail Blazers
- Shaedon Sharpe (third year, $6,614,160): Exercised
Sacramento Kings
- Keegan Murray (third year, $8,809,560): Exercised
- Davion Mitchell (fourth year, $6,451,077): Exercised
- Chris Duarte (fourth year, $5,893,768): Exercised
San Antonio Spurs
- Jeremy Sochan (third year, $5,570,040): Exercised
- Malaki Branham (third year, $3,217,920): Exercised
- Blake Wesley (third year, $2,624,280): Exercised
Toronto Raptors
- Scottie Barnes (fourth year, $10,130,980): Exercised
Utah Jazz
- Ochai Agbaji (third year, $4,310,280): Exercised
- Walker Kessler (third year, $2,965,920): Exercised
Washington Wizards
- Corey Kispert (fourth year, $5,705,887): Exercised
- Johnny Davis (third year, $5,291,160): Exercised
- Patrick Baldwin (third year, $2,448,840): Exercised
Why did the Pistons never report their options lmao. I mean, they obviously picked up all three, but they should at least tell someone.