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Apropos of nothing (no birthdays or anniversaries), take a few minutes to remember how ridiculous Grant Hill was. This highlight video is all that is good in 1990s basketball. There is some NASTY in these clips.
Contract Years
Who is playing for a big payday?
Millions of dollars are at stake this season, and no, I’m not talking about potential no-show jobs that could net players a lot of money. I’m talking about contract seasons for players who could have a big payday ahead of them.
Teams have been preparing for big summers in 2026 and 2027, so today, I want to take a look at some players of many different ilk who could cash out in those offseasons. We’re not going to include the upcoming restricted free agents from the 2022 draft class (Dyson Daniels, Jaden Ivey, Tari Eason, etc.) because many of them will likely be extended before the start of the season. Let’s break this into groups and speculate on some paydays!
Extension eligible
Michael Porter Jr., Nets: He has a fascinating situation with the Nets. Porter’s deal runs through 2027 with no options, but the Nets could absolutely use someone like him in the future. Porter is still just 27 years old, and it wouldn’t shock me if he averaged 27 points this season. But what does an extension look like for him? Is his salary staying at $40 million per season (that’s what he makes next year)? Would he drop down to 35 per season? Is he looking for a max if he has a big year?
Prized big men
Kristaps Porziņģis, Hawks: Porziņģis will be a free agent next summer. He is only a one-time All-Star, he’s an NBA champion, and he’s 30 years old with 113 missed games the last four seasons. And yet, we know he’s a massive difference-maker when healthy. He was one of 14 players 6-foot-11 or taller to average at least 15 points and two blocks. Most of the guys on that list are stars, but could Porziņģis get Myles Turner money (four years, $109 million)?
Nikola Vučević, Bulls: Also a free agent next summer, he’ll make about $21 million this season, and I’d expect his next deal to be in that annual range. The real question is whether or not the Bulls move him before the deadline.
Mitchell Robinson, Knicks: Robinson is intriguing because his rebounding and shot blocking make him quite valuable, in theory. He’s also played just 107 games over the last three seasons. His per-36 minutes averages put him in a rare class of guys who put up 10 points, 12 rebounds and two blocks. However, most are guys who will never play, some centers like Walker Kessler and Zach Edey, and then Anthony Davis. The Knicks probably can’t afford a big deal for him, so would a team roll the dice on his injury history and give out $60 million over three years? Is that enough? He’ll be a free agent in 2026.
Player option roulette
Zach LaVine, Kings: He has a $49 million player option for the 2026-27 season. I don’t really see him declining that option unless he’s 1) dying to get out of Sacramento or 2) has a three- or four-year deal in the $35 million range annually lined up.
Bradley Beal, Clippers: He has a $5.6 million option. Beal is 32 years old, but he’s only taking a discount on the Clippers because the Suns are paying him so much money. After a year as a role player, I’d imagine he’s looking for another decent payday and a bigger role. Something like $50 million over three years is very doable.
Austin Reaves, Lakers: He has a $14.8 million option. Reaves is absolutely declining that and hitting the market. Is it wild to think Reaves, who turns 28 in May, could get Desmond Bane money ($40 million annually)? (Read more on Reaves here!)
Bet on themselves
Cam Thomas, Nets: Thomas, who turns 24 just before the season, took the one-year qualifying offer and will be looking for a payday ($20M to $25M annually?) next summer. The interesting thing to me is how he approaches this. Is he going to try to score 30 per night? Or will he try to show a more well-rounded game? Teams will look for the latter.
Quentin Grimes, 76ers: Grimes also took the qualifying offer, and if the 25-year-old plays like he did to end last season, he’ll easily clear $80 million over four years on the open market.
Scoring guards
Anfernee Simons, Celtics: I wonder if he’s auditioning for another team because of the Celtics’ cap constraints. I would imagine somewhere in the $20 million annually is the right range.
Coby White, Bulls: If he keeps generating these massive fourth-quarter runs and playing like he did last season, White should get a big pay increase. The top-10 pick is a bigger difference-maker than a lot of the guards listed here. I’d easily give him $75 million over three years.
Norman Powell, Heat: The 32-year-old cooled off last season because of injuries, but his first half of the season was All-Star worthy. He’s probably not getting more than a two-year deal, but $50 million over two sounds very doable.
One last push?
CJ McCollum and Khris Middleton, Wizards: They’re both 34 years old. They both have injury histories. They both could be looking for two-year deals around $20 million annually if they’re healthy. (More on Middleton)
Intriguing role players
Rui Hachimura, Lakers: With Dorian Finney-Smith gone, Hachimura becomes even more integral to the Lakers’ success. Will he price himself out of staying with the Lakers, who are focusing on roster flexibility around Luka Dončić?
Tyus Jones, Magic: He’s taken a discount to play for teams that are supposed to be good the last two offseasons. I’m waiting for him to cash out on a bigger deal. (More on Jones in Orlando)
Keon Ellis, Kings: We’ve seen Jones (above) struggle to cash in on the need for a quality role-playing point guard, but Ellis might be able to get Ty Jerome money ($28M over three years).
Georges Niang, Jazz: He’s a dead-eye shooter who, at minimum, should be looking at Duncan Robinson money ($48M over three years). He could probably get a lot more than that.
The Last 24
How Wemby went to work
😱 Violent training?! That description alone has me wanting to know more about Victor Wembanyama’s summer. This is a must-read.
🏀 Conditioning test. Pat Riley famously has a ridiculous standard for his team’s conditioning. Rustin Todd took the test, and it didn’t go great!
👀 Hinge players. No, this isn’t about dating apps. John Hollinger thinks Reed Sheppard could be the most interesting to watch.
🏀 Unrivaled addition. Hooper Kelsey Plum is joining next season. (And don’t forget, the WNBA Finals start Friday.)
🍿’Starting 5′. The trailer for the second season of the Netflix docuseries is out. The Tyrese Haliburton story alone has me hooked.
Kings Preview
Does Sacramento make any sense?
We’re previewing a team from the West and a team from the East each day. And you might remember we’re doing it in reverse order of how we think they’ll finish in their respective conferences. That brings us to the Sacramento Kings, and their spot today would have them 12th in the West this season. Just typing that out, it seems kind of low!
I want to preface the rest of this section by saying that I like so many of the players on this team. I’m just not sure I like them together. Actually, I know I don’t understand them together, and therefore don’t like them together.
Drama Meter: The potential drama I see with this team is it not being good enough to compete with some of these other Play-In Tournament squads in the deep West, and then what might come of that. Ownership is volatile in the sense of wanting quick change if something isn’t producing immediate results. That may not be a coaching change again (the Kings fired Mike Brown last December), but the roster could be in flux. Also, there are a lot of guys who dribble a ton on this roster. That could create a race for shot attempts.
Hot Seat Meter: Christie is a beloved King in the lore of the franchise, and he’s a brand-new coach. I don’t believe even this organization would overreact to a slow start or a bad season with a firing, but you never know.
Offseason question: I had these questions when Zach LaVine was added to DeMar DeRozan, Domantas Sabonis and Malik Monk. Then the team added Dennis Schröder to be the point guard? The roster doesn’t make sense to me, but that doesn’t mean it won’t work. I just need to see it.
2026 free agents: Zach LaVine (player option) | Keegan Murray (restricted) | Dario Šarić | Keon Ellis | Doug McDermott | Drew Eubanks
We discussed LaVine above. Murray will probably get an extension before the season starts. Ellis could end up finding a nice payday for himself somewhere.
Expectations for this season: I think this team is likely jumbled in the back end of the West. They’re probably around 38-42 wins, and it might come down to tiebreakers to determine positioning.
Raptors Preview
Is Toronto fiscally responsible?
There are a lot of similarities between the Kings and the Toronto Raptors. A lot of people look at the Raptors’ roster and are not sure how it fits together on the court. Even though I’m too cowardly to predict them to make a bigger leap, I do believe I’m probably too low by putting them here.
The reason people are down on this team is because of how expensive the roster is. Toronto is the seventh-highest-paid roster in the league, and at nearly $200 million, the Raptors are a little over a million dollars above the first-apron payroll threshold. Not ideal for a team that won 30 games last season!
Drama Meter: The drama mostly comes from how expensive this team is. The Raptors essentially re-signed Brandon Ingram sight unseen after he didn’t play for them following a trade from New Orleans last season. You can’t have a team completely miss the playoffs and Play-In Tournament if you’re going to be in the neighborhood of the aprons.
Hot Seat Meter: Rajaković is entering his third season as Raptors coach, and I could see ownership decide to make a change if this season doesn’t go well. I don’t think it’s totally likely, but it’s probably on the table.
Offseason question: It all ties back to the cost of this team, and it’s what you’ll hear about all season if the Raptors aren’t any good. Or if they’re injured. I think they can justify some of that cost.
2026 free agents: Ochai Agbaji (restricted) | Garrett Temple | AJ Lawson
Again, with cost as the topic, they are surprisingly locked into this core from a commitment standpoint. No upcoming significant free agents. Maybe that opens them up to make some trades if it goes poorly.
Expectations for this season: I think they’re probably in the neighborhood of 37 wins. That should be enough to give them a shot at the Play-In, and from there, they can absolutely earn the No. 8 seed. They can’t barely get to 30 wins again, though.
Read more: Raptors trying to produce more pressure this year
(Top photo of Austin Reaves and Kristaps Porziņģis: David Butler II / USA Today Sports)