Eight players received a contract extension to their rookie deal before the deadline expired on October 31st: Steven Adams, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Gorgui Dieng, Rudy Gobert, C.J. McCollum, Victor Oladipo, Dennis Schroder and Cody Zeller.
With these 8 getting the extensions, this leaves 14 other players heading into the 2017 offseason knowing they’ll be restricted free agents. Among them are Michael Carter-Williams, Ben McLemore, Nerlens Noel, Otto Porter and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope. This isn’t just because teams weren’t interested or unsure: The salary cap gets a boost (yes, another one) next summer, so it’s more lucrative to sign a deal then.
The Thunder gave extensions to a couple of players: Adams and Oladipo, who they acquired via trade from the Orlando Magic. Adams signed a four-year, $100 million deal, while Oladipo took $84 million over the same time period, as the Thunder show they believe he can be a centerpiece for them despite arriving not too long ago. The Thunder traded Serge Ibaka for him, also believing that Adams can take over the paint without him.
The Portland Trail Blazers locked up McCollum on a four-year, $106 million deal, which means he and Damian Lillard have a lot of time to terrorize defenses from the backcourt together. This does put a huge financial burden on the Blazers salary cap which means trades in the future, but Lillard and McCollum are probably safe, if things go according to plan.
Rudy Gobert got $102 million over 4 years from the Utah Jazz, who like the foundation they have, although they need to see something other than potential and good defense this season to know they’re on the right track of making the playoffs and more.
Giannis Antetokounmpo has a shot at being something very special for the Bucks for many years to come, if he isn’t already is. The Greek freak signed a four-year, $100 million deal to stay in Milwaukee.
Cody Zeller and Dieng are two more big men who saw their teams throw the cash at them. Dieng got four years and $64 million to be the KAT partner in the Timberwolves frontcourt. Zeller, who some predicted was going to be a bust, has established himself as an important player for the Charlotte Hornets, signing a four-year, $56 million contract.
Last but not least is Dennis Schroder, who received a four-year, $62 million deal from the Hawks. Atlanta have been angling towards this extension for over a year, trying to trade Jeff Teague until someone finally swooped in (Indiana Pacers) and took him. Schroder is a starter for the first time in his career, and the Hawks believe it’s wise to build with him at point guard for the future.
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