The Lakers officially signed former draft bust/Chinese Olympic star Yi Jianlian, but the contract terms were shrouded in mystery.
Some reports said he’d earn the minimum next season. Another said he’d get $8 million.
It’s rare to see such a huge discrepancy, but Yahoo Sports provided some clarity:
- Cap number: $8 million
- Guarantee: $250,000
- Likely incentives: up to $6,860,877
That means Yi’s base salary on the one-year contract is$1,139,123 – his minimum as someone with five years of NBA experience.
Yi will earn $6,701 per day he’s on the regular-season roster until Jan. 10. Then, his base salary will become fully guaranteed. He can also add to his income by achieving the incentive bonuses in his contract.
With this unconventional deal, the Lakers can waive Yi and potentially be off the hook for significant portions of his salary. But they don’t get cap flexibility unless they waive him before incentives raise his salary. He’ll count $8 million against the cap while he remains under contract.
The big question now: What specifically are Yi’s incentives?