It’s three weeks until the deadline to sign guys on their rookie contracts to extensions — Nov. 2 is the deadline this year.
There have been five guys that already got one — Anthony Davis and Damian Lillard got the max; plus Jonas Valanciunas, Michael Kidd-Gilchrist and John Henson got deals.
Who else is likely to land one? Marc Stein at ESPN says to keep an eye on the Pistons and Warriors.Detroit Pistons center Andre Drummond and Golden State Warriors forward Harrison Barnes, according to league sources, are the players best positioned to secure a lucrative extension this month as the revised deadline approaches and negotiations in both cases continue. Drummond could potentially land a five-year deal worth around $120 million if he earns Designated Player status from the Pistons.
The Washington Wizards’ Bradley Beal is another obvious extension candidate, but it’s believed the Wizards hope to convince Beal to hold off on a new deal until next summer -- much like the San Antonio Spurs did last season with star swingman Kawhi Leonard -- because the delay could lead to Washington having nearly $10 million in additional salary-cap space in the summer of 2016 when it intends to make a run at D.C. native Kevin Durant in free agency.
There likely will be a couple other surprises as well, guys willing to take a discount for the security of a longer deal. The Warriors have been in talks with Festus Ezeli; the Rockets still are talking to Terrence Jones. There are others.
But NBA deals tend to be like you and me at work — it takes a deadline to get motivated and get things done. Expect it to get a lot closer to Nov. 2 before we see things get finalized.