Report: Jazz offered Rudy Gobert standard max extension, but he wants super-max

Jazz center Rudy Gobert is eligible for a super-max contract extension.

Yes, the same super-max extension worth more than $228 million that Giannis Antetokounmpo just signed.

Porter Larsen of ESPN 700:

So far:

- Rudy Gobert asked the Jazz to fulfill the supermax contract he is eligible for(35% of cap)

- Jazz responded with an offer of the normal max(28% of cap)

- Gobert's camp turned that offer down

- Two sides have 5 days to agree on an extension

— Porter Larsen (@Larsen_ESPN) December 16, 2020

I don’t know where the 28% comes from. On a standard extension, Gobert’s max starting salary is 120% of his 2020-21 salary. That comes out to about 29% of the projected 2021-22 salary cap. Is Utah offering him slightly less, or is this report slightly off?

A designated-player extension (sometimes called a super-max extension) must start at between 30% and 35% of the salary cap. It must last five seasons. The deadline for such an extension is Monday.

A standard extension carries carries far more flexibility.

Here are the key differences between the extension types:

	Designated player	Regular
Max years	5	4
Min years	5	1
Max starting salary	$39,344,970	$33,030,337
Min starting salary	$33,724,260	$2,389,645*
Deadline	Monday	Aug. 1**

*This number is irrelevant.

**This deadline could shift as the NBA sets its schedule for the offseason and 2021-22 season. Generally, it’s the last day of the 2020-21 league year (which normally would be June 30).

Here’s how those differences translate over the life of an extension:

Year	Designated player min	Designated player max	Standard max
2021-22	$33,724,260	$39,344,970	$33,030,337
2022-23	$31,026,319	$42,492,568	$35,672,764
2023-24	$28,328,378	$45,640,165	$38,315,191
2024-25	$25,630,438	$48,787,763	$40,957,618
2025-26	$22,932,497	$51,935,360
Total	$141,641,892	$228,200,826	$147,975,911
Average	$28,328,378	$45,640,165	$36,993,978

Generally, a designated-player extend allows the Jazz to pay Gobert more and extend him for five years rather than just four.

As high as I am on Gobert, an extension would begin in his age-29 season and there is a surplus of center talent around the league. The Jazz should want to keep him. He’s an excellent player.

But a standard max extension seems more than fair.