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We saw the likes of Kyrie Irving and Kawhi Leonard sign some of the biggest free-agent deals during the offseason. But while Irving chose to relocate to Brooklyn and Leonard chose to go to Los Angeles, several blue-chip players decided to stay and stick around with their respective teams and then some signed their fourth-year extension deals with their mother clubs. Despite not changing addresses, these players got paid and while some would call most as “team-friendly” deals, there was a handful who got handsome deals worth mentioning.
Let’s have a look at the biggest contract extensions signed this summer and don’t forget to check our nba picks section:
Pascal Siakam | 4-year $130M
Pascal Siakam was the NBA’s Most Improved Player in 2019. After he was named as the 2016 Western Athletic Conference ( WAC ) Player of the Year in 2016 while playing for New Mexico State, the 25-year old Cameroonian became the Toronto Raptors’ 27th overall pick in the 2016 NBA Draft. Siakam spent his rookie season with multiple assignments to the NBA Development League. He led the Raptors 905 to the D-League title while winning the 2017 D-League MVP award. Siakam averaged a career-high 16.9 points per game during the regular season and 19.0 points and 7.1 rebounds per game during the playoffs. He was key in the Raptors’ 2019 title run and after Kawhi Leonard’s departure, he is expected to be Toronto’s main man this season.
Jaylen Brown | 4-year $103M
Jaylen Brown was the Boston Celtics’ #3 overall pick in the 2016 NBA Draft, selected after Ben Simmons and Brandon Ingram. Brown played one season for the University of California Golden Bears where he was named as Pac-12 Freshman of the Year and selected to the All Pac-12 team. He was named to the NBA’s All-Rookie team in 2017 after averaging 6.6 points and 2.8 rebounds per game in 17.2 minutes of action. Brown averaged a career-high 14.5 points and 4.9 rebounds per game during the 2018 season. With the arrival of Gordon Hayward and Kyrie Irving, he played fewer minutes and had a lesser role with the Celtics last season. Still, Brown averaged 13.0 points and 4.2 rebounds per game in 74 games played with 25 starts. With Irving and Al Horford went this season, the Celtics are hoping that Brown will provide Kemba Walker and Jayson Tatum with an added scoring punch.
Buddy Hield | 4-year $86M
Buddy Hield was the Big-12 Conference Player of the Year in 2014 and 2015 out of the University of Oklahoma. This 26-year old guard from the Bahamas was selected 6th overall in the 2016 NBA Draft by the New Orleans Pelicans. After making the All-Rookie First team during his freshman season, Hield was included in the trade package for DeMarcus Cousins. That turned out to be a blessing in disguise as Hield has blossomed into one of the league’s top-scoring guards in Sacramento. Possessing a natural scorer’s mentality and a sweet shooting touch from the outside, Hield played his first full NBA season last year and averaged a career-high 20.7 points per game. Last season, Hield also set the franchise record for most three-pointers made in a single season with 245, breaking Peja Stojakovic’s 240 which was set in 2004.
Domantas Sabonis | 4-year $77M
Domantas Sabonis is the son of former Lithuanian basketball star Arvydas Sabonis. Domantas was drafted 11th overall in the 2016 NBA Draft by the Orlando Magic after a standout career at Gonzaga where he was an AP Honorable Mention All-American in 2016. He was traded on draft night to the OKC Thunder along with Victor Oladipo for Serge Ibaka. After playing one-year with the Thunder Sabonis and Oladipo were traded again, this time to the Indiana Pacers. The 2018 Lithuanian Player of the Year became a key player off the Pacers’ bench and last season, Sabonis averaged career-highs with 14.1 points and 9.3 rebounds per game. He helped the Pacers survive the 2019 season with Oladipo hurt and he is expected to be among their top players this season with ‘Dipo still on the mend. Sabonis also played for the Lithuanian Men’s Basketball team during the 2016 Summer Olympics.
Bradley Beal | 2-year $72M
Bradley Beal is a two-time NBA All-Star who plays for the Washington Wizards. The 6-3 Beal was a McDonald’s All-American and Gatorade Player of the Year as the best high school player in the United States in 2011. After playing one year for the University of Florida, Beal was selected by the Wizards with the 3rd overall pick in the 2012 NBA Draft. He was selected to the All-Rookie First team in his maiden season and has been named to the Eastern Conference All-Star team in the previous two seasons. Beal had a career year last season with 25.6 points, 5.0 rebounds and 5.5 assists per game. He became the first player in the history of the Washington Wizards franchise to record 2,000 points, 400 rebounds and 400 assists in a single season. With John Wall set to miss the 2019-20 season with a ruptured Achilles tendon, Beal is expected to lead the Wizards this season. Many though Beal would leave in the summer he chose to stay in Washington despite a rebuild.
Dejounte Murray | 4-year $64M
Dejounte Murray missed the entire 2018-19 season after tearing his anterior cruciate ligament during the preseason. Despite that, the Spurs rewarded their 23-year old starting point guard with a hefty contract extension this summer. Murray was San Antonio’s 29th overall pick in the 2016 NBA Draft out of the University of Washington where he was named Mr. Washington Basketball in 2015. During his rookie season in the NBA, he had multiple assignments with the Austin Spurs in the D-League. But when Tony Parker got injured, he took the starting point guard spot and owned it. Murray averaged 8.1 points, 5.9 rebounds and 2.9 assists per game in 2018. At the end of the season, he was named to the NBA’s All-Defensive Second Team, becoming the youngest player in NBA history to be named to an All-Defensive team.
Kyle Lowry | 1-year $31M
Kyle Lowry signed a one-year extension worth $31M to move his free agency back to another year. The 33-year old five-time All-Star was the Memphis Grizzlies’ 24th overall pick in the 2006 NBA Draft after a collegiate career at Villanova. Lowry was traded to the Houston Rockets in 2009 and 2011, he blossomed into a very good point guard. He was traded again to the Toronto Raptors in 2012 for Gary Forbes and became an All-Star player with the Raptors. He had two 20-point seasons in Toronto and was a key player in the Toronto Raptors’ 2019 championship team. He led the Raptors with 8.7 assists per game last season, a career-best for Lowry. With Kawhi Leonard now playing for the Los Angeles Clippers, the Raptors will look for Lowry for leadership and playmaking once again. Leonard’s absence could also mean that Lowry will have to carry an additional scoring load to help Pascal Siakam and Fred VanVleet with the offense.
Taurean Prince | 2-year $29M
Taurean Prince was the Big 12 Sixth Man of the Year in 2015 and was named to the All-Big 12 team in 2016. He was selected 12th overall in the 2016 NBA Draft by the Utah Jazz, who traded his draft rights to the Atlanta Hawks. Prince became the first Atlanta Hawks rookie to score in double figures in his first four playoff games since Peter Maravich did so in five straight games in 1971. After averaging 11.4 points and 3.8 rebounds per game in his first three NBA seasons with the Hawks, he was traded last summer to the Brooklyn Nets for Allen Crabbe, Nickeil Alexander-Walker and a 2020 pick. He signed his contract extension in Brooklyn and is expected to help Kyrie Irving bring the Nets back to the playoffs this season with Kevin Durant out for the entire year with an injury.
Joe Ingles | 1-year $14M
Joe Ingles is one of Australia’s top representatives in the NBA. The 32-year old from Adelaide was undrafted in the 2009 NBA Draft and played for FC Barcelona and Maccabi Tel Aviv in Europe before being signed by the Utah Jazz during the 2015 NBA season. During the 2017 season, Ingles shot .441 from the three-point area, the highest by a Utah Jazz player since Kyle Korver set an NBA record of .536 in 2010. He was a key player during the Jazz’s first-round playoff series win over the Los Angeles Clippers in 2018. Last season, Ingles moved to 4th in Utah’s all-time three-point field goals list with 530 three-pointers made. Ingles played for Australia during the 2008, 2012 and 2016 Summer Olympics.
