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A week ago, the free agency (the Mercato of the NBA) opened its doors. And in a few days, millions of dollars have been distributed to the stars of the League. In memory, never have so many greenbacks circulated in such a short time between franchises and players.
And the first signing is historic: a record $264 million contract extension over the next five seasons. The lucky one? Nikola Jokic, the Nuggets’ two-time Serbian MVP. The jackpot for the one who, let’s remember, had been drafted in 41st position in 2014. An unimaginable but ultimately logical pool of greenbacks, for the one who has been considered the best player for two years.
The other big extension of this beginning of free agency is that of Bradley Beal in Washington. The 29-year-old winger has extended in the capital for 251 million dollars over 5 years. And this contract, it is likely to be talked about for a long time. Because Beal is clearly not in the same category as Jokic. But could the Wizards do otherwise? Not offering this contract and seeing their star leave against Peanuts was not an option. From then on, the leaders had no choice but to extend it to the super-max.
Other extensions include that of Devin Booker (224 million over 4 years), Karl-Anthony Towns (224 million over 4 years), Zach LaVine (215 million over 5 years), Darius Garland (193 million over 5 years), Ja Morant (193 million over 5 years) and Zion Williamson (193 million over 5 years).
Even players like Anfernee Simmons (100 million over 4 years) and Luguentz Dort (87.5 million over 5 years) managed to hit the jackpot. If transfers have not yet punctuated this off-season (we are waiting for Kevin Durant’s trade), the stars have broken the bank with contract extensions whose height sometimes exceeds all understanding.
