With the selections made, franchises are pondering on contract extensions. In case you’ve been hearing NBA ‘Supermax Contract’, here is it explained along with the players on it
Formally known as the Designated Veteran Player Extension, with a Supermax Contract Extension, teams can re-sign qualified players to maximum five-year contracts. Read on to know more about this rule and the NBA players who are currently playing under such contracts.
NBA Supermax Contract Explained, Players, Conditions And Amount
The length of such a contract depends on the NBA experience of a player and the years left on their current contract. Following is the eligibility criteria for such contract extensions. After a player signs the supermax contract, teams cannot trade them for the first year after.
- Four-Year Supermax: If a qualified player has completed 7-8 years of service and has 2 years left on the contract (They will play 6 seasons for the same team)
- Five-Year Supermax: If a qualified player has completed 7-8 years of service and has 1 year left on the contract or if a qualified agent has completed 8-9 years of service
In addition to the above, the player must also meet one of the following three criteria. They should be named:
- Member of an All-NBA team in the recent season or both seasons before
- NBA Defensive Player of the Year in the recent season or both seasons before
- NBA MVP in any of the previous 3 seasons
While such contracts are mammoth money for the players, teams often squeeze themselves in terms of salary cap room to fill out their rosters, in order to retain players. The deals have a value equal to 35 percent of the salary cap in the first year. They then see an 8 percent escalation in every year subsequently. No team is capable of carrying two supermax players, since they would make up 70 percent of a team’s salary in any given year.
NBA Players Currently Under A Supermax Contract
Stephen Curry – Golden State Warriors ($215 million)
John Wall – Washington Wizards ($171 million)
Russell Westbrook – Oklahoma City Thunder ($206 million)
James Harden – Houston Rockets ($227.9 million)
Damian Lillard – Portland Trail Blazers ($196 million)
Giannis Antetokounmpo – Milwaukee Bucks ($228 million)
Joel Embiid – Philadelphia 76ers ($196 million)
Luka Doncic – Dallas Mavericks ($207 million)
ALSO READ: Joel Embiid Agrees To Four Year $196 Million NBA Supermax Contract Extension With Philadelphia 76ers