1. Scottie Barnes, Toronto Raptors | Maximum five years

The maximum five-year extension at the rookie scale for a player from the 2021 draft is worth $224 million over five years. Players who make two All-NBA teams or make two All-Star appearances (or win an MVP) during this period can earn up to $269 million.

Barnes, who was named to his first All-Star team last season at the age of 22, has a real chance to earn that raise. career highs He put up 19.9 points, 8.2 rebounds and 5 assists per game and showed that he could be Toronto’s primary offensive option after trading Pascal Siakam. He also showed that he can be a back-line defender with 1.3 steals to go and 1.5 blocks to go.

2. Cade Cunningham, Detroit Pistons | Maximum five years

The No. 1 overall pick of the 2021 draft bounced back from a second season lost due to injury with a strong 2023-24 season. Cunningham averaged 22.7 points and 7.5 assists and showed great improvement in his shooting. He made an impressive 35.5% of his threes and 44.9% of his field goals for a Detroit Pistons team that had no other shooting threats for most of the season. Like Barnes, Cunningham will almost certainly get a max deal if he hits restricted free agency next year.

3. Trey Murphy, New Orleans Pelicans | Four years, $112 million

Murphy is one of the best young shooters in the NBA. A. Career 39.2% shooter from deepMurphy was good at making three 3-pointers a night last season, some from well beyond the arc. Standing at 1.80 meters tall, he has long arms and a high shooting point, making his shot very difficult to block. Moreover, he is a solid defender who almost never turns the ball over. Even if he doesn’t improve his ball handling, Murphy is a very valuable player who is likely to replace Brandon Ingram in the Pelicans’ starting lineup.

4. Alperen Şengün, Houston Rockets | Five years, $185 million

Şengün had breakthrough season While he averaged 21.1 points, 9.3 rebounds and 5 assists in the 2023-24 season, he ended the season a month early due to an ankle injury. He didn’t turn 22 until this summer, but he displayed a variety of offensive skills that earned him the nickname “Baby Jokic” for his inside game that required double teams.

Sengun had a very good chance of being maxed out next summer, so Houston gave up the chance for major cap space next summer to lock up their young big man. In contrast, Sengun received $40 million less than his max but received a player option for his fifth year. It’s a win-win for both sides, especially the fact that Şengun can enter free agency again at the age of 26.

5. Franz Wagner, Orlando Magic | Maximum five years

It’s been a disastrous season for Wagner three point shotHis shooting rate from deep was dropping to 28%, but he was very good at everything else. The 6-foot-4 forward was incredible at getting to the basket, making 31.5% of his shots from within 10 feet of the basket. Wagner is a big part A part of Orlando’s elite defense, he forces opponents away from the basket while struggling against a high shooting percentage.

As for the trios, Wagner may be exhausted after playing all but 15 games in his three-year career and spending his summers on the German national team’s home turf. While his free throw shooting is still excellent (85%), Wagner is likely to return to his above-average shooting.

6. Jalen Johnson, Atlanta Hawks | Five years, $150 million

Jalen Johnson was in the Hawks’ starting lineup in his age-22 season and quickly became one of the team’s most important players. johnson Tripled his assist count from 1.2 to 3.6 points per game, nearly tripling his scoring from 5.6 to 16 points per game, and grabbed 8.7 rebounds per game along with 1.2 steals. He is versatile defensively, can guard point guards and power forwards, and is over 35 percent from three-point range. Johnson also likes to dunk on his opponents.

7. Moses Moody, Golden State Warriors | Three years, $37.5 million

Moody is the least successful player to receive a rookie extension this year, so he’s also the lowest in terms of years and money. Originally listed at $39 million, $1.5 million of this deal comes in the form of incentives. What’s concerning is that Moody still hasn’t established himself as a regular in the Warriors’ rotation despite leading the team in preseason scoring. In fact, Moody is a solid player without excelling in many areas, but a slight increase in his shooting percentage or his ability to make quicker decisions puts him at a clear advantage. At worst, this contract could be extremely useful in future transactions.

8. Jalen Suggs, Orlando Magic | Five years, $150 million

Suggs is one of the league’s best outside linebackers and made the All-Defensive second team last year. He recovered from the injuries that derailed his first two seasons and increased his three-point shooting to almost 40%, partly due to much greater use of corners. However, paying big money to a shooting guard who doesn’t create offense for himself or his teammates is a bit dangerous; Suggs averages 3.2 assists and 2.1 turnovers throughout his career.

The upside for Orlando is that the value of Suggs’ contract decreases every year, but there’s still a lot of money to pay for a defense even if it’s very good.

9. Evan Mobley, Cleveland Cavaliers | Maximum five years

Mobley is another example of paying huge amounts of money for defense; in this case a maximum of five years. He is an elite and versatile defender who can block 1.4 shots per game while also protecting the perimeter. But Mobley’s offense remains mostly theoretical. His offensive usage is low, he doesn’t show much passing ability, and while his three-point percentage increased to 37% last season, He only made 70 total three-pointers – and less than 10 shots per game overall. Mobley could take a leap forward offensively if given more opportunities, but right now Cleveland is making an expensive bet on a major offensive development that will never come.

10. Jalen Green, Houston Rockets | Three years, $105.3 million

This might be the hardest deal to evaluate because it seems designed to trade Green. It’s a three-year deal that includes a player option in the final year (worth $36 million) plus a 10 percent trade benefit. If Green can play like he did after the All-Star break, when he averaged 22.8 points and shot 36.8% from distance, this deal looks good. It looks tough if he continues to play the way he has for the rest of his career, where his defense is completely bad, his assist rate is mediocre, and his shooting is erratic.

Essentially, this feels like a compromise deal where the Rockets get some contract certainty, and if Houston decides to take Green somewhere he doesn’t want to be, he’ll get a raise and have the ability to opt out. But that’s a lot of money for a player who has been performing mostly poorly for three seasons.

11. Corey Kispert, Washington Wizards | Four years, $54 million

The saving grace of this deal is that there is a team option for the fourth year. But all in all, it’s a Wizards move to give a big contract to a player with one upside skill: Three-point shooting. Kispert achieved 38.7% three points for his careerhe gets five per game. But he’s not a good defender, he doesn’t rebound, he doesn’t attack others, and he’ll be 26 when overtime starts.

It’s reminiscent of when the Wizards gave another three-point specialist, Davis Bertans, $69 million over four years, making it one of the worst contracts in the NBA. But Wizards never learn. That’s why they’re Magicians.