After a summer of eye-popping free agency signings and re-signings, here’s a look at 15 NBA players who are living up to their summer contracts in 2015-16.
With the NBA salary cap jumping to $70 million this season and projected to skyrocket to $89 million this summer, the concept of a max contract has greatly changed. Once reserved for superstar players who served as the face of a franchise, now those gaudy extensions are handed out to crucial role players or anyone young and promising enough to merit a long-term commitment.
For NBA players, their contract situations and the influx of incoming money from the league’s massive TV deal could really be summed up by the incomparable Drake: “What a time, to be alive!”
This past summer, our concept of what an appropriate amount was to spend on a quality NBA player drastically changed. With everyone and their mothers getting contracts that would’ve made general managers faint 10 years ago, it’s become harder to judge the value of a signing without automatically resorting to, “With the way the salary cap is going up, it won’t look so bad down the road!”
While this go-to response still holds true for the vast majority of the contracts signed in 2015, there are certainly a few players who stand out based on their performance this season, validating those significant investments. For example, Omer Asik‘s five-year, $60 million extension is still an albatross no matter how high the salary cap climbs, while someone like Cory Joseph has quietly lived up to his four-year, $30 million extension as sixth man in Toronto.
Related Story: NBA Power Rankings: Week 14
In order to sort out the good from the bad among the free agency signings and re-signings of the past summer, here’s a look at the top 15 players who are living up to their new or extended contracts from 2015 (with preference being given to the max deals over the bargain bin contracts since those massive signings can make or break a franchise).
NOTE: Extensions from rookie contracts (i.e. contracts that jumped the gun before a player on a rookie-scale deal tested restricted free agency) were not included in this list, which is why you won’t see names like Anthony Davis, Damian Lillard or Jonas Valanciunas despite their highly publicized offseason extensions. We also excluded first-year players who just signed their rookie contracts and anyone who was traded over the summer rather than signed/re-signed in free agency.
Honorable Mentions: Rajon Rondo, Cory Joseph, Arron Afflalo, Mirza Teletovic
Next: No. 15
15. Al-Farouq Aminu
Al-Farouq Aminu was one of the first free agency signings announced last summer, proving to be an early barometer for what new expectations should be with the NBA’s salary cap skyrocketing the way that it is. Though his four-year, $30 million extension seemed like a hefty deal at the time, paying $7.5 million a year for his two-way services seems more than fair now.
Thanks to Tuesday’s win over the Kings, the Portland Trail Blazers are in sole possession of the eighth playoff seed in the Western Conference — in a season many expected them to roll over and tank with four of five starters from last year’s team gone. The Blazers may not hang on to that playoff spot — especially since their first round pick goes to Denver if it falls outside the lottery — but Aminu has been a smaller pleasant surprise behind Damian Lillard and C.J. McCollum.
Coming off a breakout playoff series with the Dallas Mavericks, Aminu is averaging 10.4 points and 6.4 rebounds per game while converting 34.7 percent of his 4.2 three-point attempts per game — all career highs. Give this 25-year-old wing some additional time and he may even retain his prominent starting role once the Blazers are legitimately good again.
Next: No. 14
14. Patrick Beverley
Patrick Beverley‘s impact can’t really be measured by his basic stat line of 8.9 points, 2.9 rebounds and 2.6 assists per game on 41.2 percent shooting. He’s missed 11 games due to injury and the Houston Rockets are barely three games above .500 in a season where they were expected to build upon last year’s Western Conference Finals appearance.
But lost in all the noise of the (failed) Ty Lawson trade was Beverley’s meager four-year, $25 million summer extension, keeping the feisty and perfectly complementary point guard alongside James Harden in Houston’s backcourt for the long-term. It’s certainly no coincidence that the Rockets are 17-11 in the 28 games Beverley has started, that’s for sure.
Beverley is not the playmaker or scorer that Lawson is, but he’s a far better fit with the ball-dominant Harden, especially since he can spot up and knock down 42 percent of his three-pointers this season. The Lawson gamble was worth a try, but Beverley’s hounding defense, his attitude and his willingness to play off the ball make him a steal for Houston’s backcourt.
Next: No. 13
13. Jeremy Lin
Jeremy Lin may only be averaging 12.7 points, 3.3 assists and 3.3 rebounds per game this season, but the Charlotte Hornets got one of the best bargain deals of the summer by signing him to a two-year, $4 million contract (with a player option for 2016-17 that he will almost assuredly opt out of).
With Nicolas Batum being banged up, Lin has even filled in admirably alongside Kemba Walker in the starting lineup, averaging an eye-popping 18.4 points, 4.3 assists and 3.8 rebounds per game on .468/.412/.837 shooting splits in nine starts. The only thing more impressive than those numbers is his ever-changing hairstyle.
Lin is posting the best per 36 minutes numbers of his career since his breakout season in New York when Linsanity swept the globe, and he’s coming off a 26-point outing in a revenge game against the Knicks and a 20-11-7 stat line in a double-overtime win over the Kings. Batum has been Charlotte’s best player this season, but Lin has done his best to fill in on an extremely cheap contract.
Next: No. 12
12. Will Barton
Raise your hand if you predicted that Will Barton would be a legitimate Sixth Man of the Year candidate before the 2015-16 NBA season started! No one? Well, at least the Denver Nuggets were smart and/or lucky enough to lock him down for three years, and at an extremely manageable price of $10.6 million too.
Averaging 15.5 points, 6.1 rebounds and 2.4 assists per game this season, Barton has started in only one of his 45 appearances for the Nuggets. He’s shooting a respectable 44.1 percent from the field and 38.2 percent from three-point range, all while bringing a Corey Brewer-esque energy off the bench to revitalize the Nuggets and whatever dozens of fans actually show up to the games these days.
Barton is posting career highs in scoring, rebounds, assists, minutes and three-point percentage this season, making him one of the most unlikely pleasant surprises in the NBA. At only 25 years old, there’s no reason to question his place with this developing Nuggets team moving forward.
Next: No. 11
11. Jae Crowder
Isaiah Thomas is the most likely Boston Celtics player to receive All-Star considerations, but with his contributions on both ends of the floor, Jae Crowder may actually be the team’s best player just past the midway point of the season. His numbers — 14.5 PPG, 5.1 RPG, 1.9 APG, 1.8 SPG, 45.3 FG%, 36.7 3P% — don’t leap off the page, but Crowder has been nothing short of sensational.
Considering he signed a five-year, $35 million contract extension this past summer, Crowder might just be Danny Ainge‘s most valuable — and most movable — contract. That clearly demonstrates his importance to the Celtics’ on-court product, but it also makes him something of a blue chip trade piece that could be packaged in a deal for a superstar, which, if you recall, was the whole point of stockpiling all those assets and extra draft picks.
Perhaps it won’t amount to anything before the Feb. 18 trade deadline. Perhaps Ainge won’t be able to swing a deal for rumored targets like Kevin Love or DeMarcus Cousins. But even if Crowder isn’t shipped away to transition Boston into a new era, Brad Stevens and company will be more than happy to continue to make their playoff push with Crowder’s impressive 3-and-D skill set on deck.
Next: No. 10
10. Tim Duncan
Considering all that he means to the San Antonio Spurs franchise, Tim Duncan could’ve easily gotten any kind of contract he wanted last summer in free agency. But, in perfectly fitting fashion, he took a major discount (two years, $10.5 million) to re-sign with the only team he’s ever played for and leave them plenty of room to complete the rest of their desired moves.
San Antonio arguably had the best offseason of any team in the NBA thanks to that sacrifice, landing LaMarcus Aldridge and David West while also re-signing Kawhi Leonard, Danny Green, Manu Ginobili and Matt Bonner. With the way San Antonio was able to find key reserves like Jonathon Simmons and Boban Marjanovic, the losses of Tiago Splitter, Cory Joseph and Marco Belinelli haven’t even been felt.
This is Duncan’s worst year statistically, with the 19-year veteran averaging a 8.9 points, 7.5 rebounds and 1.3 blocks per game — all career lows. But his impact on what might be the NBA’s greatest defense of all time is also quite clear, with San Antonio’s stingy defense being 3.2 points per 100 possessions worse with Duncan off the floor.
Next: No. 9
9. DeAndre Jordan
Don’t get me wrong, the Los Angeles Clippers would be in a MUCH worse spot if Chris Paul‘s banana boat intervention hadn’t swayed him to re-sign with Lob City and renege on his verbal agreement with the Mavs over the summer. But considering his numbers are so similar to last year’s stat line, DeAndre Jordan probably shouldn’t be much higher on this list than No. 9.
To be fair, Jordan is having a sensational season yet again, especially with Blake Griffin having missed so many games. D.J. is averaging 11.9 points, 13.5 rebounds and 2.2 blocks per game on an outrageous 71.4 percent shooting figure, but other than marginal increases in scoring and field goal percentage, none of those are career highs for Jordan.
Perhaps those are harsh standards to hold anyone by, but Jordan just signed a four-year max contract worth $88 million and held the whole league hostage for a few days in July. Maybe it’s just me, but I was expecting more of a renaissance season from him, especially with all the time that Griffin has missed lately. He’s living up to his contract, he’s just not exceeding expectations.
Next: No. 8
8. Khris Middleton
Khris Middleton didn’t exactly get off to a roaring start following his five-year, $70 million summer extension, but funnily enough, Jason Kidd‘s hip surgery provided him the opportunity to find his rhythm. In 17 games under interim Joe Prunty, Middleton averaged a red-hot 22.7 points, 5.0 assists and 4.0 rebounds per game on .500/.419/.865 shooting splits.
Okay, so maybe Kidd’s absence and Middleton’s surge had nothing to do with each other, since Middleton dropped 25 points, seven assists and five rebounds in Kidd’s return to the sideline Tuesday night. But no matter what the actual cause was, it has to be relieving for the Milwaukee Bucks to see this 24-year-old starting to deliver on all his potential as a more aggressive and efficient scorer on the wing.
After posting 13.4 points, 4.4 rebounds and 2.3 assists per game on .467/.407/.859 shooting splits last year, Middleton’s value was questioned beyond his evident efficiency, especially within the context of such a massive extension. But with Middleton averaging 17.7 points, 4.0 assists and 3.5 rebounds per game on 42.3 percent shooting from downtown this year, he’s certainly living up to his new deal.
Next: No. 7
7. Reggie Jackson
Believe me, I never thought Reggie Jackson would have a prayer of cracking this list after signing a five-year, $80 million extension that had him being paid as much as John Wall. And yet, for all our summer criticism, the Detroit Pistons‘ starting point guard has been even better than advertised, averaging 19.2 points, 6.6 assists and 3.7 rebounds per game.
His 43.9 percent shooting from the floor and 35 percent shooting from three-point range suggest there’s room for improvement still, but the 25-year-old point guard has taken the Pistons’ offense by the reins in his first full season in the driver’s seat. For those who questioned his merit as a starting 1-guard in this league from his days as sixth man with the Thunder, Jackson has proven them all wrong.
Pick-and-rolls with Andre Drummond are becoming incredibly hard to stop, and the two are just in their first full season together. Jackson is also the lead guard in a starting unit that averages the second-most points per game in the NBA, with the league’s seventh best point differential. That $80 million price tag was terrifying to behold last summer, but Jackson is somehow making it worth Detroit’s while.
Next: No. 6
6. Enes Kanter
Speaking of players no one ever thought would live up to their gaudy summer extensions, we have to eat a bit of extra crow in honor of Enes Kanter, who, oddly enough, was another player included in the three-team trade that moved Reggie Jackson to Detroit. Kanter was the Oklahoma City Thunder‘s prized acquisition in that deal, and coming off the bench under Billy Donovan, he’s been superb.
To be fair, Kanter’s four-year, $70 million extension may still be a hefty price to pay a reserve in some people’s minds. But with the fifth year big man averaging 11.4 points and 7.5 rebounds in only 20.6 minutes per game — while also shooting 55.1 percent from the floor — he’s more than fulfilled his important, albeit limited, role.
Kanter is still a defensive sieve, which is why Donovan prefers to roll with Steven Adams in the starting lineup and limits Kanter’s playing time so severely. After all, OKC’s defense is 9.0 points stingier per 100 possessions with Kanter off the floor. But in small doses, his knack for racking up double-doubles has outweighed his defensive flaws, with the big man actually holding opponents to 2.6 percent worse shooting than they’d normally shoot on attempts from less than six feet, per NBA.com.
Next: No. 5
5. Paul Millsap
Remember back when Paul Millsap was on perhaps the NBA’s best bargain contract after his two-year, $19 million extension? Those were the good old days for the Atlanta Hawks, but even after extending one of the league’s most underrated power forwards to a three-year, $58 million deal over the summer, Millsap has managed to deliver on almost every front.
The Hawks aren’t going to win 60 games this season, and they hardly resemble the team that had some wondering if LeBron James‘ Cleveland Cavaliers had a legitimate threat on their hands heading into the Eastern Conference Finals last year. But Millsap has done everything in his power to keep Atlanta in the thick of the playoff picture, with the Hawks currently sporting a 27-19 record — good for third in the Eastern standings.
Even better, Millsap is averaging 18.4 points, 8.8 rebounds, 3.5 assists, 1.9 steals and 1.4 blocks per game on 49.5 percent shooting. Other than field goal percentage, those are ALL career highs. He has yet to find the three-point stroke he discovered last season, but Millsap has been superb in almost every way and is more than deserving of an All-Star spot this season.
Next: No. 4
4. LeBron James
Leading off our four heavy hitters is LeBron James, who signed a two-year deal worth $46.9 million last summer — thought it was really only a one-year, $23 million extension since the second year has a player option that the King will surely opt out of this summer so he can re-sign for even more money as the NBA’s salary cap skyrockets to a projected $89 million.
Still, even with LeBron earning $23 million this year, there are few players more deserving of that hefty amount, especially given his importance to the Cleveland Cavaliers and finally bringing a title to “The Land.” The Warriors and Spurs look like heavy favorites over the Cavs right now, but ask any Cleveland fan if they give a s**t and they’ll tell you they’re just happy the King brought his throne back home.
LeBron is no longer an MVP frontrunner these days, averaging a mortal (for him) 25.0 points, 7.2 rebounds and 6.3 assists per game on .504/.293/.710 shooting splits. But LeBron might mean more to his franchise than any player in the league right now, and even if there was never any doubt about where he was re-signing last summer, we can’t NOT include King James here somewhere.
Next: No. 3
3. Jimmy Butler
Let’s just get this out of the way now: For everything that Dwyane Wade has accomplished in this league as quite possibly the third or fourth best shooting guard of all time (behind Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant and Jerry West), there’s no WAY he deserves to be starting in the All-Star Game over Jimmy Butler. Given the breakout season Butler’s had, this is just a simple statement of fact.
The Chicago Bulls are not where they want to be as a team right now, but the front office has to feel reassured that their massive five-year, $95 million extension for Butler was well spent. As one of the best two-way players in the league, the 26-year-old Butler is averaging 22.3 points, 5.3 rebounds, 4.2 assists and 1.7 steals per game on 45 percent shooting from the floor.
Butler’s three-point percentage (32.2) may have fallen off a bit compared to his last few seasons, but he’s still posting career highs in scoring and assists. As his 53-point outing against the Sixers and his 40-point half against the Raptors showed, Butler is not intimidated by the prospect of snatching the reins of this franchise from Derrick Rose. In fact, the sooner that happens, the better off the Bulls will be.
Next: No. 2
2. Draymond Green
Is it possible for a team to enjoy a bargain price while still signing a player to a max contract extension? Because that’s basically what the Golden State Warriors got when they re-signed human Swiss Army knife Draymond Green to a five-year, $82 million extension last summer — especially since he was in line for $90 million.
That extra $8 million may not have seemed like much at the time, but for a player who’s become arguably the best two-way player in the league and a top-10 player overall, it’s an outright steal the Warriors got to keep Green for that price, given the exponential growth we’ve seen from him in 2015-16.
So far this season, Green is averaging an unbelievable 14.6 points, 9.5 rebounds, 7.3 assists, 1.4 steals and 1.3 blocks per game — numbers that, if they hold for the entire season, would make him the only player in NBA history to achieve such a balanced stat line. Throw in the fact that he leads the league in triple-doubles (eight) and is shooting career highs in field goal percentage (47.1) and three-point percentage (40.6 percent) while also doubling as the Dubs’ most versatile defender and this is a no-brainer.
Next: No. 1
1. Kawhi Leonard
Draymond Green is a top-10 player in this league. He should’ve won Defensive Player of the Year over Kawhi Leonard last season and he’s arguably an MVP candidate, both for the Warriors and the NBA in general. But as the best secondary MVP candidate this season (behind Stephen Curry, of course), Leonard was undoubtedly the best contract maneuver of the summer.
Leave it to the Spurs to turn George Hill into a two-way stud like Leonard, who will join Michael Jordan and Hakeem Olajuwon as the only players in NBA history to earn Finals MVP, Defensive Player of the Year and All-Star honors in their careers. Leonard is quite possibly the best wing defender the league has seen since MJ and Scottie Pippen terrorized the league, and his growth on the offensive end has been thrilling to watch.
Averaging a career high 20.0 points, 6.8 rebounds, 2.6 assists and 1.9 steals per game, Kawhi is finally having that breakout regular season we’ve been waiting for. He’s only 24 years old, but he’s shooting an efficient 50.4 percent from the field and an unconscious 48.1 percent from three-point range — the second-best mark in the league.
More hoops habit: Every NBA Team's Best Bargain Contract
People have long pegged Leonard as Duncan’s successor, and even on a team that snagged LaMarcus Aldridge over the summer, Leonard is living up to that designation.