The NBA offseason is fast approaching, meaning a batch of veterans are about to become free agents, some for the first time. This summer’s free agent class is not the most illustrious in recent memory. There could be some intriguing additions from those who decline their player options, but the heads of the class right now are either those with heavy baggage (Kyrie Irving) or heavy mileage (Nikola Vucevic).
Slim pickings don’t mean it’s going to be a boring offseason, though. In fact, that may help this become one of the more fascinating offseasons in recent memory as franchises look for gems to aid in their team-building efforts.
Some of the players who will emerge from the wreckage were some of the NBA’s least paid this past year. Players making minimum salaries or very low salaries are out on the court, proving their worth and jumping the line to land a big payday in their next contract.
With the NBA offseason fast approaching, who are a few players who should warrant a considerable pay raise on their next contract?
The minimum salary in the NBA is nothing to chafe at for most, but it’s surprising to learn how many players are playing for pennies compared to their counterparts. Some minimum and low-paid players have been balling out all season for that next contract, with a few even torching opponents in the ongoing postseason.
Don’t see a player you think deserves to be on this list? Feel free to drop him in the comments. Here are three players who could garner a big raise this summer.
G Austin Reaves, Los Angeles Lakers
The Los Angeles Lakers, who rode injuries and struggles to a play-in bid, are two wins away from advancing to the Western Conference Finals. LeBron James and Anthony Davis are obvious focal points, but Austin Reaves has been critical too.
The machinations by the Lakers at the trade deadline allowed the second-year undrafted guard out of Oklahoma to move into a starting role in Darvin Ham’s rotation. He took immediate advantage, averaging 13.0 points, 3.4 assists, and 3.4 rebounds per game.
He’s somehow been better in the postseason, dropping 23 points on the Memphis Grizzlies in Game 1 of their series and never looking back. Reaves is also responsible for covering opponents’ best shooters in the playoffs, including Memphis’ Desmond Bane and Golden State’s Klay Thompson.
Reaves is doing all of this on a minimum contract. He signed a two-year deal with the team, which pays him $1.5 million this season. It’s set to expire at the end of the campaign.
He’s going to get paid this summer. As John Hollinger explained for The Athletic, the Lakers own his Early Bird Rights and Reaves qualifies under the “Arenas Rule,” essentially meaning they can cap his salary at the league average – estimated to be around $12 million – for the first two years of an offer sheet.
The Lakers do have some tough decisions to make this summer with free agents, including D’Angelo Russell, Rui Hachimura, and Denis Schroder. But the way Los Angeles has the rights for Reaves, a restricted free agent, suggests the Lakers could be the ones handing him a nice raise.
G Gabe Vincent, Miami Heat
Gabe Vincent is actually one of two key contributors on the Miami Heat who are making a minimum deal and about to hit free agency. For the sake of variety, Vincent gets the nod here, rather than Max Strus.
Vincent is one of those players who always thinks he’s on a heater. Truth be told, sometimes he really is. He’s averaging 13.9 points per game during the postseason, well above the standard he set during the regular season, which was in the single digits. He’s also shooting 37.7 percent from three.
Take the last game of the upset over the Milwaukee Bucks. Vincent played a whopping 41 minutes in the overtime thriller, attempting 12 three-pointers and scoring 22 points while dishing out six assists.
The green light was still on during the first two games against the New York Knicks. Vincent eclipsed 20 points in each of those games, carrying an outsized role during the Game 2 loss due to the absence of Jimmy Butler.
Sometimes, that doesn’t go so well. In Game 3 against the Knicks, Vincent was relegated to a lesser role and responded by missing all but one of his eight shot attempts, including four three-point misses. He also committed four fouls and turned the ball over twice.
Still, the key role Vincent is playing for a team two wins from the Eastern Conference Finals suggests his minimum contract is not going to be enough going further.
Miami might end up stuck choosing between Strus and Vincent, which would not be an easy decision. The Heat hold the Bird Rights to both, so they can pay a premium to retain at least one of those core rotational pieces.
The Heat may want to keep Vincent around and turn him into an heir apparent for Kyle Lowry. Wherever he goes, he’s not going to be making $1.8 million again next year, that’s for sure.
C Naz Reid, Minnesota Timberwolves
With two star big men suiting up for the Minnesota Timberwolves this season, it would’ve been easy for Naz Reid to get lost in the shuffle. That shouldn’t repeat itself in free agency.
Reid wasn’t selected in the 2019 NBA Draft, but he quickly caught on with the Timberwolves, where he’s played for the past four years. The young big man has been a consistent contributor, at times putting up numbers of starting caliber.
Despite coming off the bench for most of this season, Reid averaged a career-high 11.5 points per game in fewer than 19 minutes per contest. He also averaged career bests in field goal percentage (53.7 percent) and rebounds (4.9 boards per game).
His season came to an end prematurely when Reid suffered a left wrist injury in March. Things have been quiet on the recovery front, but the hope will likely be for Reid to be fully healed by the start of next season.
Minnesota converted Reid’s two-way salary into a four-year deal in July 2019. The deal had a player option for this past season at slightly more than $1.9 million, which Reid exercised.
Considering the big men in Minnesota, Reid seems unlikely to stay if he wants to start, which he’s capable of doing. If he doesn’t mind sliding off the bench, there may be an avenue to remain with the Timberwolves.
Around the trade deadline, however, Jake Fischer of Yahoo Sports reported Reid was looking for around $10 million next season in a future contract and declined multiple contract extension offers from the Timberwolves.
That wouldn’t even place him in the top 20 of center average salaries for next season, according to Spotrac. But it would still represent a big – and earned – raise for Naz Reid.