The deadline for players from the 2016 draft class to sign contract extensions was on Monday. Five players were able to sign extensions on the day of the deadline. These players are Jaylen Brown, Buddy Heild, Dejounte Murray, Taurean Prince, and Domantas Sabonis. Pascal Siakam was also able to re-sign with the Raptors a few days prior. I’m sure the teams that were able to bring their young guys back are feeling good right now, but there’s always two sides of the spectrum. Some players and organizations weren’t able to get deals done. The list of players who didn’t resign is not as prominent as the ones who did, but there are a few good young role players that teams have yet to come to terms with.
Brandon Ingram, New Orleans Pelicans
After an underwhelming rookie year, Ingram made some strides in his last two years with the Lakers. His scoring totals shot up from his rookie year, and he’s shown growth almost across the board in his first three seasons. After being included in the Anthony Davis package, he is now in New Orleans, where he isn’t in a win now situation. This could help Ingram grow and develop more over this season, and could ultimately give him a rather large payday this coming summer if he keeps improving. I’m sure Ingram is looking to get as much money as he can, so maybe not extending until the end of the year is a smart move. Brandon could be regretting not singing an extension if things go south, or he doesn’t take another jump in talent level like many expect, which would evidently result in a lower salary than expected.
Bogdan Bogdanovic, Sacramento Kings
The Kings being so young will have a lot of players to resign, and they have a lot of solid young players that will be looking for a decent sized contract. Of course, Bogdanovic is no star, but he has played an important role for the Kings, and he could in the future. Last season he averaged just under 15 PPG, primarily coming off the bench. He’s a good scorer and a lot of teams can use a guy who can come off the bench and score when their starters are resting. I’m sure this summer at least a few teams will be interested in adding Bogdanovic. His asking price could be somewhere from 12-15 million dollars a season. The Kings will have to give Bogdan the money for being an important role player to their team, or some other team will pay him to do it somewhere else.
DeAndre Bembry, Atlanta Hawks
Bembry has taken a couple of years to get going in the NBA, playing under 40 games in each of his first two seasons. Last year DeAndre played all 82 games, averaging 23.5 minutes a night. He was a big part of the youth development that took place in Atlanta last year, where it seems like all their young guys all just get better with experience. Bembry emerged as a good wing defender last season and was a big part of the Hawks bench unit. Now in a contract year, if Bembry has another solid year, then the Hawks will most likely want to bring him back to continue his development along with their other young players. The ability to defend well is appealing to a lot of teams, and if Bembry shows again that he can do it well, I’m sure a couple of teams would enjoy having him on board.
- Kevin Barnett
Instagram @nolimit_kb
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