Oct 29, 2014; Denver, CO, USA; Denver Nuggets forward
Kenneth Faried(35) during the game against the Detroit Pistons at Pepsi Center. The Nuggets won 89-79. Mandatory Credit: Chris Humphreys-USA TODAY Sports
The Best Of The Rest:
Kenneth Faried signed for four years, $50 million which is somewhat an overpayment for Denver given his lack of outside shot and inexperience dealing with large minutes. Pending improvement, and pending increased cap, Faried’s deal could however transform for semi-bad to being rather acceptable.
The Morris twins got a combined $52 million over four years, with Markieff receiving $32 million of them. Both deals are good solid ones, even for current cap standards. When the new cap arrives, these will be viewed as steals.
Reggie Jackson did not get an extension from the Thunder which was expected. Jackson supposedly is looking for a huge near-max payday, and the Thunder neither want, nor should, hand such a thing to him. They however now risk losing him next summer, when they clearly can’t afford to lose more assets.
Tobias Harris not receiving a contract extension is good news for both the Magic and Harris. While he’s improved, it’s not quite obvious what kind of player Harris is, and Orlando shouldn’t pay him until they’re sure he’s worth a large amount of money. Harris might get strong offers in free agency, but Orlando has matching rights and money to spend if they deem him worth. Good non-deal for Orlando.
Much like Harris, all three of Enes Kanter, Iman Shumpert, and Tristan Thompson were left in similar situations. None of them really have established themselves yet, in particular Kanter, and using the market to get a better idea of their value is the best idea for Utah, New York and Cleveland.