Five Big Questions Concerning The 2016-17 All-NBA Teams

4. Which Forward is getting a mega-max contract this summer?

The new rule in the collective bargaining agreement that Windhorst mentions will be in play for the remaining candidates for the forward spots. Whether Paul George or Gordon Hayward make an All-NBA team will not only alter their bank accounts, but their teams’ futures as well. Without the option to offer the mega-max, the chances that Hayward bolts and George gets dealt both increase exponentially.

With that in mind, how good a chance does each player have of getting selected? After LeBron, Kawai, Giannis and likely Durant, Draymond Green has the best case. He is the most versatile defender in the sport, if not the best, and he is sixth in the league in real plus minus. The only way he doesn’t make it is if enough voters see 10 points and seven rebounds and pick in favor of players with better traditional counting stats.

If enough voters go in that direction, George would have a real chance, although he probably sits behind Jimmy Butler in the pecking order. Butler has had a better season by just about any metric, advanced or otherwise, and the Bulls seem likely to sneak into the playoffs. Hayward seems like a long shot, not only because he gets less exposure than the other two, but also because he may not even be the best player on his own team. That honor goes the the subject of our final question.