This season's NBA journey has passed the halfway point, the play of various teams and players has gradually stabilized, like Morant, LaVine and other players, not only played the star data, but also helped the team's record to have a qualitative improvement, basically locked in the next maximum salary contract. "There are joys and sorrows", there are excellent performances must be poor performances, the following seven stars this season are afraid to lose the qualification for the maximum salary contract:
7. Wiggins earns an annual salary of $31.58 million
Season stats: 18.2 points, 4.2 rebounds, 2 assists, 48.2% shooting, 40.9% three-point shooting
When it comes to Wiggins, most fans' first impression of him is comparable to Jordan's physical talent, exaggerated vertical jump ability, so that he can almost complete the turn 720 degree dunk. It was with his visible talent that Wiggins was signed by the Cavaliers with a big pick in the 2014 draft, but was then sent to the Minnesota Timberwolves as a bargaining chip for Luck, which became the first twist in his previous smooth basketball career.
Coming to the "Genius Fall Base", Wiggins was full of energy in the first three seasons, and he was not willing to be used as a trading chip, as if he wanted to prove his strength to the fans and the league. In the 16-17 season, Wiggins averaged 23.6 points and 4 rebounds per game, and the field dunked French center Gobert, and repeatedly played highlights against "sworn enemy" James, and the phenomenal play allowed him to get a five-year, $148 million maximum salary contract in 2017.
In the following season, Wiggins seemed to "see through the red dust", officially opened his own punch card to work mode, a fixed number of shots per game, a fixed average of points per game, and a stable performance also made fans spit that he was more like a playing machine. After swapping owners with Russell, Wiggins, who came to the Warriors, continued to be in this state, and although the defensive attitude was getting better (101.7 defensive efficiency this season, 22nd in the league), the offensive desire was too much to compliment.
Next summer, Wiggins' contract is about to expire, and the Canadian genius star who has no highlights in the average data, key moments and personal scoring ability, wants to get a top salary contract with an average annual salary of more than $35 million, which is simply a fool's dream. Considering the current Limited Salary Space for the Warriors, the two broke up and are basically nailed down, and a four-year, $120 million contract with Wiggins' current strength is more appropriate.
6. Bridges earns $5.42 million a year
Season stats: 20.1 points, 7.4 rebounds, 3.5 assists, 48.4% from the field and 32% from three-point range.
Before the start of the season, it is estimated that no fans will think that Joe's Hornets will rise this season, and the team's current record is 26 wins and 21 losses, ranking seventh in the East, and only four wins away from the Heat in the East. The team, formed by a group of youngsters, is the team's leading scorer Bridges, the small forward who entered the league with the 12th pick in the first round of 2018, and has played amazingly this season.
A strong contender for the season's fastest improving player, Bridges averaged 7.4 points per game with just 12.7 points and six rebounds last season. Behind the promotion, mainly due to Bridges's strengthening of his own impact on the inside line, currently averaging 10.7 points per game in the penalty area, ranking 15th in the league, 113.5 in offensive efficiency, ranking 25th in the league, and in layman's terms, a player who likes to charge with an "explosive pack".
This season is Bridges' contract year, the 23-year-old has done his best for the next contract, according to his agency team, Bridges has the strength to win a top salary contract with an annual salary of more than $30 million. Of course, this is just wishful thinking of the latter, because forwards who do not have the ability to attack on their own are worth at best a middle-class contract with an average annual salary of $25 million.
Before Bridges, Jordan had signed the organization forward Batum for $120 million for five years, and the average ball-handling striker could be said to have deeply hurt the hearts of the Hornets management. Referring to the current Hawks' big forward Collins, who also has no independent offensive ability, has been put on the shelf by the team, Bridges wants to stay in the Hornets, it is inevitably impossible to be renewed by the maximum salary.
5, sabonis jr. annual salary of 19.8 million US dollars
Season stats: 19 points, 11.9 rebounds, 4.9 assists, shooting 57.5% from the field and 32.4% from three-point range.
As the son of NBA star former Sabonis Sr., Sabonis Jr. was selected by the Thunder with the 11th pick in the first round of 2016, and after giving Westbrook another season as a younger brother (averaging 5.9 points and 3.6 rebounds per game), he was sent by the Thunder management to the Indiana Pacers. Coming to a leaderless team, Sabonis Jr. gradually became the core of the team with his excellent rebounding sense of smell and one-handed assist ability.
Just look at Sam's data last season, averaging 20.3 points, 12 rebounds, 6.7 assists and 1.2 steals per game, an organizational big forward with excellent rebounding ability, solid internal low offensive footsteps, flexible defensive footsteps, called the most perfect interior player in the small-ball era, look at the data is worthy of a top salary contract.
But this is just the illusion that the data brings to the fans, behind the gorgeous data, Sabonis Jr. is vulnerable on the defensive end, the awareness of internal defense and supplementary defense is weak, and the outside rotation defense is not threatening, which is the main reason why the Pacers have only won 17 wins and 31 losses this season.
Compared with his father, Sabonis Sr., Sam has better statistics in the NBA, but his father won the 1988 Olympic Championship with the former Soviet Union, and was elected the European Player of the Year for six times and the European Basketball Mr. basketball for two times. After seven seasons with the Portland Trail Blazers, he averaged 12 points and 7.3 rebounds per game, and was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame in 2011, a star whose stats do not reflect the strength on the court.
Recently, pacers management has also seen the upper limit of little Sabonis, and has put it on the shelf, as long as the chips given by the other party are appropriate, they can complete the transaction immediately. Currently, the Sacramento Kings have a keen interest in Sabonis Jr. and will trade with key players such as Hield or Bagley if the team does not get Simmons.
4, Russell annual salary of 30.01 million US dollars
Season stats: 19 points, 3.6 rebounds, 7.1 assists, shooting 41.1% from the field and 35.4% from three-point range.
Regarding Russell, many fans do not understand why the Los Angeles Lakers, who hold the 2015 chart pick, would choose this point guard with mediocre physical talent?
The biggest reason is because the 2015 draft is a veritable draft year, when the Lakers are in a period of rot, the team needs a point guard with independent offensive ability, and Russell, who averaged 19.3 points, 5.7 rebounds and 5 assists per game in college, is the best choice. The level of point guards in this draft is also ridiculously poor, and the level of players such as Winslow, Payne, and Rozier is really limited.
After two seasons with the Lakers, Russell averaged 14 points, 3.5 rebounds and 4 assists per game, and Lakers management gradually questioned the upper limit of this point guard. Just at this time, the Lakers wanted to dispose of Mozkov's garbage contract, so in the 2017 offseason, the Nets and the Lakers reached a deal, Russell and Mozkov were sent to Brooklyn, and Lopez joined Los Angeles.
In the 18-19 season, the Nets were still in a period of renewal, russell as the core of the team to lead the team, he averaged 21 points, 3.9 rebounds and 7 assists per game, playing the best season of his career. Because Oladipo withdrew from All-Star Weekend due to injury, Russell took the last train of this year's All-Star and became a veritable All-Star player, laying the groundwork for a big contract in the later period.
Shortly after Russell was elected an All-Star, Chinese owner Tsai Chongxin wholly acquired the Nets, and in order to get the team into the championship as soon as possible, in 2019, he spent a lot of money ($160 million in 4 years) to sign Durant, who had a broken Achille tendon, and the rookie contract expired, and Russell eventually lost to the master of possession Irving, the former entering the trading market as a free agent.
At this time, the Warriors became the wrongdoer, because the team's second leader Klay Thompson suffered a rupture in the Achilles tendon in the Finals, and the two-time FMVP Durant joined the Nets, and the Warriors urgently needed an All-Star player to join. They eventually signed point guard Russell for $117 million for four years, a deal that filled the team's salary space, not to mention, Russell was still incompatible with Curry's playing style, and sent it to the Timberwolves in the middle of the season, which can be described as a loss to the wife and a fold.
The main reason why Russell can no longer get a maximum salary contract is that he has limited strength, Towns is the current leader of the Timberwolves, Edwards' basketball talent has the potential to become a superstar, only Russell has strength but is not strong enough, the situation is very embarrassing.
3. DeRozan's annual salary is 26 million US dollars
Season stats: 26.3 points, 5 rebounds, 4.8 assists, 49.5% shooting, 33.3% three-point shooting
Last offseason, fans focused on Westbrook joining the Lakers, so much so that the former "king of the North" was ignored, and after the Spurs announced the demolition and rebuilding, the 32-year-old DeRozan did not receive a top salary contract in the free market. This also illustrates the cruelty of the league, an elderly and unproven star, who can really be selectively ignored by fans and the media.
Three years at $85 million, DeRozan was recruited by the thirsty Bulls to form the "Civilian Four" with Lonzo Ball, Raven, and Vucevic. At the beginning of the season, this team with a deep squad showed a strong deterrent at both ends of the offensive and defensive ends under the tutelage of head coach Donovan, and the record soon reached the top three in the East, which attracted the attention of fans and the media.
As the team's most stable star, DeRozan has once again bloomed the "second spring" this season, it is difficult to imagine that in today's small ball era, a player only shoots 1.8 three-pointers per game, but can score 26.3 points per game, throughout the league, only the "little prince of the middle shot" DeRozan.
Currently, he hits 9.5 shots per game, ranking fifth in the league and averaging 7.9 free throws per game, the old-school shooting guard who is dominating the league today with his traditional way of playing.
The excellent performance brought DeRozan back into the public eye, and after the third round of all-Star voting, DeRozan received a total of 4.12 million votes, ranking first in the Eastern Conference backcourt and 2 million votes ahead of second place Trae Young, and has booked an All-Star starting position in advance. This season DeRozan has told us a truth with his actions: "Trees move to death, people move to live"!
DeRozan is about to turn 35 at the end of his contract, and he is at the end of his career, and the probability of getting a top salary contract like James is almost zero.
2. Ayton's annual salary is $12.63 million
Season stats: 16.8 points, 10.5 rebounds, 1.5 assists, shooting 63.7% from the field and 71.3% from the free throws.
We can make a hypothesis that before Paul joined the Suns, the 2018 president Ayton averaged 18.2 points and 11.5 rebounds per game, and as long as he continues to play this game for one season, he will definitely get a maximum salary contract.
But after Paul joined the Suns, Ayton's average of 20-21 fell to 14.4 points and 10.5 rebounds per game, and the Suns' record jumped to the second place in the league, such a large record contrast just shows that Ayton's contribution to the victory of this Suns team is minimal.
Last offseason, Ayton was eligible to complete a maximum salary extension with the Suns early, but waited for the team to renew his contract, just at this time:
Fellow rookie Doncic renewed his contract with the Lone Rangers for $207 million for five years, Trae Young for $173 million for the Hawks, Alexander for the Thunder for five years, Porter Jr. for $173 million for the Nuggets for five years, teammate Bridges for four years and $90 million for the Suns...
This piece of renewal news, like a needle stabbed Ayton's heart, and then the team management also publicly stated that at present, it does not think that this Yuanlang has the strength of the maximum salary. This season is the last year of Ayton's rookie contract and his last chance to fight for a top salary contract, but so far this season, Ayton has only played 28 games due to injury, and the Suns' record has not dropped, and he is currently ranked first in the league with 37 wins and 9 losses.
What is even more embarrassing is that the current two major centers of the team, McGee and Biyongbo, playing well under Paul's feeding, especially the unemployed player Biyyombo, who joined the team halfway, played in 9 games for the team, averaging 6.3 shots per game to get 10.8 points and 7.6 rebounds, which was converted into Ayton's 11.5 shots, then the average data per game will be 19.6 points and 14 rebounds, which is better than Ayton's current data.
In addition, the defensive efficiency of Biyombo and McGee on the court is much higher than that of Ayton, the ability to protect the frame is significant and the quality of "eating cake" is excellent, which makes Ayton' comeback or not, will not affect the Suns' record, after all, the core of the current team is Paul and Booker.
At present, the probability that Ayton wants to get the Suns' top salary is almost zero, and with his current performance, even if he enters the free market, it is difficult to get a favorite top salary contract, and the contract with an annual salary of $25 million is more in line with his current value.
1. Zion Williamson's annual salary is $10.73 million
Season stats: None
As the hottest player in the past five seasons, Zion, who is 1.98 meters tall, weighs nearly 130 kilograms, and easily bounces vertically over 110 centimeters, has attracted countless fans in college with his highly ornamental playing style. Throughout the freshman season, Duke University's games were basically packed, and everyone wanted to witness Zion's historical physical fitness, zion with the attitude of being able to dunk and never make a basket, averaging 22.6 points, 8.9 rebounds, 2.1 assists and 2.1 steals per game.
In the 2019 draft, Zion Williamson was selected by the Pelicans with the title without suspense, and morant, behind him, there was almost no traffic heat, which is the cruelty of reality. In his rookie season, Zion played only 24 games due to injury, averaging 22.5 points and 6.3 rebounds per game, and even though he made limited appearances, his "violent" play on the court was still recognized by fans.
Last season, Healthy Zion showed his basketball talent to fans unscrupulously, averaging 27 points, 7.2 rebounds and 3.7 assists per game, and was selected as an All-Star for the first time in his career. But the Pelicans still can't get out of the Western Fish Belly situation, and at the end of the season, Zion ended his right foot repair surgery and has been absent since then.
This season, the 2019 2019 chart show Morant, which has not received media attention, began to shine, averaging 25.3 points, 6 rebounds and 6.9 assists per game, leading the Grizzlies to a record of 32 wins and 17 losses, ranking third in the West, basically locking in the starting position of the All-Star this season and the top salary contract in the field.
And Zion, who spent half of his career off the field, has gradually faded out of the fan's vision, according to the photos he watched on the sidelines before, Zion's body shape is seriously blessed, and the current recovery from injury is not optimistic, and the possibility of reimbursement this season is not ruled out. Such a glass physique star, I am afraid it is difficult to get a super top salary contract.