Some NBA teams can slightly let their feet off the gas pedal now that the dealing for extensions is finally over. Now, front offices across the league get to assess their respective players before making an ultimate decision on them during their restricted free agencies in 2021.
While that tactic does surely pay off for those NBA teams in the now, it could be the same double-edged sword that deals a critical blow next offseason. As much as most teams want their prospects to play up to the best of their abilities for the best chances of competing in the ongoing season, most GMs are well aware of how much that could play against them in the future.
Some front offices decided to take the easy way out by meeting a pending free agent in the middle of contract negotiations. While the deals that were reached could also be a gamble, it's less of a gamble than what certain NBA teams will be banking on with some high-talent that will be looking for big paydays.
Here are some of the more shocking players that didn't get a contract extension.
3. Lonzo Ball
Sure, Ball hasn't presented the best case to receive a rookie max extension. To a degree, the argument could be made that even he wouldn't suggest that he deserves one given his past campaigns in the NBA.
Although, if the only argument being made against Ball is his struggling development of a jump shot, the New Orleans Pelicans could come soon to regret not giving the 23-year-old an extension. Ball has been consistently working on his jumper over the years.
He's making a strong case so far this season, though it's only been through two games. What's more apparent about Ball's uptick in production is his attempts from downtown. He's attempting eight 3-pointers per game at the moment, which is roughly two more than last season. While he's currently shooting the same 37 percent clip from downtown, his revitalized form looks to be paying off.
The Pelicans traded Jrue Holiday during the offseason in order to raise Ball's ball-handling duties. When it's all said and done, they'll probably wish they'd got his extension out the way for the first time around.
2. Jarrett Allen
The Brooklyn Nets are more focused on bringing a championship to the town for the 2020-21 season. They look to be onto something through their first two games of the season with both Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving back in the mix. For all of this to happen, however, certain players such as Allen had to sacrifice by coming off the bench for a more cohesive unit.
Even though DeAndre Jordan is the better fit alongside Durant and Irving, Allen is the better center with far more upside at his age. He's coming off a 2019-20 season in which he nearly averaged a double-double with 11.1 points and 9.6 rebounds through 26.5 minutes per game. He's also one of the better defenders in the league given his 6-foot-11 frame.
While head coach Steve Nash is still experimenting with lineups, it appears that Allen's time will also take a dip as he slides to a bench role. He's averaged 20.5 minutes throughout his first two games this season. Having Allen on the bench does add to the Nets' intimidating bench depth that's been heavily conversed about throughout the start of the season.
While it's fun for now, the Nets may have to find another backup center for next season. If their championship aspirations fail this season, the sliding back of Allen would have been for nothing. He's bound to be a desirable target for most NBA teams next year, which could play him well out of the Nets' checkbook.
Meanwhile, Jordan isn't getting any younger at 32, which is normally around the time NBA veterans of his position find themselves being moved to a lesser role. Not extending Allen could come back to bite the Nets later on.
1. John Collins
This is one of the more intriguing situations out of all the others. No doubt is Collins a player that'll surely convert into max dollars at some point. To add to that theory, the Hawks must have thought so when they reportedly offered him an extension in the area of $90 million. That wasn't good enough for Collins though.
To his credit, he's right. The 23-year-old averaged a double-double last season averaging 21.6 points and 10.1 rebounds on a young Hawks squad. There's truly no separation between Collins and his NBA peers that received rookie max extensions during the offseason. To be blunt, he's one of the few players in his draft class that has actually averaged a double-double so far during his career.
The reasoning as to why the Hawks decided not to offer up the bag for Collins is perplexing. It's almost as if the front office is putting him on a max tryout for this season, which isn't a good idea. They should look no further than Brandon Ingram and the Pelicans to see how that situation usually plays out.
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