Nine players who might opt out despite a depressed free-agent market from wisepowder's blog

In a rising salary cap environment, productive players with options in their contracts are heavily incentivized to test free agency. It's common sense. Consider Kyrie Irving. When he signed his rookie extension in the summer of 2014, the salary cap was $63 million. Last offseason, when he had to decide whether to pick up the option on the final season of that contract, the cap was over $109 million. Over the past half-decade, the cap has grown so rapidly that, short of injuries or rapid decline, player options have largely been a formality. Players wanted to get to free agency as quickly as possible. To get more news about cheap air jordan shoes free shipping, you can visit nkspaces official website.

But in 2020? Most veterans will want to sit out. The spending spree of 2019 deprived most teams of 2020 cap space even before the pandemic. Now? The best-case scenario is likely a cap freeze, and a decline is not off the table. Those same player-options have become life rafts. Nobody wants to dip their toe into such an uncertain free-agent market. In 2019, 12 of the league's 26 player options were declined. That number is going to be substantially lower this time around.

There are 28 player options on the board, according to Spotrac. The overwhelming majority will be exercised, most without a second thought. But of those 28 options, nine stand out as possible opt-outs. Some make significantly more sense than others, and we could see a surprise or two, but the total number will wind up being closer to four or five. Below are the players who could credibly improve their financial standing through free agency rather than passivity, and how their teams might respond to such a decision. But first, a quick glance at the options that we should expect to be exercised without much thought: Davis is the only player on this list that is guaranteed to decline his player option.

That option would pay him $28.7 million. Even if he wants to stay with the Lakers, he is virtually assured a sizable raise by opting out of his deal and signing a new one. Davis, as an eight-year NBA veteran, is eligible for a contract starting at 30 percent of the salary cap. Under last season's $109.14 million cap, that would have paid him over $32.7 million. The expectation right now, despite the coronavirus pandemic damaging the league's finances, is that the cap stays the same. Even if it falls, it would have to drop over $13 million to cost him enough money to opt into that $28.7 million. There isn't going to be a $95 million cap, therefore, Davis is opting out and taking the raise.