NBA:Contracts: Difference between revisions

Latest revision as of 15:21, 8 October 2026

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Every player holds a contract: a salary paid for a certain number of seasons. This page describes how to read them.

Reading a contract

Jeff Malone (WAS - SG) $4,000,000 (2027)

Part	Meaning
`Jeff Malone`	Player
`(WAS - SG)`	Real NBA team, then the positions he is eligible at. The team is optional — it helps tell apart players who share a name
`$4,000,000`	Annual salary, the same every year of the contract
`(2027)`	Guaranteed through the 2026-2027 season

Years

A contract year is a single number, but an NBA season straddles two calendar years. (2028) means the 2027-2028 season — the league numbers seasons by the year they end in, and the player is a free agent that summer.

A contract is always written as it was originally signed. Years already played are not removed, so a 2nd-round pick keeps all his option years listed even after some have passed. The only exception is a draft-and-stash player.

Option years

An option year carries a trailing x and is a team option.

Xavier McDaniel (SEA - SF/PF) $2,606,200 (2026, 2027x)
Mark Eaton (UTA - C) $495,000 (2025, ~2029x)
Mark Eaton (UTA - C) $495,000 (2025, 2026x, 2027x, 2028x, 2029x)

The ~ covers the unbroken run of options from the year after the guaranteed year through the final year shown; writing them out in full is equally clear.

Options are decided one season at a time.

Re-sign tags

Re-signs are limited to 3 at a time, and the tags make that count checkable from the roster.

Tag	Meaning	Uses one of your 3?
`[RS]`	Re-signed by your team	Yes
`[RSBO]`	Re-Sign By Other — re-signed by another team, acquired by trade	No

Dennis Johnson (BOS - PG/SG) $10,900,000 (2029) [RS]
Trent Tucker (NYK - SG/SF) $6,600,000 (2027) [RSBO]

When a re-signed player is traded, his tag becomes [RSBO] on his new team.

Notation is a convention, not a rule

The forms above are preferred and used throughout this wiki. Other formats appear on team rosters and are fine — TAB can read them.

What is required is that the information be there and be current: the salary, the years including any options, and whether he was re-signed.

Altering a player's salary or years is grounds for immediate removal from the league. If a figure looks wrong, contact TAB rather than adjusting it.

Contract types

Acquired by	Salary set by	Term	Written as
Free agency	Winning bid	1–4 years	`Caldwell Jones (HOU - C) $4,000,000 (2029)`
Re-signing	Formula	3–5 years	`Sleepy Floyd (GSW - PG) $10,100,000 (2028) [RS]`
1st-round pick	Draft slot	4 years + 1 option	`Xavier McDaniel (SEA - SF/PF) $2,606,200 (2026, 2027x)`
2nd-round pick	Draft slot	1 year + 4 options	`Mark Eaton (UTA - C) $495,000 (2025, ~2029x)`
Draft-and-stash	Draft slot	Set on arrival	`Juan Nunez $495,000 (----)`
Trade	Inherited	Inherited	Salary and years carry over; `[RS]` becomes `[RSBO]`

Draft-and-stash

A drafted player who does not come to the NBA immediately is paid his draft-slot salary straight away, but his contract has no end date until he arrives:

Juan Nunez $495,000 (----)

When he comes over the dashes are replaced with real years — the only time a contract's written years change after signing. Before then he can still be waived.

@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
 {{1TC NBA rules}}
-Every player holds a contract: a salary, a set of years, and sometimes a tag. This page is about reading them. For the rules that ''produce'' a contract, see [[NBA:Free Agency|Free Agency]], [[NBA:Re-Signing|Re-Signing]], the [[NBA:Draft|Draft]], or [[NBA:Trades|Trades]].
+Every player holds a contract: a salary paid for a certain number of seasons. This page describes how to read them.
 == Reading a contract ==
-<pre>
+<pre style="white-space:pre; overflow-x:auto">
-Xavier McDaniel (SEA - SF/PF) $2,606,200 (2026, 2027x)
+Jeff Malone (WAS - SG) $4,000,000 (2027)
 </pre>
@@ Line 13: / Line 13: @@
 ! Meaning
 |-
-| <code>Xavier McDaniel</code>
+| <code style="white-space:nowrap; font-size:0.875em">Jeff Malone</code>
 | Player
 |-
-| <code>(SEA - SF/PF)</code>
+| <code style="white-space:nowrap; font-size:0.875em">(WAS - SG)</code>
-| Real NBA team, then eligible positions. The team is '''optional''' — it helps tell apart players who share a name
+| Real NBA team, then the positions he is eligible at. The team is '''optional''' — it helps tell apart players who share a name
 |-
-| <code>$2,606,200</code>
+| <code style="white-space:nowrap; font-size:0.875em">$4,000,000</code>
 | Annual salary, the same every year of the contract
 |-
-| <code>(2026, 2027x)</code>
+| <code style="white-space:nowrap; font-size:0.875em">(2027)</code>
-| Guaranteed through the 2025-2026 season; 2026-2027 is a team option
+| Guaranteed through the 2026-2027 season
 |}
@@ Line 36: / Line 36: @@
 An option year carries a trailing <code>x</code> and is a '''team''' option.
-<pre>
+<pre style="white-space:pre; overflow-x:auto">
-Xavier McDaniel (SEA - SF/PF) $2,606,200 (2026, 2027x)          one option
+Xavier McDaniel (SEA - SF/PF) $2,606,200 (2026, 2027x)
-Mark Eaton (UTA - C) $495,000 (2025, ~2029x)               several
+Mark Eaton (UTA - C) $495,000 (2025, ~2029x)
 Mark Eaton (UTA - C) $495,000 (2025, 2026x, 2027x, 2028x, 2029x)
 </pre>
@@ Line 44: / Line 44: @@
 The <code>~</code> covers the unbroken run of options from the year after the guaranteed year through the final year shown; writing them out in full is equally clear.
-Options are exercised or declined '''one season at a time'''. See [[NBA:Option Years|Option Years]].
+[[NBA:Options|Options]] are decided '''one season at a time'''.
 === Re-sign tags ===
-Re-signs are limited to '''3 per team''', and the tags make that count checkable from the roster.
+[[NBA:Re-Signing#Your 3 tags|Re-signs]] are limited to '''3 at a time''', and the tags make that count checkable from the [[NBA:Rosters#How to post|roster]].
 {| class="wikitable"
@@ Line 64: / Line 64: @@
 |}
-<pre>
+<pre style="white-space:pre; overflow-x:auto">
-Dennis Johnson (BOS - PG/SG) $10,900,000 (2026) [RS]
+Dennis Johnson (BOS - PG/SG) $10,900,000 (2029) [RS]
 Trent Tucker (NYK - SG/SF) $6,600,000 (2027) [RSBO]
 </pre>
-When a re-signed player is traded the tag becomes <code>[RSBO]</code> on his new team: the trading team's slot reopens immediately and the acquiring team spends none of its own. Count the <code>[RS]</code> tags and you know how many of a team's 3 slots are in use. See [[NBA:Re-Signing|Re-Signing]].
+When a re-signed player is traded, his tag becomes <code>[RSBO]</code> on his new team.
 === Notation is a convention, not a rule ===
-The forms above are preferred and used throughout this wiki. Other formats appear on team rosters and are fine — TAB can read them.
+The forms above are preferred and used throughout this wiki. Other formats appear on team rosters and are fine — [[NBA:League Structure#Commissioner and TAB|TAB]] can read them.
+What ''is'' required is that the information be there and be current: the salary, the years including any options, and whether he was re-signed.
-What ''is'' required is that the information be there and be current: a re-signed player identifiable as such, a demotion post stating career games played, a roster post that reflects your actual team.
+{{Important|Altering a player's salary or years is grounds for immediate removal from the league. If a figure looks wrong, contact TAB rather than adjusting it.}}
 == Contract types ==
@@ Line 86: / Line 88: @@
 |-
 | [[NBA:Free Agency|Free agency]]
-| Your winning bid
+| Winning bid
-| Up to 4 years
+| 1–4 years
-| <code>Caldwell Jones (HOU - C) $4,000,000 (2029)</code>
+| <code style="white-space:nowrap; font-size:0.875em">Caldwell Jones (HOU - C) $4,000,000 (2029)</code>
 |-
 | [[NBA:Re-Signing|Re-signing]]
-| Formula, not negotiable
+| Formula
-| 3, 4 or 5 years
+| 3–5 years
-| <code>Sleepy Floyd (GSW - PG) $10,100,000 (2028) [RS]</code>
+| <code style="white-space:nowrap; font-size:0.875em">Sleepy Floyd (GSW - PG) $10,100,000 (2028) [RS]</code>
 |-
 | [[NBA:Draft#1st-round contracts|1st-round pick]]
-| Draft slot scale
+| Draft slot
 | 4 years + 1 option
-| <code>Xavier McDaniel (SEA - SF/PF) $2,606,200 (2026, 2027x)</code>
+| <code style="white-space:nowrap; font-size:0.875em">Xavier McDaniel (SEA - SF/PF) $2,606,200 (2026, 2027x)</code>
 |-
 | [[NBA:Draft#2nd-round contracts|2nd-round pick]]
-| Flat $495,000
+| Draft slot
-| 1 guaranteed year + 4 options
+| 1 year + 4 options
-| <code>Mark Eaton (UTA - C) $495,000 (2025, ~2029x)</code>
+| <code style="white-space:nowrap; font-size:0.875em">Mark Eaton (UTA - C) $495,000 (2025, ~2029x)</code>
 |-
 | [[#Draft-and-stash|Draft-and-stash]]
-| Draft slot scale
+| Draft slot
-| Undetermined until he arrives
+| Set on arrival
-| <code>Juan Nunez $495,000 (----)</code>
+| <code style="white-space:nowrap; font-size:0.875em">Juan Nunez $495,000 (----)</code>
 |-
 | [[NBA:Trades|Trade]]
-| Inherited unchanged
+| Inherited
-| Inherited unchanged
+| Inherited
 | Salary and years carry over; <code>[RS]</code> becomes <code>[RSBO]</code>
 |}
-Players '''35+''' are limited to 2 years in [[NBA:Free Agency|free agency]]. The limit does not apply to [[NBA:Re-Signing|re-signs]].
 === Draft-and-stash ===
@@ Line 122: / Line 122: @@
 A drafted player who does not come to the NBA immediately is paid his draft-slot salary straight away, but his contract has '''no end date''' until he arrives:
-<pre>
+<pre style="white-space:pre; overflow-x:auto">
 Juan Nunez $495,000 (----)
 </pre>
-When he comes over the dashes are replaced with real years — '''the only time a contract's written years change after signing'''. Which years he gets, and how a stashed player is released, are on [[NBA:Draft#Draft-and-stash|Draft]] and [[NBA:Waivers|Waivers]].
+When he [[NBA:Draft#When the contract starts|comes over]] the dashes are replaced with real years — '''the only time a contract's written years change after signing'''. Before then he can still be [[NBA:Waivers#Exceptions|waived]].
-== Contracts and the cap ==
-'''Every contract counts its full salary against the [[NBA:Salary Cap|$60,000,000 cap]]''', wherever the player sits. [[NBA:Waivers|Waived]] players are the one exception.
 == See also ==
@@ Line 136: / Line 132: @@
 * [[NBA:Rosters|Rosters]] — roster sizes, position slots, and how to post a roster
 * [[NBA:Salary Cap|Salary Cap]] — the cap and everything that counts against it
-* [[NBA:Option Years|Option Years]] — exercising and declining options
+* [[NBA:Options|Options]] — exercising and declining options
 * [[NBA:Re-Signing|Re-Signing]] — the 3 tags and the salary formula
 * [[NBA:Draft|Draft]] — order, lottery, rookie salary scale, and draft-and-stash
+* [[NBA:Free Agency|Free Agency]] — bidding and contract limits
 [[Category:1TC NBA rules]]