Cavs: 3 things to know about a contract for Collin Sexton

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Collin Sexton, Cleveland Cavaliers. Photo by Nic Antaya/Getty Images /

Cavs: 3 things to know about a contract for Collin Sexton – What a “max contract” means

The National Basketball Association has established a variety of guidelines for contracts through the CBA, and among those is the idea of a “maximum” contract. This structure limits the amount of money that a specific player can sign, based on either his experience in the league or the current contract he is on (for an extension). Thus players ostensibly worth more than their max take less, to make available more money to the middle and lower-tier players.

Players like Sexton fall into the “0-6” years of experience bucket, which means that for them a maximum contract that begins next summer will start at $29.75 million, with eight percent annual raises. Over the span of a five-year contract, that would total $172.55 million (numbers courtesy of Spotrac). That’s the exact contract his peers like Trae Young and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander signed.

There is one further wrinkle to max rookie extensions, and that is the “Rose Rule.” In 2011 Derrick Rose won the MVP award, but was restricted to the rookie max extension he had already signed, being paid the same as anyone else from his class, which seemed extra punitive for an MVP winner. In the next CBA the league implemented the “Rose Rule” which allowed players who hit certain criteria to get a bump to their contract, from 25 percent of the cap to 30 percent.

If Sexton signs a maximum extension he can negotiate to have the Rose Rule in effect, opening the ceiling in case he has another breakout season and wins MVP or makes an All-NBA team. To be fair that likelihood seems faint given the competition for such a spot and the Cavs’ likely place in the standings, but it’s not impossible.

Young and Gilgeous-Alexander will get those raises if they make the teams, and Luka Doncic has already qualified, as you have to win either honor the year you sign the contract, or two of the previous three. Doncic has already made All-NBA the past two seasons and will therefore be eligible for the full amount, which comes out to $207 million over five years.

If Collin Sexton does sign the “max” it would be for the $172.55 million, but keep an ear out for whether it includes those Rose Rule modifiers.