Hoops Rumors Front Office Subscriber Chat Transcript: 10/8/2026
Hoops Rumors’ Arthur Hill held a live chat today exclusively for Trade Rumors Front Office subscribers. Topics included a potential Karl-Anthony Towns–Jalen Duren trade, the Sixers’ options at backup center, the Spurs’ decision on Dylan Harper, the first player likely to be traded this season and more!
Ranking Rookie Scale Extension Candidates From Least To Most Likely
Four NBA players have signed rookie scale extensions so far in 2026, but if recent history is any indication, that number should at least double by October 19, which is the deadline for those deals to be completed.
In each of the past seven offseasons from 2019-25, at least nine rookie scale extensions have been signed. And while it’s not uncommon for the most lucrative of those extensions to be finalized early in the offseason, like Victor Wembanyama’s new deal with the Spurs was this year, many negotiations go down to the wire. In each of those last seven years, at least five rookie scale extensions have been completed in October (or, in the case of the COVID-delayed 2020 offseason, December).
Based on those figures, it seems safe to assume news will break within the next couple weeks about a few more rookie scale extension agreements, but which of the players eligible to sign those contracts are the best bets to actually get something done? That’s the question we’re considering today.
Listed below are the 19 players who entered the offseason eligible for rookie scale extensions and have yet to sign, ranked by the likelihood that they’ll finalize new deals by October 19. We’re starting with the least likely candidates and working our way up to the most likely.
To clarify, this list isn’t ranking these players by value — the No. 1 player isn’t necessarily the one who should get the most lucrative contract. We’re just using our best judgment to predict which of them are most likely to have new contracts in hand by opening night, allowing them to avoid going through the restricted free agency process in July 2027.
Let’s dive in…
No longer eligible
19. Cam Whitmore
18. Jordan Hawkins
Before breaking down the extension-eligible players still on the board, we can eliminate two players from our initial list of 19. Whitmore and Hawkins were eligible for rookie scale extensions entering the 2026 offseason, but Whitmore was waived by the Cavaliers after being traded from Washington to Cleveland and Hawkins was cut by the Grizzlies after being dealt from New Orleans to Memphis. Whitmore has since caught on with the Nuggets on a two-way contract and it’s possible Hawkins will have to settle for a two-way deal if he wants to be on an NBA roster by opening night. He projects to clear waivers later today.
Not happening
Extension Candidate: Brandon Miller
This is the second installment in our 2026 series examining players who are prime candidates for rookie scale contract extensions. This series will explore the player’s strengths and weaknesses, and will evaluate what a fair deal between the player and his team might look like.
Background
After one college season at Alabama, Brandon Miller was selected by the Hornets with the second overall pick in the 2023 draft. He earned numerous accolades for a strong freshman season with the Crimson Tide in which he averaged 18.8 points, 8.2 rebounds, 2.1 assists, 0.9 steals and 0.9 blocks on .430/.384/.859 shooting splits without missing a game (37 appearances; 32.6 minutes per game).
Miller showed during his debut NBA season (2023/24) that his game translated well to the professional ranks. In 74 games as a rookie (32.2 MPG), the 6’7″ small forward averaged 17.3 PPG, 4.3 RPG, 2.4 APG, 0.9 SPG and 0.6 BPG on .440/.373/.827 shooting. He finished third in Rookie of the Year voting, behind winner Victor Wembanyama and runner-up Chet Holmgren, who was sidelined for the entire ’22/23 campaign due to a foot injury.
While Miller continued to show promise in year two, boosting his counting stats across the board (21.0 PPG, 4.9 RPG, 3.6 APG, 1.1 SPG and 0.7 BPG in 34.2 MPG), his offensive efficiency declined a little (.403/.355/.861 shooting splits). More importantly, his second season was derailed by a torn scapholunate ligament in his right wrist, an injury which required season-ending surgery in January 2025.
“Playing (27) games, that was the hardest thing of my career right there,” Miller said in July 2025, when he estimated that his wrist was 90-95% healed. “Just watching basketball the whole season. My goal is always to play every game and play 110% in every game.”
Miller, who is right-handed, was available for Charlotte’s regular season opener last October, contributing 25 points and seven assists in a blowout win over Brooklyn. But he suffered a left shoulder injury — a shoulder subluxation, or partial dislocation — in the second quarter of the team’s second game of the season.
That shoulder injury caused Miller to miss the next 13 contests before he returned to action in late November. However, he managed to play through the ailment for the remainder of 2025/26, only missing four additional games and making 65 regular season appearances.
Miller averaged 20.2 MPG, 4.9 RPG, 3.3 APG, 1.0 SPG and 0.7 BPG on .435/.383/.892 shooting in 30.3 MPG last season, improving both his efficiency and his counting stats on a per-minute basis.
While the Hornets struggled in Miller’s first two seasons, going just 21-61 and 19-63, they posted a winning record (44-38) in 2025/26 and advanced to the play-in tournament, where they won their first game in overtime against Miami before being thrashed by Orlando in the contest to determine the eighth seed in the Eastern Conference playoffs.
Miller underwent surgery to address ongoing instability in his left shoulder in May. He said at the end of August that he hadn’t been cleared for full basketball activities yet, but indicated at Monday’s media day that he had been doing full contact work for the past three weeks, per Mack Baltes of Rookie Wire, and head of basketball operations Jeff Peterson said Miller would be a full go for training camp.
“Brandon’s been amazing this summer. He’s worked his butt off in the weight room, on the court — love the progress that he’s making,” Peterson said. “Right now he’s expected to be a full participant. We will continue to monitor him throughout camp, but really excited for him.
“Of course he missed the previous summer as well, but proud that he hasn’t let this deter him. He’s put in a ton of work, so excited to see him go.”
Miller is up to 210 pounds after weighing in at 200 last season, Baltes notes.
Strengths
Hoops Rumors Front Office Subscriber Chat Transcript: 10/1/2026
Hoops Rumors’ Arthur Hill held a live chat today exclusively for Trade Rumors Front Office subscribers. Topics included Jalen Duren’s contract decision and the likely source of trade rumors, LeBron James’ future in Philadelphia, a potential extension for Michael Porter Jr., the Bulls’ options with Patrick Williams and more!
Hoops Rumors Front Office Subscriber Chat Transcript: 9/24/2026
Hoops Rumors’ Arthur Hill held a live chat today exclusively for Trade Rumors Front Office subscribers. Topics included the Lakers’ search for wing help, Kevin Durant’s future with the Rockets, the possibility of a Jalen Duren sign-and-trade before the season starts, the Knicks’ chances of keeping their roster together and more!
Pre-Camp Observations: Duren, Rookie Scale Extensions, More
NBA training camps are around the corner, with most of the league’s 30 teams scheduled to hold their respective media days on Monday, with camps officially opening on Tuesday.
Before we close the book on the 2026 offseason, there are a few subplots to resolve, including what exactly will happen with the player who ranked atop our list of this summer’s top 50 free agents.
In the space below, we’re considering what to make of the latest updates on Jalen Duren’s restricted free agency, examining the near-identical extensions signed by Keyonte George and Ausar Thompson, and touching on a couple other minor storylines ahead of the NBA preseason.
Let’s dive in…
Jalen Duren’s restricted free agency
Hoops Rumors Front Office Subscriber Chat Transcript: 9/17/2026
Hoops Rumors’ Arthur Hill held a live chat today exclusively for Trade Rumors Front Office subscribers. Topics included the value of Ausar Thompson’s next contract with the Pistons, Victor Wembanyama’s MVP chances, the Bulls’ potential return in a Norman Powell trade, a preview of the trade deadline and more!
Super-Max Candidates To Watch In 2026/27
The NBA’s Designated Veteran rule, as we explain in our glossary entry on the subject, allows players to qualify for a maximum salary worth 35% of the cap before they gain the required NBA service time.
Typically, a player is ineligible to receive a contract that starts at up to 35% of the cap until he has at least 10 years of NBA service under his belt. The maximum salary for a player with between seven and nine years of experience is 30% of the cap, but the Designated Veteran rule gives him the opportunity to get 35% if he meets certain performance criteria. This has become colloquially known as signing a “super-max” deal.
In order to qualify for a super-max contract, a player must have met one of the following performance criteria once he has the necessary years of service:
- He was named to an All-NBA team and/or earned the NBA Defensive Player of the Year award in the most recent season, or in two of the last three seasons.
- He won the NBA MVP award in any of the three most recent seasons.
Since the NBA introduced the Designated Veteran contract in 2017, 14 players have signed them across 10 offseasons. Thunder star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander became the latest player to join that group in the summer of 2025.
The 2026 offseason was just the second one since 2017 in which no players qualified for or signed a Designated Veteran contract, but there are a handful of candidates to keep an eye on going forward. We’re taking a look today at the players who have the best chance to join the list of super-max recipients in 2027.
Previewing 2027/28 Rookie Scale Team Option Decisions
While decisions on player and team options for veteran NBA contracts are typically due in June, the deadline to exercise third- and fourth-year team options for players on rookie scale contracts arrives each fall. This year’s deadline for teams to pick up rookie scale options is November 2.
All the players whose options will be exercised or declined by Nov. 2 are already under contract for the 2026/27 season. Their teams will have to make a decision on whether they want to lock in those players’ contracts beyond the coming season, picking up or turning down team options for the 2027/28 campaign.
In many cases, these decisions aren’t difficult ones. Rookie scale salaries are affordable enough that it usually makes sense to exercise these team options, even if a player isn’t a key cog on the roster. And for those players who do have a significant role on a team’s roster, the decision is even easier — it’s not as if the Sixers will consider turning down their option on VJ Edgecombe, for instance.
[RELATED: Decisions On 2027/28 Rookie Scale Team Options]
While most players will have their options exercised by their respective teams, there are several clubs every year who decide not to pick up those options for various reasons. That will be the case again ahead of this year’s Nov. 2 deadline, and we’re taking a closer look today at the players who could be most at risk, skipping the no-brainer calls like the Sixers with Edgecombe.
Let’s dive in…
Atlanta Hawks
- Devin Carter (fourth year, $7,370,896)
Unless there’s a trade before the season begins, Carter appears fairly likely to be waived by Atlanta by opening night. If that happens, the Hawks would decline their fourth-year option on Carter as part of the transaction.
Hoops Rumors Front Office Subscriber Chat Transcript: 9/10/2026
Hoops Rumors’ Arthur Hill held a live chat today exclusively for Trade Rumors Front Office subscribers. Topics included Karl-Anthony Towns’ extension talks with the Knicks, a potential Steve Ballmer spending spree in response to the penalties against the Clippers, Jalen Duren’s future with the Pistons, Ben Simmons’ comeback with the Kings, Brandon Miller’s next contract with the Hornets and more!