Heading to the 2019-20 NBA Season, a new breed of basketball warriors are being watched by team executives and observers alike. Brandon Ingram, Jaylen Brown, and Buddy Hield cannot be categorized as fresh recruits, but they have been sweating hard and showing off to prove they deserve a rookie extension.
Ingram was seen as a shining star with the Lakers, but the LA club had to send packing to New Orleans to acquire Anthony Davis. It remains to be seen how Ingram will fare with the Pelicans. The minimum expectation is to replicate the performance delivered with the Lakers.
However, in doing so, Ingram will not win an extension or at least a deal that he has been working for. According to Fadeaway World, it's unrealistic at this point to expect a rookie extension for the former Laker, and for a simple reason - he is a newbie as far as the Pelicans front office is concerned.
For Ingram to enjoy the benefits of a long-term contract, he will need to put in greater. He has to prove his worth that he can one of the greats, and the potential is there given Ingram's stint with the Lakers where he showed stepping up each year is normal, the report added.
Hoops Hype said Brown is on a promising trajectory playing for the Celtics but it's quite remote that he'll attract a super max this early. He can blame an observable regression in the third season of working on Boston, the report added.
Most likely, Boston will play safe and just allow Brown to play out on his existing contract. And that's saying that how coming season will unfold for Brown will define what will be waiting for him at the end. How he will play will point him to the bridge that connects to an extension or an even better contract from the Celtics.
Besides, Brown seemed not obsessing on getting an extension anytime soon.
"I'm not losing any sleep over it. Stuff like that will end up working itself out in the end. I'm focused on the season and playing basketball. Let the chips fall where they may," the Celtic was reported as saying.
As for Hield, the last season cemented a spot for him in the NBA. Playing on his third season with Sacramento, Hield has proven he can snipe and sink.
"Hield blew up in his third NBA season, averaging a team-best 20.7 points per game. He transformed his game from a three-point specialist to a scoring machine, and that bodes well for his bank account," NBC Sports reported.
As such, the Kings should be comfortable to offer an extension and if Hield will not play hard to get, he is up to a good deal. NBC said Sacramento would love to keep the scoring machine that Hield is for another four years. And the team will pay a high of $95 million if Hield will accept.
