The NBA news cycle has been rather bland lately. We get a daily update about the never-ending stalemate between the Detroit Pistons and Jalen Duren. But that's about it.
Do you know how we know things are slow? The leading insider in the industry, Shams Charania, is hardly tweeting!
What he has been tweeting about lately, though, are the rookie extensions players entering their fourth season in the league are signing. To this point, guys like Ausar Thompson, Pelle Larsson, and Keyonte George have all inked new deals. So, in the spirit of this, let's predict what some of the other heavy-hitters could be getting.
Brandon Miller
One tool we'll be referencing is my formula for estimating player production. Here is a link that explains the process/rational behind it, but the bottom line is we are basically taking production value (how many wins a player gives you) and multiplying it by the cost of a win in a given season ($4.3 million dollars in 2027-28).
Anyway, assuming Brandon Miller plays in 65 games in 2027-28 (which is what we will be assuming for all these calculations), he will be worth roughly $38.3 million to the Charlotte Hornets next year (if he produces like he did in 2025-26). That means we should expect him to get more than the five-year, $155 million dollar deal Thompson got from the Pistons (an average annual value of $31 million).
Brandin Podziemski
The formula isn't super high on Brandin Podziemski. It sees him as worth $17.2 million in 2027-28. That is right around the range of a strong bench player/fringe starter (kind of like Larsson). However, I think the Golden State Warriors view Podziemski as an integral part of their present and future. Plus, he's been quietly improving each season. I'd wager he gets something closer to an average annual value of $22-25 million (more in line with what Jabari Smith Jr., Christian Braun, and Dyson Daniels got last season).
Jaime Jaquez Jr.
Jaime Jaquez Jr. is fresh off a season where he finished as the runner-up for Sixth Man of the Year. However, my formula projects him being worth just $9.1 million in 2027-28.
Jaquez will be playing for a new team this upcoming season, after being traded to the Milwaukee Bucks as a part the blockbuster Giannis Antetokounmpo deal. It is hard to know what the Bucks think of Jaquez. Clearly, they wanted him enough to have him included in the trade, but he wasn't the main selling point of the package. That was probably the three first round picks, Kel'el Ware, and Kasparas Jakučionis.
Still, he's proven to be a really quality bench player (at least in the regular season). I'd think he gets a little more than the $11.3 million per year AJ Green got from them Bucks last season.
Cason Wallace
Cason Wallace has an estimated production value of $24.9 million in 2027-28. This offseason, the Oklahoma City Thunder made it clear that he was their 3-and-D ace of the future after trading Luguentz Dort to the Atlanta Hawks. An average annual value of $25 million is exactly what Daniels got from the Hawks last season. Wallace may not be quite the defensive playmaker that Daniels is, but his offense is a lot more teneable thanks to his superior jumper (career 37.4 percent 3-point shooter). I'd expect his extension to be right around this range.
Add us as a preferred source on Google