There’s whole a lot of money to go around in the NBA, but maximum contracts are typically reserved for players who make the biggest and most positive impact on the court for their team.
Giannis Antetokounmpo, Luka Doncic, LeBron James, and Stephen Curry are easy max-contract guys, and any team would be crazy not to give them the absolute maximum deal possible.
The values of RJ Barrett and Tyler Herro, however, aren’t nearly as cut-and-dry. As two young and relatively inconsistent players, they haven’t really proved they are worthy of a max deal.
Nevertheless, both players are expected to pursue such a deal in the near future.
“The word on the street is definitely that both Barrett and Tyler Herro are looking for maximum contract extensions,” Bleacher Report’s Jake Fischer said during a recent episode of his podcast.
“The word on the street is definitely that both [R.J.] Barrett and Tyler Herro are looking for maximum contract extensions”
– Bleacher Report’s Jake Fischer https://t.co/WxzdS1rTsU
— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) July 16, 2022
In Miami, Tyler Herro is considered a core member of the group. The 22-year-old shooting guard averaged 20.7 points and 5 rebounds per game during the 2021-22 campaign. He was among Miami’s best shooters, and his game helped bolster the production of Jimmy Butler and Bam Adebayo. If the Heat feel like Herro is worth the max, it could mean they have to drop a number of their highly productive role players to create the cap.
Meanwhile, for the Knicks, RJ Barrett might be even less qualified to ask for max money. Unlike Herro, the Kicks have not enjoyed any kind of postseason success recently, and it wouldn’t make sense for the Knicks to commit to a player who has proven so little in terms of individual play and as a leader in the locker room.
Needless to say, both of these Eastern Conference teams will have to make some big decisions in the near future, and it could very well determine how things play out over the next couple of years.
