AusKing
G-League
Would it even be conceivable for Cuz to consider an extension this year? Found this write-up in case it hasn't been posted before: https://capstrategist.com/capcba/cba-info/contractsfree-agency/renegotiation-and-extension-value/
Relevant Cousins bit:
Relevant Cousins bit:
Cousins signed a four-year extension on September 30, 2013, making him eligible to for a renegotiation and extension on September 30th of 2016. Sacramento could conceivably renegotiate Cousins’ contract at that point (it can be done up to March 1, 2017), but the timing isn’t ideal as it occurs significantly after the heart of free agency.
That being said, the difference between Cousins’ $16,957,900 2016 salary and the estimated max of his years of service tier of $20,915,000 is negligible, rendering it smart for the Kings to carve out and maintain that additional space for a Cousins renegotiation then. Doing so would only tack on 2 additional years to Cousins’ deal and keep him on the Kings through 2019-20 and the age of 29, but that’s two additional years of securing a top 10 player in the league to build around.
Cousins has definite financial motivation not to accept a renegotiation and extension in ’16 however (amongst other non-financial reasons as well). After the ’16-17 seasons Cousins will accrue 7 years service, allowing him to jump max salary tiers from slightly less than 25% of the cap to slightly less than 30%. Considering the cap is also projected to jump from $89M to $108M in ‘17/’18 Cousins’ max would skyrocket to an estimated $30,456,000 starting point, making it a more appealing avenue.
Still, the Kings have a high incentive to at least propose the scenario to Cousins in ’16 and certainly again in ’17 to keep their franchise player off the market. It’s not impossible that Cousins accepts that pay increase and the security of short-term max money while maintaining flexibility to land one more albatross contract when he’s 29.