From James Harden to Kyrie Irving to Russell Westbrook toSvi Mykhailiuk, taking stock of every NBA contract with a player option for 2022-23
It’s a symbol of empowerment, and in some cases, absolute prestige. The player option, that holy contractual language that gives an athlete the choice to play out the last season of his or her agreed-upon deal or wrap things up one year early and hit free agency.
And while the new NBA season has only just begun, there’s an absolutely massive pile of money set aside for player options that may or may not go into effect. And while max (and supermax) guys bound for eventual jersey retirements or even the Hall of Fame dominate the top of the list of the largest player options come summer 2022, the master list comes with more than a few names you probably didn’t expect.
(If you had SviMykhailiuk on your bingo card… good job, I guess?)
Using salary figures from Spotrac, let’s go through all the players whose upcoming options make up a grand total of$285,375,077.
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Upcoming NBA Player Options for 2022-23
1. Houston Rockets PG John Wall
- Age: 31
- Agent: Rich Paul (Klutch Sports)
- 2021-22 salary: $44,310,840
- 2022-23 player option: $47,366,760
John Wall is currently on a four-year, $171,131,520 supermax deal he signed as a member of the Washington Wizards. The Rockets are reportedly working with him to find a trade out of Houston.
2. Brooklyn Nets PG James Harden
- Age: 32
- Agent: Chafie Fields & Jason Ranne (Wasserman)
- 2021-22 salary: $44,310,840
- 2022-23 player option: $47,366,760
James Harden’s contract is four-year, $171,131,520 supermax deal he signed with the Houston Rockets. His $268,660,574 in career earnings through 2020-21 ranks No. 5 among active players and No. 8 in NBA history.
3. Los Angeles Lakers PG Russell Westbrook
- Age: 32
- Agent: Thad Foucher (Wasserman)
- 2021-22 salary: $44,211,146
- 2022-23 player option: $47,063,478
Russell Westbrook’s five-year, $206,794,070 supermax deal he signed as a member of the Oklahoma City Thunder is the fourth-largest active NBA contract from date of signing.
4. Brooklyn Nets PG/SG Kyrie Irving
- Age: 29
- Agent: Sam Permut (Roc Nation Sports)
- 2021-22 salary: $34,916,200
- 2022-23 player option: $36,503,300
Kyrie Irving’s contract is a four-year, $136,490,600 deal he signed when he joined the Nets as a free agent in summer 2019. His career earnings of $194,017,299 through 2021-22 rank No. 19 among active NBA players and 30th all time.
5. Washington Wizards SG Bradley Beal
- Age: 28
- Agent: Mark Bartelstein & Reggie Brown (Priority Sports & Entertainment)
- 2021-22 salary: $33,724,200
- 2022-23 player option: $36,422,136
Bradley Beal’s contract is a two-year, $70,146,336 deal that began last season. He’s made $177,854,712 in NBA salary during his career through 2020-21, No. 28 among active players.
6. Derrick Favors (Thunder): $10,183,800
7. JaMychal Green (Nuggets): $8,200,000
8. PJ Tucker (Heat): $7,350,000
9. Patty Mills (Nets): $6,184,500
10. Pat Connaughton (Bucks): $5,728,393
11. Kendrick Nunn (Lakers): $5,250,000
12. Cory Joseph (Pistons): $5,155,000
13. Bobby Portis (Bucks): $4,564,980
14. Jeff Green (Nuggets): $4,500,000
15. Nicolas Batum (Clippers): $3,328,530
16. Tony Bradley (Bulls): $3,300,000
17. Trey Burke (Mavericks): $3,150,000
18. Thanasis Antetokounmpo (Bucks): $1,878,720
19. Svi Mykhailiuk (Raptors): $1,878,720
