The All-Star Game recess is a couple of weeks away, and there is an MVP candidate, along with some NBA candidates, who are also nearing the 18-game losing mark. If they're already nervous about giving a maximum of 30% to a veteran with eight or nine years of experience and that player suddenly becomes eligible for a maximum of 35%, it most likely won't end well. Then, select your favorite teams and leagues and we'll show you their latest news and results in the My Favorites section of the home page. Sacramento Kings guard De'Aaron Fox also made it to the NBA last year, so he's in a similar situation as Gilgeous-Alexander. For players like Maxey who are coming out of their rookie contracts, they can be eligible for a maximum offer of 30% if they make it to the NBA in the most recent season or in two of the last three.
If Murray were part of an exclusively NBA team, he could sign a five-year extension and a maximum of 35% this offseason, instead of signing a contract starting with 30% of the salary cap for the 2025-26 season. The Pacers may be acting cautiously because they can only miss four more games before becoming ineligible for an NBA team. The problem from the team's point of view will be when typical NBA slights end up becoming an NBA team due to the minimum of 65 games. But fresh from his first MVP and another second-round playoff failure, all he has left to achieve is a good run in the postseason, if not a championship.
Many of those players will exceed the minimum of 65 games and will continue to be eligible for NBA and other prizes, but Mavericks guard Kyrie Irving and Suns guard Bradley Beal are no longer eligible after missing more than 20 games each. The current Philadelphia 76ers MVP, Joel Embiid, will miss his 13th game of the season on Thursday due to a knee injury. That means that, barring an injury that ends the season at the end of the year, players can miss a maximum of 17 of the 82 games. Ball has only played 22 games this season, meaning he's no longer eligible to be part of an NBA team.
He has been included in the NBA's first team in each of the past four seasons, so it looks like he's poised to triumph this year if he plays enough games. Embiid's meniscus injury is a serious blow for someone who was having a historic season, but it won't cost him anything financially.
