Luka Doncic

Donovan Mitchell, Jayson Tatum and Bam Adebayo got paid this offseason, signing designated rookie extensions for five years and up to $195 million. A number of players will be eligible to sign such deals next season, including Luka Doncic and Trae Young. 

So, what will those deals look like?

First, some background. Players on rookie deals can sign five-year extensions that go up to 25 percent of a team's salary cap in the offseason before the final year of their rookie deal. This is the designated rookie extension, and teams can have up to two such players on their team at any given time (they can only acquire one via trade, however). 

Additionally, the Rose Rule allows teams to sign players entering the final season on their rookie deals to even more money, up to 30 percent of the cap. To qualify for such an extension, however, players have to hit one of the following benchmarks:

• All-NBA selection in the most recent season, or in two of the past three years.
• Named Defensive Player of the Year in either the most recent season or in two of the past three years.
• Named MVP in any of the past three seasons.

Doncic and Young will almost assuredly sign such extensions that go for five years and up to 30 percent of the cap. What exactly the cap figure looks like heading into the 2021-22 season remains unknown, but it's a safe bet to assume that those players sign deals that can go up to somewhere close to $200 million. 

Signing both players to those deals is a no-brainer for Dallas and Atlanta, respectively. What will be far more interesting is if any other players in the 2018 draft class hit those benchmarks and get max extensions next summer. 

DeAndre Ayton will present an interesting choice for Phoenix. While he's been good to this point in his career (17 PPG, 10.7 RPG, 1.1 BPG), it's fair to question if he's been max-extension good. This upcoming season is important for the young center in that regard.

And of course, teams like the Suns don't have to sign young players to these early extensions. They could let Aytons's final year of his rookie deal (2021-22) play out and either sign him to an extension in the Summer of 2022 or match any offer sheets he signs as a restricted free agent. The Pelicans essentially took that route with Brandon Ingram before signing the restricted free agent to a five-year, $158 million max extension this offseason. 

Other teams that may take that approach could be the Memphis Grizzlies with Jaren Jackson Jr., Sacramento with Marvin Bagley, the Oklahoma City Thunder with Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and the Denver Nuggets with Michael Porter Jr.

The only two players who seem like absolute guarantees to sign a designated rookie extension next offseason are Doncic and Young. Big 2020-21 seasons from players like Ayton, Jackson and Porter could add them to the list, however. 

The Dallas Mavericks have reportedly expressed trade interest in multiple players as they attempt to add a secondary playmaker in support of superstar guard Luka Doncic. 

According to Kevin O'Connor of The Ringer, Indiana Pacers guard Victor Oladipo, Chicago Bulls guard Zach LaVine and Brooklyn Nets guard Spencer Dinwiddie are among the players the Mavs have set their sights on.

Last season, the Mavericks went 43-32 and returned to the playoffs for the first time since 2015-16, but they are likely at least one star player away from truly being a championship contender.

Any of the players Dallas is rumored to be interested in could complement Doncic and center Kristaps Porzingis well, and also give the Mavericks one of the NBA's best trios.

The 28-year-old Oladipo is perhaps the most likely among them to move since he is entering the final year of his contract in 2020-21. That means he could be a rental, but he also comes with some injury risk.

In 2017-18, Oladipo was one of the NBA's fastest-rising stars. He was named an All-Star for the first time in his career by virtue of averaging career highs across the board with 23.1 points, 5.2 rebounds, 4.3 assists and 2.4 steals per game.

Oladipo was named an All-Star again the following season and was on a good pace with 18.8 points, 5.6 rebounds, 5.2 assists and 1.7 steals per contest, but a ruptured quad limited him to just 36 games.

That injury resulted in Oladipo's 2019-20 season getting off to a late start as well. He did manage to appear in 19 games, but he wasn't quite as productive as he was the previous two years with averages of 14.5 points, 3.9 rebounds and 2.9 assists. He also shot a career-worst 39.4 percent from the field.

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Dallas would be rolling the dice to some degree by trading for Oladipo, but if he is fully healthy, he could be the exact piece needed to push the Mavs over the top.

LaVine has two years left on his deal and is clearly the Bulls' best player, but Chicago has finished each of the past three seasons with fewer than 30 wins and may be in the mood to make a big move.

The 25-year-old combo guard still hasn't been named an All-Star, but he put up All-Star-caliber numbers last season with 25.5 points, 4.8 rebounds, 4.2 assists and 1.5 steals per game.

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LaVine also shot 45.0 percent from the field and 38.0 percent from deep while knocking down a career-high 3.1 trifectas per game. His shooting ability could make Doncic even more effective, which is a scary thought since Doncic was a legitimate MVP candidate last season.

Like LaVine, Dinwiddie is coming off of a career year and could be expendable, as the Nets look to shape their roster around Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving.

Dinwiddie is signed for the upcoming season and has a player option for 2021-22, meaning he could become a free agent next offseason.

Even so, there is a lot to like about the 27-year-old veteran coming off a season during which he averaged personal bests across the board with 20.6 points, 6.8 assists and 3.5 rebounds.

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Dinwiddie is the best pure playmaker among the players Dallas is reportedly interested in, and he is also arguably the most versatile player of the bunch, which could be attractive to a team looking to take the next step like the Mavericks.

O'Connor suggested that any trade the Mavs make could involve the 18th overall pick in the 2020 NBA draft, so it could become much clearer if the Mavericks intend to make a deal the closer the Nov. 18 draft gets.

Multiple NBA executives have highlighted the Dallas Mavericks as a potential landing spot for Utah Jazz center Rudy Gobert, according to ESPN's Zach Lowe.

Brad Townsend of the Dallas Morning News reported Oct. 27 the Mavs are willing to move anybody on the roster with the exception of Luka Doncic and Kristaps Porzingis in pursuit of star-level talent.

Gobert and teammate Donovan Mitchell appear to have moved on from the difficulties that arose from their positive COVID-19 tests in March.

Still, Gobert is entering the final year of his contract, forcing the Jazz to think long and hard about how much they're willing to pay for a traditional center who possesses almost no ability to stretch the floor on offense.

The 28-year-old Frenchman averaged 15.1 points, 13.5 rebounds and 2.0 blocks in 2019-20, and he's excellent in the pick and roll. But Utah has to weigh whether giving him what might be a supermax deal is a better investment than signing a center who's not as good but costs far less.

Lowe wrote, "Several teams are wary of Gobert's next deal."

Dallas is a questionable fit, too.

The Mavericks finished 18th in defensive rating (111.2), per NBA.com, and Dwight Powell had his season cut short because of a torn Achillles. Acquiring a defensive-minded center in a vacuum makes sense. Acquiring a center who stands to make potentially $30-plus million doesn't work as well when Porzingis is only one year into his five-year, $158.2 million extension.

By paying Gobert, the Mavs would be tying up a lot of money in their frontcourt.