re: Someone needs to get in Mekhi Wingo's ear NOW

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Who was this player? Are all bonuses created by draft spot? Or is it different depending on the team and player and what they decide to pay for a particular player?

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It’s set based on draft position. It’s been that way since the latest CBA (or maybe the one before that, not 100% sure). Other terms of the contract can be negotiable but overall salary/signing bonus is not.

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I think a more accurate number would be average contract total of a last pick of the third round over the last 5 drafts.

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If anything this would undervalue the contract, as generally the contract values increase each year.

Other factors that these players have to consider when making the decision:
- By coming back, you likely sacrifice a year of late-career earnings. That doesn’t mean they lose a year of peak earnings since older players often fall off in value, but it still has to be considered.
- You’re delaying the second contract by a year. This is a huge factor as the second contract where most players (at least most who make it to a second contract) make peak money.

NIL should certainly factor into that decision as well nowadays, and it probably shifts the threshold to some extent. Not sure it’s enough for a guy like Wingo though.