The NBA’s marketplace works in cycles and precedents, with yesterday’s price often setting today’s. When Devin Vassell signed a five-year, $135 million extension with San Antonio this fall, agents and executives around the league noted how the deal established a benchmark for every rookie-scale extension to follow. When Miami traded Kyle Lowry and a 2027 protected first-round pick to Charlotte on Tuesday in exchange for Terry Rozier, that price point certainly added further context around discussions for backcourt playmakers between now and the Feb. 8 trade deadline.
“At least a first-round pick” has thus been described as the necessary compensation for the Washington Wizards to part with table-setter Tyus Jones, league sources told Yahoo Sports.