Around the NBA: Luka Doncic agrees to supermax extension, Celtics targeting Dennis Schroder

Elfrid Payton signs one-year deal with Phoenix Suns

Elfrid Payton and the Finals runner-up Phoenix Suns have reached an agreement on a one-year deal, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic.

Payton is coming off a season in which he averaged 10.1 points, 3.4 rebounds and 3.2 assists in 23.6 minutes per game with the New York Knicks.

Photo by Nathaniel S. Butler/NBAE via Getty Images

Payton is of course a former Sixers draft pick who was swapped on draft night for the one, the only Dario Saric. Payton spent his first three seasons in the NBA with the Orlando Magic before being traded to the Phoenix Suns during the 2017-18 season (his fourth year in the league). He then had stops in New Orleans with the Pelicans and New York City with the Knicks. Now returning to the Suns, Payton has switched teams five times in his career. Journeyman status: achieved.

Luka Doncic signs the supermax

Luka Doncic of the Dallas Mavericks has signed a five-year supermax extension worth $207 million, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN and confirmed by the team.

Photo by Juan Ocampo/NBAE via Getty Images

More from Woj’s report:

Dallas Mavericks superstar Luka Doncic has signed a landmark five-year, $207 million supermax rookie extension, the team announced Tuesday.

Doncic, one of the most accomplished players in NBA history at 22 years old and rapidly evolving into the future face of the league, becomes the first player eligible for the designated rookie max extension upon signing because he has twice been voted first-team All-NBA.

The deal includes a player option in the final year, agent Bill Duffy of BDA Sports told ESPN on Monday.

[...]

Today is a dream come true,” Doncic told ESPN in a statement. “The game of basketball has given me so much and has taken me to so many amazing places. I am humbled and excited to remain in Dallas as part of the Mavericks.

Doncic unquestionably deserves the supermax. The are few players on the planet that can match his level of offensive talent. He’s already among the league’s greatest players and he’s just 22 years old.

Boban Marjanovic signs two-year deal with Dallas Mavericks

Everyone’s favorite big friendly giant Boban Marjanovic has agreed to a two-year, $7 million deal to return to the Dallas Mavericks, according to Michael Scotto of Hoops Hype.

Photo by Andrew D. Bernstein/NBAE via Getty Images

Marjanovic, who turns 33 years old on August 15th, is becoming more of a deep bench reserve than a backup at this point of his career. Over the 2020-21 season, Boban played in just 33 games while averaging a mere 8.2 minutes per game in those appearances. He does, though, remain effective in his limited minutes and he has a long history of being regarded as a great teammate and positive locker room presence.

Celtics, Dennis Schroder seeking contract agreement

The Boston Celtics have offered a one-year deal, at the $5.9 million tax payer mid-level exception, to Dennis Schroder, according to Jordan Schultz of ESPN. However, the two parties are yet to reach an agreement as Schroder seeks the full MLE and a second year player option on the contract.

As Schultz’s reporting indicates, the two sides still have disagreements to overcome. I can understand why Schroder is holding out for a more lucrative deal despite it being so late in the free agency period: the poor guy turned down an $84 million contract extension early in the 2020-21 season to bet on himself during this free agency period. Fast forward to now and money and roster space is drying up, and he remains unsigned. Schroder’s decision and resulting fallout is reminiscent of Nerlens Noel’s 2018 decision to decline a four-year, $70 million extension with the Dallas Mavericks, only to end up with a measly qualifying offer worth $4.1 million.

Photo by Adam Pantozzi/NBAE via Getty Images

Even if Schroder works a deal with Boston that is more appealing to him, it is still a pretty rough situation. He’ll be joining a roster that already has a handful of guards in Marcus Smart, Josh Richardson, Kris Dunn, Romeo Langford, Payton Pritchard and Carsen Edwards. Some names on that list are two guards or have questionable permanence in the rotation. But Boston also features ball dominant wings in Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown. All this to say that Schroder (a point guard) would have his work cut out in boosting his profile to recover some of that lost value in a future free agency period. Life comes at you fast.