The Ultimate Trust – How Tobias Harris Made An Extra $100 Million By Betting On Himself

ByJoey Heldon July 23, 2019inArticles›Sports News

A year ago, it seemed like Tobias Harris might be destined to roam the league as a journeyman. He had already been on four teams in seven years and would be traded to a fifth at the trade deadline last season.

So when Harris was offered an $80 million extension from the Los Angeles Clippers last year, it seemed like a great deal. At that point in his career, Harris had made about $56 million total. Certainly, nothing to sneeze at, but this offer was much more than that – and all wrapped up into one contract.

Yet Harris turned it down, and it paid off in a huge way. He had perhaps his most productive season yet, even if his numbers dipped a bit after the Clippers traded him to the Philadelphia 76ers.

The City of Brotherly Love certainly showed plenty of heart to Harris. The Sixers offered him a five-year, $180 million max contract this summer. That’s a $100 million increase from his last offer!

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Mitchell Leff/Getty Images

Harris credits his work ethic for the massive payday. He also points to a conversation he had with his father, Torrel, who serves as Tobias’s agent. As Tobias told Action Network’s Darren Rovell:

“Me and my father had talked about it and he said, ‘Listen, I know next summer that I can get you close to a max deal. I’ve seen the way that you worked this summer,’ and for me, my confidence was sky high.”

Harris’s work isn’t done yet, though. He’ll now have to prove he was worth the big deal and will be counted on in clutch situations. If Harris is instrumental in leading the Sixers to the NBA Finals, he’ll be worth every penny.

With how Harris’s bet on himself turned out, he’s got all the confidence in the world to make that championship happen.

  • Tobias Harris Nearly Quadrupled His Career Earnings With His New $180 Million Contract
  • Shai Gilgeous-Alexander Could Smash The Single-Season NBA Salary Record With His Next Contract
  • James Harden Turned Down $47.3 Million From The Philadelphia 76ers
  • The 76ers Made One Of The Best Trades Of The NBA Draft… They Just Had To Break A Hometown Hero’s Heart
  • LeBron James Declined His Player Option…So Now What?
  • When Betting On Yourself Goes Wrong: Caleb Martin Leaves Miami And Signs For Half As Much Money With Philadelphia

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander Could Smash The Single-Season NBA Salary Record With His Next Contract

ByJoey Heldon July 22, 2024inArticles›Sports News

NBA teams have handed out plenty of big contracts this summer. Jayson Tatum signed a historic $314 million extension with the Boston Celtics, the largest total-value contract the NBA has ever seen. The 2021 No. 1 pick, Cade Cunningham , could make upwards of a quarter-billion dollars. Ditto for Scottie Barnes , the fourth pick from that draft.

Despite those hefty price tags, none of them are going to make as much in a single season as Shai Gilgeous-Alexander .

The Oklahoma City Thunder star was the runner-up in MVP voting this past season and earned All-NBA First Team status for a second consecutive year. That makes him eligible for a supermax extension next offseason, a deal the Thunder will surely offer.

As ESPN’s Bobby Marks noted , Gilgeous-Alexander can sign a four-year extension worth $294,268,128.

This extension would kick in after Gilgeous-Alexander’s current contract ends in the summer of 2027. In most situations, NBA contracts are backloaded, meaning the final year is the most lucrative. SGA would earn $81,449,214 during the 2030-31 season. To repeat. That’s $81.449 million in salary for a single season of play.

That’s essentially $1 million per game the Thunder play, whether he suits up or not. And it’ll likely be north of that since Gilgeous-Alexander hasn’t played a full 82 games since his rookie year.

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Joshua Gateley/Getty Images

As a reminder, Michael Jordan earned just shy of $94 million throughout his entire 15-year NBA career. Granted, he’s made billions thanks to endorsements and investments. And while SGA starred in that very memorable (some might say grating) “What a Pro Wants” commercial , he’s still well behind MJ in that regard.

There’s another interesting wrinkle to this extension, too. Gilgeous-Alexander played his rookie season for the Los Angeles Clippers. Then, in the 2019 offseason, the Clippers traded him, Danilo Gallinari, and five draft picks to the Thunder for Paul George .

One of this offseason’s big moves saw George signing with the Philadelphia 76ers. He claimed the Clippers initially gave him a lowball offer , which led to him looking elsewhere. The Sixers gave him four years and $212 million.

Granted, the Clippers needed to acquire George to get Kawhi Leonard on the roster. Still, it’s wild that they lost an MVP candidate and the guy they traded that candidate for in the span of five years—with only one Western Conference Finals appearance to show for it.

  • Shai Gilgeous-Alexander Could Score The First $80 Million Salary In NBA History
  • Shai Gilgeous-Alexander Just Signed A Record-Setting $285 Million Contract Extension With The Thunder
  • Shai Gilgeous-Alexander Net Worth
  • The Thunder Are Now Paying Three Players Over $900 Million
  • Kawhi Leonard Is Headed To The Los Angeles Clippers – Here’s How Much He’ll Make
  • Four Years Ago, Dennis Schroder Turned Down An $84 Million Contract. He Just Signed For Much Less Than That.