At that point, the notice and the offer sheet are invalidated and the player becomes a restricted free agent again. The original team also can withdraw its first refusal exercise notice if the player doesn’t report for a physical. If the player for some reason refuses to report for a physical with the original team within two days of the match, the first refusal exercise notice is in play until the player reports. If the team passes on matching within two days, the player is under contract with the new team. If the team matches, then the player is under contract with his original team, but at the principal terms of the offer sheet. The terms of that deal - which must be for at least two seasons - are given to the player’s original team, which has two days to match. When a restricted free agent wants to sign with another team, he and the new team sign an offer sheet. If there is no qualifying offer, contract or offer sheet signed for one year, the original team can submit a new qualifying offer and the player will be a restricted free agent the next summer.Negotiate a sign-and-trade if he hasn’t signed an offer sheet with another team.Sign an offer sheet with another team through March 1, which his original team has an opportunity to match.Negotiate a new contract with his original team that is independent of the qualifying/max qualifying offer.Accept his team’s maximum qualifying offer (where applicable) and play under that long-term deal.Accept his team’s prior qualifying offer, play out the season and become a free agent the next summer.There are five basic options for a restricted free agent: A player coming off a two-way contract was on an NBA active or inactive roster for at least 15 days in the season beforehand.These players then become unrestricted free agents. The exception to this rule is a first-round Draft pick following his second or third season if his team doesn’t exercise its option to extend his rookie-scale contract for the following season.
For all veteran free agents who have been in the NBA for three seasons or less.Following the fourth year of rookie “scale” contracts for former first-round Draft picks.Restricted free agency exists in the following situations: The original team is said to have the “right of first refusal.” There's no guarantee that Durant is the same player when he returns, and it's not an unreasonable possibility that this is the last big contract he signs.A restricted free agent (RFA) can sign an offer sheet with any team, but the player’s original team can retain him by matching the terms of that offer. Giving up that much money and an extra year guaranteed is a lot for any player, but especially one who just suffered one of the worst injuries in basketball. In fact, the New York Times' Marc Stein reported that the Warriors were set to offer Durant a five-year, $221 million max contract as soon as free agency opened up. On a personal level, it's a clear sign that Durant was ready to move on from Golden State, as they were able to offer him an extra year and $60 million more. As a result, he's expected to miss all of next season, but that clearly didn't dissuade the Nets from offering Durant a max deal. A post shared by The Boardroom on at 3:02pm PDTĪccording to a report from ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski, Durant's deal will be worth $164 million over four years.ĭurant, of course, suffered a torn Achilles tendon during Game 5 of the NBA Finals between the Golden State Warriors and Toronto Raptors.