The best players from the 2016 NBA Draft class are beginning to get paid. Is Jaylen Brown next?
That's the (100) million-dollar question in Boston ahead of Monday afternoon's deadline for teams to offer contract extensions to players ahead of the 2019-20 season.
Buddy Hield reportedly agreed to a four-year contract with the Sacramento Kings on Monday that includes $86 million guaranteed and could reach $106 million with incentives.
Hield joins Ben Simmons, Pascal Siakam and Jamal Murray as the fourth player from the 2016 draft to sign an extension off his four-year rookie deal.
Will Brown become the fifth? The 22-year-old reportedly balked at the Celtics' four-year, $80 million offer and is seeking more money.
To estimate what Brown is actually worth, we decided to re-do the top 10 picks of the NBA Draft based solely on talent -- put another way: Who are the 10 best players from the 2016 NBA Draft? -- and make note of the paydays already earned by the top players.
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Let's start at the top.
1. Ben Simmons (Philadelphia 76ers' original pick: Ben Simmons)
New contract: Five years, $170 million ($34 million per year)
No surprise here. The Sixers' 6-foot-10 unicorn of a point guard was the crown jewel of this draft class even before he figured out how to shoot.
2. Pascal Siakam (Los Angeles Lakers' original pick: Brandon Ingram)
New contract: Four years, $130 million ($32.5 million per year)
Siakam slipped to 27th in the 2016 draft -- and spent all of last season proving 25 teams wrong. The Cameroon native averaged 16.9 points and 6.9 rebounds per game despite sharing touches with Kawhi Leonard and Kyle Lowry and boasts the second-highest Win Share in the 2016 draft class despite barely making an impact in his first two seasons. He should be an All-Star for years to come.
3. Jamal Murray (Boston Celtics' original pick: Jaylen Brown)
New contract: Five years, $170 million ($34 million per year)
Murray averaged career highs in points (18.2), assists (4.8) and rebounds (4.2) in a breakout 2018-19 campaign for Denver. If he can improve his 3-point shot (36.7 percent last season), he's a legitimate franchise point guard for an NBA title contender.
4. Buddy Hield (Phoenix Suns' original pick: Dragan Bender)
New contract: Four years, $94 million ($23.5 million per year)
Hield's advanced age (26) is a strike against him, but he proved himself as a bona fide scorer last season, averaging 20.7 points per game while shooting 42.7 percent from 3-point range. Brown may have a slightly higher ceiling, but Hield has a higher floor.
5. Jaylen Brown (Minnesota Timberwolves' original pick: Kris Dunn)
New contract: TBD
Brown has more playoff experience than any player ahead of him on this last and at best could be a two-way star in the mold of Kawhi Leonard. But the 22-year-old has some work to do after a disappointing 2018-19 campaign that saw a regression in nearly every statisical category. That regression may have cost Brown a Hield-like extension, although he can get back into that range with a strong 2019-20 campaign.
6. Brandon Ingram (New Orleans Pelicans' original pick: Buddy Hield)
New contract: TBD
Ingram is very similar to Brown: A tantalizing talent with a few red flags. If his scare with blood clots doesn't affect him and he improves his outside shooting, Ingram could be a perennial All-Star in New Orleans. But he's yet to play more than 59 games in a season and needs to put up consistent numbers to be mentioned in the top five of this draft class.
7. Malcolm Brogdon (Denver Nuggets' original pick: Jamal Murray)
New contract: Four years, $85 million ($21.3 million per year)
The 2016 Rookie of the Year played a key role in the Milwaukee Bucks' resurgence as their rock solid point guard before being traded to the Indiana Pacers this offseason. He's missed 52 games due to injury over the past two seasons, though, and at 26 doesn't have much more room for improvement.
8. Domantas Sabonis (Phoenix Suns' original pick: Marquese Chriss)
New contract: Four years, $74.9 million ($18.7 million per year)
Sabonis has developed into a productive starter for the Pacers after a disappointing rookie campaign with the Oklahoma City Thunder. The 6-foot-11 big man won't be a superstar, but his rebounding and ability to stretch the floor make him a key asset.
9. Dejounte Murray (Toronto Raptors' original pick: Jakob Poltl)
New contract: Four years, $64 million ($16 million per year)
Leave it to the San Antonio Spurs to steal Murray with the 29th overall pick. The promising point guard missed the entire 2018-19 season due to a torn ACL but earned second-team All-Defensive honors as a rookie and shows promise as a well-rounded starter in San Antonio.
10. Caris LeVert (Milwaukee Bucks original pick: Thon Maker)
New contract: Three years, $52.5 million ($167 million per year)
This was a close call between LeVert and Kris Dunn, but we're giving the edge to the Brooklyn Nets guard, who's a more well-rounded player and made an impressive return from a gruesome foot injury last season.
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