One player cashed in, the other lost out after the All-NBA teams were announced Thursday.
“The Derrick Rose Rule” allows a player finishing his rookie contract to make 30 percent of a team’s salary cap if he’s twice been voted an All-Star starter, twice been voted All-NBA or won an MVP award. Portland Trail Blazers guard Damian Lillard was named Second Team All-NBA in 2015-16— the second All-NBA honor for Lillard after being named to the Third Team in 2013-14.
Per Danny Leroux of RealGM and Eric Pincus of Basketball Insiders, Lillard agreed to 27.5 percent instead of 30 percent, so he will make an extra $12.5 million in his contract thanks to the Rose Rule. Lillard finished sixth in the NBA in scoring (25.1 ppg) and tied for eighth in assists (6.8). He was famously left off the Western Conference All-Star team, though. Lillard guided the Trail Blazers to a fifth-place finish in the West and they won a playoff series against the Los Angeles Clippers before getting knocked out by Golden State in the second round.
New Orleans Pelicans forward Anthony Davis made first team All-NBA last season, so he would have been eligible for the Rose Rule if he had made a team this year, which he didn’t because of an injury-plagued season. Davis missed out on $24 million as a result.
Davis and Lillard both signed five-year max extensions last summer, only difference is Lillard will make more over the lifetime of his contract than Davis. It’s a tough pill to swallow for Davis. On the other hand, Lillard got what he deserved for an amazing season.
