Aday Mara’s NBA contract: $26.3 million after joining the Oklahoma City Thunder

The NBA has unparalleled economic power compared to any other basketball league in the world. This also translates into unimaginable salaries for many people, and with his arrival at the Oklahoma City Thunder, Aday Mara will see his earnings increase exponentially compared to his previous contracts in the NCAA. 

Having been selected 12th overall in the Draft, his salary is already fixed, with no room for negotiation, as the NBA has had this rule in place for many seasons. Thus, the player from Zaragoza will sign a four-year contract with the Thunder, receiving a total of $23 million guaranteed, more precisely, $26,345,863. 

Therefore, the Aragonese giant will receive $5.75 million in the Oklahoma franchise in his first season and then it will increase proportionally until reaching more than $8 million in his last year, since it is a completely closed contract in terms of the emoluments received. 

THE CONTRACT, IN DETAIL

Within this contract, not only the salary received matters, it is also important to take into account that in the NBA, and even more so at the beginning of his career, Aday will hardly have a say in deciding his future . 

He will receive $5.75 million per season for the first two years, but with the start of the third year, Oklahoma must decide whether to exercise the option for the following two seasons, as they hold the negotiating power due to their team option. However, if they decline, he must continue to receive those remaining earnings from another NBA team. 

Furthermore, if the team option is exercised in that third season , Aday will be able to sign his first extension, which would take effect in his fifth season . His salary would then depend on his performance, his importance to the team, and the Thunder’s salary cap, as exceeding it incurs financial penalties and restrictions on entering the free agency market.