NBA teams
Amin Elhassan, ESPN Staff Writer 9y

Which rookie contracts to extend?

NBA

Editor's note: This story has been updated with Kenneth Faried's Oct. 6 contract extension.

October is here, and for most of the NBA's Class of 2011, that means there's less than a month to go for their scale extensions to be negotiated. For all first-round picks entering their fourth season and had all of their team options picked up along the way, this is an opportunity to avoid the headache and uncertainty of the free-agent process, score some financial security and be paid an amount that closer represents their true value, because the rookie scale artificially depresses that.

For teams, this is a chance to lock a key contributor into a solid rate, giving the accounting department some cost certainty to work with, and perhaps secure him for less than what market value would be next summer. That last point is especially pivotal; the whole point of restricted free agency is to give the team the right of first refusal; therefore, it makes no sense to pay premium now unless you think it's going to save you money next summer. Of course, the argument can be made that good-faith negotiation goes a long way, and the relationship between the team and the player (and his agent) can become strained, but those cases are few and far between.

The 30 first-round picks from 2011 can be divided into three groups: Already Signed, Ineligible to Sign and Extendables.

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