NBA Most Valuable Assets

Unanimous Defensive Player of the Year at 22, the youngest winner in NBA history, with a league-leading 3.1 blocks and 11.5 rebounds a game to go with 25.0 points. First-Team All-NBA and First-Team All-Defense in the same season, and San Antonio reached the Finals before losing to New York in six games. He plays out the final year of his rookie scale deal at $16.9 million, then begins a five-year, $252 million extension he chose over the full 30 percent supermax, a discount he described as building the Spurs the room to keep building around him.

Rookie of the Year at 19, the second-youngest winner behind only LeBron James, averaging 21.0 points, 6.7 rebounds and 4.5 assists across 70 games for Dallas. He plays this season and two more on his rookie scale contract, with Detroit-level two-way tools already: a 46.8 field goal percentage and 1.2 steals a game as a teenager. No player his age has combined this level of production with this much contract still to run.

Back-to-back Most Valuable Player, the fourteenth player in NBA history to win it twice in a row, on 31.1 points and 6.6 assists a game for a 64-win Thunder team. First-Team All-NBA on all 100 ballots for the second straight season. He plays out the final year of his current deal at $40.8 million, then begins a four-year, $285 million extension that carries the richest annual salary in league history.

First-Team All-NBA for the first time, leading a 60-win Pistons team that finished with the league’s third-best record on 23.9 points, 9.9 assists and 5.5 rebounds a game. Detroit’s turnaround from lottery team to title contender in three seasons runs through him. He is 24, signed at $50.1 million a year on the five-year rookie-max extension he signed after his breakout, with the deal running through 2029-30.

20.4 points, 8.9 rebounds and 6.2 assists a game for a Houston team that finished as a genuine title contender, missing All-NBA only on the numbers of five players having better seasons at other positions. He is one of six centers in the league averaging at least 20 and 8 while also running his team’s offense through the post. He signed a five-year, $185 million extension that runs through 2030-31, team control at 23 into his prime.

Third-Team All-NBA on 17.1 points, 8.9 rebounds and 1.9 blocks a game while shooting 36.2 percent from three, a rim protector who spaces the floor at the other end. He anchors the league’s best defense on a 64-win team. He signed his rookie-max extension at $41.25 million a year, running through 2030-31, before turning 24.

Third-Team All-NBA in his first season as a full-time starter, 22.5 points, 10.3 rebounds and 7.9 assists a game across 72 games, after two prior seasons cut short by injury. He is 24, signed at $30.0 million a year through 2029-30, a number set before this season’s breakout.

First-Team All-NBA again after his move to Los Angeles, 33.5 points, 8.3 assists and 7.7 rebounds a game with the ball in his hands more than anyone else on the floor. He agreed to a three-year, $165 million extension with the Lakers rather than testing free agency, with a player option in the final year. He is 27, and the extension was a discount against the full supermax he would have commanded had he been extension-eligible under the rules that only apply to a player’s original team.

28.8 points, 5.0 rebounds and 3.7 assists a game, the clear best player on a Minnesota team that stayed in the championship conversation all season, and a fourth straight All-Star selection at 24, the second player in Timberwolves history to reach four in a row after Kevin Garnett. He signed his rookie-max extension at $48.9 million a year, the team’s cornerstone through 2028-29.

18.3 points, 7.8 rebounds and 5.3 assists a game for a Houston team built around two-way size, on 53.4 percent shooting, a rare mark for a guard carrying that much of the ball. He started all 79 games he played and was a serious All-Defense candidate in only his third season. He remains on his rookie scale contract, $12.3 million for 2026-27, with an extension the two sides have not yet completed.

22.2 points, 8.4 rebounds and 5.2 assists a game for a Magic team that reached the second round, another 20-point season before turning 24. He signed his rookie-max extension at $41.3 million a year, running through 2030-31, the centerpiece of Orlando’s young core alongside Wagner and Bane.

Second-Team All-Defense on 18.2 points, 9.0 rebounds and 1.7 blocks a game for a Cleveland team built around size and switching. He shot 54.6 percent from the floor while guarding every position on the floor. He signed his rookie-max extension at $50.1 million a year, running through 2030-31, at 24.

Second-Team All-Defense, 18.1 points, 7.5 rebounds and 5.9 assists a game across 80 games, guarding the other team’s toughest matchup most nights for Toronto. He signed his rookie-max extension worth $224.2 million over five years, at $41.7 million for 2026-27 and rising each season through 2029-30.

Second-Team All-Defense as a role player, the point-of-attack defender on the league’s best defense, 8.6 points a game on 51.7 percent shooting while guarding the opponent’s best perimeter scorer every night. He played all 77 games Oklahoma City asked him to. He remains on his rookie scale deal, $7.4 million for 2026-27, one of the league’s clearest bargains.

Second-Team All-Defense for a second straight season, tied for the league lead in steals at 2.0 a game while playing all 76 games for Atlanta. His 11.9 points a game undersells a player whose value is almost entirely on the ball he takes away. He signed at $25.0 million a year through 2029-30, a number reflecting the reputation his defense has built league-wide.

First-Team All-Defense, the engine of a Detroit defense that helped carry a 60-win season, 9.9 points, 5.7 rebounds and 3.1 assists a game while guarding four positions. He missed time to injury the previous two seasons and played a full, healthy 73 games this year. He signed a four-year extension worth $36.2 million, at $11.1 million for 2026-27, running through 2029-30.

Third-Team All-NBA, remarkable for a non-scorer: 19.5 points, 10.5 rebounds and 65.0 percent shooting across 70 games for a 60-win Pistons team, the best field goal percentage of any player who scored 900 points this season. He finished his rookie scale contract this summer and is a restricted free agent as of September, with Detroit and his side reported roughly $5 million apart on a new deal in the $35 million a year range.

20.6 points, 5.2 rebounds and 3.3 assists a game across the 34 games he played, a full-season All-Star pace sandwiched around a high ankle sprain that cost him most of December through March. He returned before the playoffs for an Orlando team that reached them anyway. He is 24, signed at $41.8 million a year on an extension that runs through at least 2028-29 alongside Banchero and Bane.

17.1 points, 4.6 rebounds and 5.5 assists a game across the 33 games he played, missing the season’s first six weeks recovering from summer surgery on a wrist ligament he tore during the prior year’s title run. He returned in late November and finished the year as one of Oklahoma City’s three perimeter scorers behind Gilgeous-Alexander. He signed his rookie-max extension at $41.25 million a year, running through 2030-31.

16.7 points, 5.3 rebounds and 7.4 assists a game in his second season, a jump from his Rookie of the Year runner-up campaign into San Antonio’s full-time playmaker alongside Wembanyama. He is 21, on his rookie scale contract through 2027-28.

11.8 points, 3.4 rebounds and 3.9 assists a game across 69 games as a 20-year-old rookie, the second overall pick in 2025, coming off the bench behind Castle for most of the year in San Antonio’s backcourt on a Finals team. He is on his rookie scale contract through 2028-29.

27.7 points, 12.9 rebounds and 10.7 assists a game, finishing second in Most Valuable Player voting behind Gilgeous-Alexander for a Denver team that stayed a title contender. He averaged a triple-double for the season, the third player in NBA history to do it and the second, after Russell Westbrook, to do it in back-to-back seasons. He is 31, signed at $59.0 million a year on his supermax extension, which runs through 2027-28.

Third-Team All-NBA, 28.3 points, 6.6 assists and 4.1 rebounds a game across 70 games for Philadelphia, his third straight season averaging at least 25 points. He signed his rookie-max extension at $40.8 million a year, running through 2028-29, and now plays alongside Jaylen Brown after Philadelphia’s trade for him.

16.0 points, 5.6 rebounds and 4.2 assists a game as a 20-year-old rookie, starting every one of the 75 games he played and playing alongside Maxey, Embiid and the newly acquired Jaylen Brown. He is on his rookie scale contract through 2028-29.

Most Valuable Player of the 2025 NBA Cup and the offensive engine of a Knicks team that won the franchise’s first championship since 1973, 26.0 points and 6.8 assists a game across 74 games in the regular season. He signed a four-year deal at $37.7 million a year, running through 2028-29, a below-market number for a champion at his level.

26.1 points, 6.0 assists and 3.9 rebounds a game for Phoenix, another season near his career scoring average deep into his career. He plays out the final year of his prior deal at $57.1 million in 2026-27, then begins a two-year extension averaging $72.5 million a year, the richest annual extension in league history when he signed it.

Second-Team All-NBA, 27.9 points, 5.7 assists and 4.5 rebounds a game across 70 games for a Cleveland team built around his scoring and the Mobley-Allen frontcourt. He signed a four-year, $273 million extension carrying a full trade kicker, at $50.1 million for 2026-27, running through 2029-30.

Third-Team All-NBA, 25.4 points, 7.1 assists and 4.4 rebounds a game across 75 games, his most complete statistical season yet playing alongside Jokic. He signed his four-year, $208 million supermax extension, at $50.1 million for 2026-27, running through 2028-29.

First-Team All-Defense, 16.5 points, 5.4 assists and a league-leading 1.3 blocks a game for a guard, the connective piece of Boston’s defense. He is 31, signed at $30.3 million a year through 2027-28 with a player option for the season after.

24.2 points, 6.9 rebounds and 6.7 assists a game across 66 games, a career year for Portland that put him in the Most Improved Player conversation. He is 25, signed at $13.1 million for 2026-27, one of the most team-friendly deals in the league for a player producing at his level.

20.2 points, 4.9 rebounds and 3.3 assists a game across 65 games for Charlotte, his third season and clearest jump yet as a scorer. He is 23, playing out the final guaranteed year of his rookie deal at $15.1 million, with an extension the two sides are working toward before he reaches restricted free agency.

21.5 points, 5.7 rebounds and 3.8 assists a game across 66 games for New Orleans, his first season as the clear first option after Zion Williamson’s early-season injuries. He shot 37.9 percent from three on high volume. He is 25, signed at $27.0 million a year through 2028-29.

20.1 points, 4.1 rebounds and 4.1 assists a game, the only player among Orlando’s young core to play all 82 games, after a trade brought him from Memphis. He shot 39.1 percent from three. He is 27, signed at $39.4 million a year on an extension that runs through at least 2028-29.

Second-Team All-NBA and the league’s fourth-leading scorer, 28.7 points, 6.9 rebounds and 5.1 assists a game across 71 games, before Boston traded him to Philadelphia this summer in the deal that sent Paul George the other way. He signed his supermax extension at $57.7 million a year, running through 2028-29, and now plays alongside Embiid, Maxey and LeBron James in Philadelphia.

20.1 points, 11.9 rebounds and 36.8 percent from three across 75 games, the interior anchor of New York’s championship team. He is 30, playing out his current deal at $57.1 million for 2026-27, a player option year, with a new extension still under negotiation.

Second-Team All-Defense for New York’s champions, 16.7 points, 5.2 rebounds and 1.6 steals a game on the wing that guarded the other team’s best scorer every night of the Finals. He is 28, signed at $42.5 million a year through 2028-29, the final year a player option.

Second-Team All-NBA at 34, 27.9 points, 6.4 rebounds and 1.9 steals a game across 65 games for the Clippers, his most productive season in three years. He plays out the final year of his contract at $50.3 million in 2026-27 before reaching unrestricted free agency.

Second-Team All-Defense, 20.1 points, 10.0 rebounds and 3.2 assists a game across 73 games, the frontcourt partner Miami built its Giannis Antetokounmpo trade around. He signed a three-year, $166 million extension, running through 2028-29.

First-Team All-Defense for a fourth time, 68.2 percent shooting with 11.5 rebounds and 1.6 blocks a game across 76 games for Minnesota. He is 33, three years remaining on his contract at $36.5 million a year, through 2028-29.

Second-Team All-NBA at 37, 26.0 points, 5.5 rebounds and 4.8 assists a game across 78 games for Houston, still one of the most efficient high-volume scorers in the league on 52.0 percent shooting. He signed a two-year, $90 million extension at $43.9 million a year, with a player option for the second season, 2027-28.

27.6 points, 9.8 rebounds and 5.4 assists a game on 62.4 percent shooting in the 36 games he played for Milwaukee before a leg injury, still the league’s most efficient high-usage scorer when healthy. Milwaukee traded him to Miami this summer after his agent had told the team for more than a year that he wanted to leave, a deal that sent Tyler Herro, Kel’el Ware, Jaime Jaquez Jr., Kasparas Jakucionis and draft capital back to the Bucks. He signed at $58.4 million for 2026-27, with a player option for 2027-28.

21.0 points, 5.7 rebounds and 3.2 assists a game across 62 games, his healthiest season since his rookie year, on 60.0 percent shooting that led all forwards. He is 25, signed at $42.2 million for 2026-27, a contract built on the ceiling he shows in the games he plays.

13.8 points, 4.2 rebounds and 1.8 assists a game across 72 games as a 19-year-old rookie for Utah, the fifth overall pick in 2025, playing through the growing pains of a young roster. He is on his rookie scale contract through 2028-29.

20.8 points, 3.4 rebounds and 3.7 assists a game across 78 games, a career year in scoring after a trade to Atlanta, on 39.9 percent shooting from three. He is 27, signed as a free agent this summer to a four-year, $62 million deal, running through 2029-30.

13.4 points and 5.1 rebounds a game across all 82 games, guarding the other team’s toughest perimeter or wing assignment every night for Portland. He is 25, signed at $18.1 million a year through 2029-30.

15.4 points, 8.5 rebounds and 63.8 percent shooting across the 56 games he played for Cleveland, the rim-running partner to Mobley in a frontcourt that led the league in defense. He signed a three-year, $91 million extension, at $28.0 million a year through 2029-30.

13.6 points, 6.2 rebounds and 2.2 assists a game off the bench across 77 games, the anchor of Minnesota’s second unit and a past Sixth Man of the Year himself. He signed a five-year, $125 million deal this summer, at $23.3 million a year through 2030-31.

12.0 points, 7.4 rebounds and 4.8 assists a game across 66 games for New York’s champions, the connective rebounder and playmaker in a starting five built around four other scorers. He is 31, signed at $20.9 million for 2026-27.

14.4 points, 3.8 rebounds and 3.7 assists a game across all 82 games for New York’s champions, the wing defender assigned to the other team’s top perimeter scorer through the playoff run. He signed a four-year, $150 million extension, at $33.5 million a year through 2029-30.

21.1 points, 6.7 rebounds and 5.0 assists a game across 79 games for Minnesota, the third scoring option behind Edwards and Gobert on a team that stayed in the championship conversation all season. He is 31, signed at $33.3 million for 2026-27.