Team Option and Player Option: What They Are and How They Work
What Does Player Option and Team Option Mean in an NBA Contract? What They Are, How They Work, and When the Clauses Apply
In our Complete Guide to the NBA Market, we discussed the topic of Player Option and Team Option, which we will explore in detail in this article.
When a player is approaching contract expiration, they are presented with several opportunities, some related to their own decisions and others related to the franchise’s intentions. The Player and Team Options are clauses inserted into the contract that can be exercised or not, depending on the initiatives of the individuals or front offices.
What is the Player Option?
The Player Option is a clause that gives a player the option to accept or decline a contract already agreed upon for the following season. If the player refuses to exercise this option (therefore opting out), the player becomes an Unrestricted Free Agent.
One of the most famous cases is that of Kyrie Irving, who accepted his Player Option to stay another year in Brooklyn in 2022, fully paid according to his contract.
What is the Team Option?
The Team Option is essentially the same as the Player Option, but with the roles reversed. In this case, it is the team that has the ability to retain a player for the following season, again under the terms of the contract already agreed upon. If the franchise decides not to exercise this option, the player becomes a Free Agent.
Generally, both clauses are applied to a four-year contract since they can only be applied to a specific year. They are typically assigned at the end of the third year of the contract, allowing the team or player to exercise them to proceed or not with the fourth and final year.