Steven Adams #12 of the Oklahoma City Thunder poses for a portrait during 2015 NBA Media Day on September 28, 2015. Photo / Getty Images.
Steven Adams might have allowed himself a smile as he watched the first day of the NBA free agency period unfold yesterday.
Not because the future of teammate Kevin Durant was settled - that's still very much in flux - but because the money being thrown around provided an indication
that Adams' 2017 payday would be even more astronomical than first thought.
With every team awash with cash after a new television deal saw the salary cap sky-rocket, this time next year will prove extremely profitable for the 22-year-old Kiwi.
Estimations from as recently as May that Adams will receive a four-year deal in the range of US$15 million a year ($22m) now seem well short of the mark. Given the breakout playoff performance that followed those predictions and given the magnitude of contracts handed out in the last 24 hours, Adams appears in line to earn a maximum deal.
For a player with fewer than six years' experience, that figure will start at US$22 million ($30m). In other words, Adams could over the course of his contract earn the same amount as the current New Zealand Rugby player pool ($121m across a three-year period).
