Sabonis and Clarkson get extension deals done with Kings and Jazz, sources tell AP

By TIM REYNOLDS
AP Basketball Writer

All-NBA center Domantas Sabonis wasn’t a free agent this summer. And he won’t be for the next few summers, either.

Sabonis has agreed to a four-year contract extension with the Sacramento Kings, one that will keep him signed through the 2027-28 season, a person with knowledge of the talks confirmed Sunday.

The extension includes a raise on his salary for this coming season to nearly $31 million, and his salary for the four subsequent years will average about $47 million, said the person, who spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because the team has not announced the signing.

The total value of the deal is about $217 million. ESPN first reported the agreement on Saturday night, and The Sacramento Bee subsequently confirmed it as well.

It was part of a big-spending start to free agency this summer: Counting free agent deals that have been struck, signings of this year’s rookie class and extensions, NBA teams have combined to hand out more than $3 billion in contract value since Friday night.

Sabonis would have been in line to hit the free agent market in the summer of 2024, but the Kings ensured that won’t be happening. He’s a huge part of the Kings’ current surge; the team made the playoffs this past season for the first time since 2006 and has the entirety of its starting five — Sabonis, De’Aaron Fox, Kevin Huerter, Harrison Barnes and Keegan Murray — coming back.

Sabonis is a three-time All-Star who averaged 19.1 points and a league-high 12.3 rebounds per game this past season, earning the All-NBA nod for the first time.

Utah was finalizing an extension for guard Jordan Clarkson on Sunday as well, a second person told the AP on condition of anonymity because it had not been signed. It will have a total value of $55 million over the next three years, the person said; Clarkson had opted into a contract that would have paid him $14.3 million this coming season and now will average about $18.3 million over three years.

Clarkson averaged a career-high 20.8 points for the Jazz this past season, and the extension will push his on-court earnings well past $100 million for his career.

Also Sunday:

— Miles Bridges signed his $7.9 million qualifying offer from Charlotte for this coming season, a source told AP after the agreement was first reported by ESPN. Bridges missed all of this past season after he was charged with domestic violence in the summer of 2022. He eventually pleaded no contest and is serving three years of probation. The NBA gave Bridges a 30-game suspension earlier this offseason, but added that because Bridges missed the entirety of 2022-23, 20 of those games are considered already served.

— Eric Gordon agreed to a contract with the Phoenix Suns, a source told AP after the agreement was first reported by The Athletic. Gordon is a career 37% shooter from 3-point range, and is entering his 16th NBA season.

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