The NBA and the National Basketball Players Association have approved the base salary of Nene's new contract with the Houston Rockets but will exclude "likely" bonuses worth more than $7 million per season if he is traded, sources told The Athletic's Shams Charania.
Houston re-signed the 37-year-old big man to a two-year, $20-million contract earlier in September. His base salary is $2.6 million per season, but the deal carries a whopping $7.4 million in potential annual performance bonuses. Until now, the league had not approved the contract.
Only the base salary would count against the salary cap if the Rockets chose to move Nene, reports Charania. According to ESPN's Bobby Marks, the deal includes:
- $2.4 million for playing at least 10 games and the team winning at least 52 games.
- $2.5 million for playing at least 25 games and the team winning at least 52 games.
- $2.5 million for playing at least 40 games and the team winning at least 52 games.
Nene declined a guaranteed $3.8-million player option for 2019-20 before agreeing to terms on the new deal. The Brazilian has spent the past three seasons in Houston, averaging 6.8 points and 3.6 boards in a reserve role.
