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Marvin Bagley III is one of the few players caught up in the the contract extensions drama that has taken over the NBA and the class of 2018 in the past few weeks. Players going into their fourth year have been, by their organization, split into two kinds. One kind is overjoyed and pampered while the other can't help but be worried about their future.
Take the Phoenix Suns camp, for example. While the management locked tusks with their center Deandre Ayton over negotiations, Mikal Bridges has already been given a $90 million four-year rookie contract. Meanwhile Luka Doncic of the Dallas Mavericks signed a $207 million dollar supermax rookie extension contract.
Marvin Bagley III, according to reports, is all set to join the latter kind. Marc Stein has, via his Twitter account, reported that the Sacramento Kings will not offer a deal to Bagley. This will essentially make Bagley a restricted free agent prior to the 2022-23 NBA season.
In his tweet, Stein wrote:
"With five hours to go before the NBA's Class of 2018 extension deadline at 6 PM, no deal is expected for Sacramento's Marvin Bagley III, league sources say. Bagley, 2018's No. 2 overall pick, would thus become a restricted free agent next summer.
What does the future hold for Marvin Bagley III?
Marvin Bagley III was the second overall pick in the 2018 draft, trumping the likes of Doncic, Trae Young and Jaren jackson Jr. An interesting outcome as the deadline for the contract approaches is the lack of deals for both the first and the second pick of the 2018 class.
Bagley was a highly anticipated player prior to his debut. Touted as one of the best, his performance was more than satisfactory in his debut season. His average of 14.9 points and 7.6 rebounds per game even landed him a spot in the All-Rookie team.
However, going into his sophomore year, the 6'11" center was unable to improve his performance. Instead, his scoring and rebounding abilities have decreased slightly since his rookie season.
To be honest, Bagley has not proven himself worthy of the second overall pick. Although much of the blame for this can be put on his injury riddled career, we believe his shortcomings also lie in his lack of defensive capabilities.
In his rookie season, he started only four games for the Sacramento Kings, while Ayton started 71 and Doncic started 72. Over the duration of his three seasons, he has only played in 118 games. Even a healthy Marvin Bagley remained uneventful with his lazy defending and uneventful scoring.
In order for him to become a player seen as an asset by teams, Marvin Bagley III needs to remain healthy and improve his defensive and scoring abilities during the 2021-22 season. He also needs to improve his shooting to give him an edge over other power forwards and centers and be a player sought after by camps beyond Sacramento.
Guess the Lakers players!
