Parsons, Hayward Cash In With Biggest Offseason Pay Raises

Is the white American player making a comeback this summer?

All of the recent offseason buzz is centered around Minnesota Timberwolves All-Star forward Kevin Love and which team can put together the most appealing trade package to acquire him.

Meanwhile, two of the top three salary bumps also went to white American players – Chandler Parsons and Gordon Hayward. As restricted free agents, both got max salary offer sheets and cashed in.

So while white men can’t jump, they certainly can jump in pay.

As was the case with our rundown of the offseason’s biggest pay cuts, we used exact salary figures from last season. Three players on the list made less than $1 million last season.

In some cases, this season’s figures are averages of multi-year deals received by players. For example, Jodie Meeks received $19.5 million for three years from the Detroit Pistons. We assigned him an average of $6.5 million until we receive exact figures sometime next month.

The list also includes a quartet of players whose extensions will kick in this season and three teams with a pair of players.

Let’s get to the rundown.

1. Chandler Parsons, Dallas ($13.81 million pay raise): Rockets GM Daryl Morey’s first mistake was declining the 2014-15 option of a paltry $964,000 on Parsons, making him a restricted free agent. His second mistake was trying to keep Parsons while trying to reel in Chris Bosh. He ended up with neither, and surrendered Jeremy Lin and Omer Asik in trades to boot. Parsons got $46 million over three years from the Mavericks, with a third-year player option and a 15 percent trade kicker. There was some sour grapes from his Rockets teammates as well.

2. Paul George, Indiana ($12.62 million): Even with a tepid finish following an MVP-like start, he was arguably the best value in the league last season. Among the 15 players to make All-NBA teams, only Portland guard Damian Lillard made less money. Now at nearly $16 million, he is among the top 20 in salaries.

3. Gordon Hayward, Utah ($11,29 million): The Jazz let the market set Hayward’s price and were adamant that they would match any offer, which they did when the Charlotte Hornets put the maximum $63 million for four years on the table.  Don’t shed any tears for the Hornets, though. They ended up with a nice consolation prize. See two spots below.

4. DeMarcus Cousins, Sacramento ($9.45 million): Another member of the 2010 draft class who got a max extension last summer. In four seasons, he still has zero playoff appearances and All-Star berths to go with 59 technical fouls. He also is just 23 and coming off his best season that included a 26.1 PER, which ranked fifth in the NBA and kind of makes him worth the annual eight figures.

5. Lance Stephenson, Charlotte ($7.99 million): This is why it’s not necessary to play any violins for the Hornets. They moved on from Hayward and pounced on “Born Ready,” who led the NBA in triple-doubles last season. Stephenson got $27.5 million over three years, with a team option in the third year. Stephenson’s 2014-15 salary may not be eight digits, but it is nearly three times the $3.43 million he made in his first four years.

6. Larry Sanders, Milwaukee ($7.95 million): He also signed an extension last summer, getting $44 million for four years. He then spent the final year of his rookie contract giving the Bucks buyer’s remorse as he suffered a thumb injury in a bar fight, argued with teammate Gary Neal in front of the media and was a candidate for the NBA’s Least Improved Player. This has a chance to become one of the league’s worst deals.

7. John Wall, Washington ($7.28 million): The top pick in the 2010 draft, he got a five-year max extension last summer despite being in the same boat as his Kentucky teammate Cousins – no All-Star berths or playoff appearances. But he fixed that last season, making the All-Star team and leading the Wizards to a postseason series win.

RELATED: CHECK OUT EVERY TEAM’S PAYROLL WITH OUR SALARY INDEX

8. Isaiah Thomas, Phoenix ($5.9 million): He made just $880,000 last season, when he was one of just seven players to finish in the top 20 in both scoring (20.3 ppg) and assists (6.3 apg). The cap-strapped Sacramento Kings never really made him an offer, and he got $27 million for four years from the Suns, who already had two good point guards and also drafted a point guard. We’ll see how that works out.

The rest of the rundown continues below the chart.

PLAYER	2013-14	2014-15	PAY RAISE
Chandler Parsons, DAL	$930,000	$14,740,000	$13,810,000
Paul George, IND	$3,280,000	$15,940,000	$12,620,000
Gordon Hayward, UTH	$3,450,000	$14,740,000	$11,290,000
DeMarcus Cousins, SAC	$5,290,000	$14,740,000	$9,450,000
Lance Stephenson, CHA	$1,010,000	$9,000,000	$7,990,000
Larry Sanders, MIL	$3,050,000	$11,000,000	$7,950,000
John Wall, WAS	$7,460,000	$14,740,000	$7,280,000
Isaiah Thomas, PHO	$880,000	$6,780,000	$5,900,000
Kyle Lowry, TOR	$6,200,000	$12,000,000	$5,800,000
Jordan Hill, LAL	$3,500,000	$9,000,000	$5,500,000
Avery Bradley, BOS	$2,510,000	$8,000,000	$5,490,000
Jodie Meeks, DET	$1,550,000	$6,500,000	$4,950,000
P.J. Tucker, PHO	$880,000	$5,310,000	$4,430,000
Greivis Vasquez, TOR	$2,150,000	$6,500,000	$4,350,000
Marcin Gortat, WAS	$7,730,000	$12,000,000	$4,270,000

9. Kyle Lowry, Toronto ($5.8 million): The Miami Heat supposedly were interested in signing him to create a “Big Four,” but he ended up staying with the Raptors and nearly doubling his annual salary in a four-year deal. Was the best season of his career prompted by his impending free agency, or is it a sign of things to come? We’ll see.

10. Jordan Hill, LA Lakers ($5.5 million): Someone had to get the money the Lakers didn’t give to Carmelo Anthony. Or Pau Gasol. Or Steve Blake. Or Kendall Marshall. No matter whom the Lakers eventually hire as coach, he will find out what we thought everyone knew: Players have inflated stats when playing in Mike D’Antoni’s offense-only system. The only redeeming quality in Hill’s $9 million annual salary is that the Lakers hold a team option for 2015-16.

11. Avery Bradley, Boston ($5.49 million): Celtics GM Danny Ainge drafted a shooting guard in James Young. Then he traded for a shooting guard in Marcus Thornton. And with those assets as leverage, he gave Bradley $32 million over four years without another team as much as meeting with him. Oh, yeah, and then Ainge signed Evan Turner, who also plays some shooting guard. Three years from now, Bradley could be a steal at $8 million per. Or he could be a reincarnation of Thabo Sefolosha and a contract albatross.

12. Jodie Meeks, Detroit ($4.95 million): New Pistons honcho Stan Van Gundy looks like he wants to turn Andre Drummond into Dwight Howard 2.0. There is a premium on 3-point shooting and Meeks has added a dribble-drive element to his game. But his $6.5 million average salary for this deal is more than he made in his first five years combined. The only shooting guards who got more money in free agency were Bradley, Stephenson and Dwyane Wade.

13. P.J. Tucker, Phoenix ($4.43 million): A fantastic story of determination, Tucker played 83 minutes as a rookie with Toronto in 2006-07, spent five years playing in five different leagues in Europe and made the Suns out of training camp in 2012. Still not 30, he has added a 3-point shot to his rebounding and defense and should be a great value at the mid-level exception over the next three years.

14. Greivis Vasquez, Toronto ($4.35 million): He got bumped to the bench by Thomas in Sacramento, then was traded to Toronto, where he had to play behind Lowry. And he still got paid, like we said he would. It’s probably also worth mentioning that a year ago, the Kings had both Thomas and Vasquez and now have neither. Nice job.

15. Marcin Gortat, Washington ($.27 million): Five years ago, Gortat was a relatively unknown backup who had an awesome playoff game in the absence of a suspended Dwight Howard highlighted by this dunk, which earned him the nickname “The Polish Hammer” and a five-year, $33 million mid-level deal from Orlando that raised some eyebrows. So what should we make of this deal, which will pay him $12 million when he is 35? If anything, he has proved that he doesn’t need Steve Nash as his point guard to put up numbers.

Et cetera: If Pistons big Greg Monroe and Suns guard Eric Bledsoe ever get something more than a qualifying offer, they will join the list. Monroe made $4.09 million last season and Bledsoe made $2.63 million. Both have refused to accept offers of $12 million annually. … Lakers guard Nick Young actually had the same pay raise as Gortat, jumping from $1.11 million to $5.38 million. … Parsons (Dirk Nowitzki), Hayward (Richard Jefferson), Hill (Kobe Bryant) and Gortat (Paul Pierce) had or have corresponding teammates on the list of biggest pay cuts. … Another thousandaire who should become a multimillionaire is Hawks forward Mike Scott, a restricted free agent who made just $780,000 last season. He is No. 8 on our best remaining free agents list.

Chris Bernucca is the managing editor of SheridanHoops.com. His column appears every Monday during the season. You can follow him on Twitter.