Pacers & Spurs Players In Line For Bonuses This Season

Players on the Indiana Pacers and San Antonio Spurs are hoping their teams don't take on any bloated contracts for the rest of the season. Why? It'll mean more money in their pockets come season's end. 

The NBA's collective bargaining agreement calls for not only a luxury tax for teams that exceed the salary cap, but also penalties for teams that do not reach the salary floor. This year, the Indiana Pacers and San Antonio Spurs face the possibility of finishing the year having not spent the minimum on salaries. Both teams are more than $15M below the floor.

And that means a bonus for the players on those teams. Organizations that don't meet the salary floor must get up to that number by handing out bonuses to every player on the roster. Last year, the Oklahoma City Thunder were in that situation and had to distribute the extra funds to their players. 

Of course, with the $47M Russell Westbrook contract still out there—and both the Pacers and the Spurs have been connected to the Los Angeles Lakers as a potential trade partner on that front—the likelihood of both teams not making it to the floor isn't great. They're the only two teams in the league with cap room, and clubs will be offering them all sorts of goodies in the months leading up to the Feb. 9 trade deadline. 

Photo: Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports