Thunder, Jazz and Hornets decline NBA rookie contract options

The Oklahoma City Thunder, Utah Jazz and Charlotte Hornets declined rookie-scale contract options for Nikola Topić, Isaiah Collier and Tidjane Salaün ahead of Monday’s NBA deadline. The decisions leave all three players on course for unrestricted free agency next summer.

Teams usually exercise these options on first-round picks they expect to keep developing. This year’s decisions stand out because each player still has a chance to strengthen his case before the season ends.

Thunder leave Topić’s future open

Oklahoma City declined Topić’s option for the 2027-28 season. The Thunder selected him with the No. 12 pick in 2024, but injuries and illness have severely limited his time on court: he missed his rookie season with a torn ACL, appeared in only 10 games during his second season while receiving treatment for testicular cancer, and has yet to play this season following back surgery.

His return could nevertheless come at a time when the Thunder need minutes because of injuries. After averaging 66 wins across Topić’s first two seasons, the team had offered limited room for him to establish himself; now, court time could give him a chance to show what he can do before free agency.

Jazz and Hornets make different calculations

Utah also declined its 2027-28 option on Collier, despite giving him substantial playing time. He averaged more than 25 minutes per game in each of his first two seasons and, through six games this season, was averaging 18.5 minutes — the most of any Jazz player yet to start a game.

Collier’s playmaking has been a strength, but his scoring and defence have not developed at the same pace. Utah’s plans at backup point guard remain unclear, with decisions involving restricted free agent Brice Sensabaugh and a possible mid-level exception also affecting its spending next season.

Charlotte declined the fourth-year option on Salaün, the No. 6 pick in the 2024 draft. His minutes have fallen in each of his NBA seasons, although he has played better in a smaller role this year.

What happens next

Topić has the rest of the season to show what he can do, and Utah has not made clear what it plans to do at backup point guard.

Charlotte could also re-sign Salaün in free agency, but an original team that declines a rookie-scale option cannot offer more than the salary attached to it. For Salaün, that figure would have been about $10.4 million, leaving the Hornets able to consider a lower-cost deal if both sides want him to stay.