Predicting the Contract Noah Clowney Could Earn From the Nets This Offseason

In the 2019 NFL offseason, South Carolina native and Gamecock alum Jadeveon Clowney signed his first contract extension after his four-year rookie deal. The one-year, $15 million franchise tag is the most money he's ever made in a single season of his career.

Fast forward to the present day in a different professional sports league, and another Clowney is on the verge of earning a sizable rookie-scale contract extension. Noah Clowney, also hailing from South Carolina, although not related to Jadeveon, is becoming a freak of nature in the NBA in his third season.

Coming into the 2025-26 season, it was unclear if he was even going to be a part of the Brooklyn Nets' future. A breakout campaign silenced those doubts. Clowney's averaging career-highs in points (12.5), rebounds (4.1), assists (1.7), steals (0.7) and blocks per game (0.7).

His current 4-year, $15.1 million contract, which he received as the 21st overall pick in the 2022 NBA Draft, is eligible for an extension this offseason. We'll take a look back at similar players to Clowney to gauge what a potential deal could look like.

Contract Comparisons

During the 2011-12 lockout season, a 23-year-old Danilo Gallinari received a 4-year, $42 million rookie-scale extension from the Denver Nuggets. He averaged 14.6 points, 4.7 rebounds, 2.7 assists and 1.5 stocks per game that season. Gallinari was more of a complete offensive player at that time, but Clowney's untapped potential –– and inflation –– will likely contribute to him getting a bigger payday than Gallinari.

A factor that could keep Clowney's contract down is his inefficiencies. He's shooting 39.6% from the field and 33.3% from three-point range this season.

Another rookie contract extension comparable to what Clowney will see was Terrence Ross's in the 2015-16 season. He received a 3-year, $31.5 million deal with the Toronto Raptors as a 24-year-old.

Ross averaged 9.9 points and 2.5 rebounds per game while shooting 38.6% from deep. Another factor that needs to be considered is availability. Ross played 236 games across his first three seasons, to Clowney's current 131 games played, with year three coming to a close.

While the league hasn't changed drastically in the past 10 years, it has consistently trended towards a more dominantly played game on the perimeter. Clowney has the second-most three-point makes on Brooklyn's roster this season. Being able to stretch the floor at 6-foot-10, 235 pounds, puts a lot of pressure on defenses and opens up driving lanes.

Clowney won't be the Nets only target for retention this offseason, but he will be a crucial one.

Contract Prediction: 4 year, $52 million