Nuggets' Aaron Gordon Expected to Miss Unique Contract Bonus

It's looking increasingly likely that Denver Nuggets forward Aaron Gordon will be missing out on a unique contract incentive held by less than ten players around the NBA in their respective deals.

With All-Star selections being revealed for starters, and reserves to be unveiled this coming week, a select handful of players around the league have All-Star bonuses baked into their current contracts, giving them some extra cash in the event they're one of the lucky few selected.

And as ESPN's Bobby Marks points out, Gordon is one of those seven players around the league with that incentive, and unless something unforeseen happens regarding a selection as an All-Star reserve, he'll be slated to come up shy of that additional money.

"Overall, teams have gone away from including contract incentives -- even unlikely bonuses -- because they count toward the apron. This past free agency, no player had an All-Star bonus negotiated in his contract. Seven players currently have All-Star incentives: Kevin Durant, RJ Barrett, DeMar DeRozan, Donte DiVincenzo, Aaron Gordon, Tyler Herro and Domantas Sabonis. None were selected as starters."

Aaron Gordon to Miss Out on All-Star Contract Bonus

For the 2025-26 season, Gordon has $1.2 million in UTBE incentives, adding on bonuses if selected as an All-Star, or even to an All-NBA Team at the end of the season; a layer in contract negotiations that's beginning to become increasingly rare, but for the Nuggets forward, is baked into his current deal, as well as his next three-year, $103 million extension that officially hits next season.

Gordon, when he's been on the floor, has been a quality contributor for the Nuggets, and in the opening weeks of the season, even had some early looks to be a candidate worthy of All-Star consideration next to Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray—who now seems to be a lock when the way he's played in the first half of this season.

However, injury would strike at the wrong time for Gordon, similarly to how the season has transpired for the Nuggets as a whole. Gordon went down with a hamstring strain that kept him out of the lineup from mid-November to now, returning in the middle of January.

That not only makes for a huge hit to his All-Star candidacy, but also makes him totally ineligible for end-of-season awards, if he were to make a push for any.

Jan 14, 2026; Dallas, Texas, USA; Denver Nuggets forward Aaron Gordon (32) drives to the basket against Dallas Mavericks guard Jaden Hardy (1) during the second quarter at the American Airlines Center. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-Imagn Images | Jerome Miron-Imagn Images

In 20 games played this season, Gordon has averaged 18.0 points, 6.4 rebounds, and 2.3 assists, shooting efficient splits of 50.4% from the field, 40.9% from three, and 80.2% from the free-throw line, while also being one of the Nuggets' better and more versatile defenders in the lineup.

Despite that strong production, though, that lack of availability in the middle of the season might make it virtually impossible to be one of the lucky seven All-Star reserves in the Western Conference selected in such a crowded pool of candidates.

On the bright side for the Nuggets, they'll be in a great spot to land a second All-Star next to their already-named starter in Jokic, thanks to the electric slate of games that Jamal Murray has posted amid Denver's injury troubles, emerging as one of the most elite offensive guards in the league this season, and could be the franchise's first tandem of All-Stars since the 2009-10 season.

As for Gordon, though, he'll have to keep waiting for that first-career All-Star nod, and with it, will fall just short of that contract bonus.

Aaron Gordon to Miss Out on All-Star Contract Bonus

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