One source called the summers of 2017 and 2018 “anomalies” in the way those second- or third-tier players struggled to find long-term contracts. There were more players signing deals like Avery Bradley did with the Los Angeles Clippers this year (two years, $24 million) than Will Barton did with the Denver Nuggets (four years, $54 million). The same source believes 2019 could begin a “return to normalcy” for those players. However, several sources also cautioned against the idea of a spending spree akin to 2016. Teams have learned their lessons from some of the massive four-year deals handed out that summer that looked almost immediately regrettable, sources said. It seems unlikely, for example, that we’ll see players like Timofey Mozgov get four-year, $64 million deals.
