RealGM

Quick question in regards to whether Bird Rights go away or not in this scenario

Lets say Player A makes 20mil a year and is expiring. He has been with the team for 2 years already. IIRC a player needs to be on a team for 3 years for that team to have his bird rights.

Now lets say the team is 5 mil short of having a max slot for a superstar player. The team is like 1 piece away from contention and Player A still wants to be part of that team and is willing to take a small paycut for a year.

Can Player A then be extended for say 1 year on a 2yr 30m deal with the 2nd year being a player option? The player is getting more guaranteed money over more years, so this part is def kosher. Also dropping his cap hit to 15mil for that 3rd year thus allowing the team to sign a max superstar.

So with Player A then opting out of his 2nd player option year does the team now has his Bird Rights since he's been there for 3 straight years?

In theory the answer would be yes. However, the scenario is impossible as written. You couldn't "extend" the original contract (it would expire before eligible for an extension).

The player could, however, become a free agent and then sign a new 1+1 deal with the same team (one year plus an option for another). He would be an early Bird free agent. There would be no contractual limits on the downside other than minimum salary, as it would be a brand new deal. By signing with his old team, his Bird clock would continue. And if he declined his option after year 1, his team would have full Bird rights on him as a free agent.

(Side note: During that year, he would have full no-trade control. But if he gave permission and was traded during that year, his Bird rights would erase and start over.)