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Xavier Henry Still Not Signed With The Grizzlies

Article VIII of the NBA Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA), explains how the Rookie Scale works for players selected in the first round of the NBA Draft.  Each contract is good for two seasons of play, followed by a club option for the 3rd season and a club option for the 4th season, should the club pick up the 1st of the 2 options.  Salaries are determined by the slot at which the player is selected.  The reason that it is called a scale is because the club and the player’s agent may negotiate a contract that will be worth as low as 80% and as high as 120% of the slot value.

Exhibit B of the CBA actually breaks down the slot values by pick.  The value for this year’s #12 overall pick is $1,683,500 in year 1, $1,809,700 in year 2, $1,936,000 in year 3 option, and the 4th year option percentage increase over 3rd year salary is 37.8%.  This year’s #12 overall pick is former AAU star and University of Kansas guard, Xavier Henry.  Henry is being represented by Wasserman Media Group’s Arn Tellem.

Arn Tellem wants Henry to get closer to the 120% ceiling than the 80% floor.  In fact, Tellem has been holding Henry out of the Memphis Grizzlies Summer League because Henry’s rookie contract is still not signed.

What’s the hold up Chris Wallace?  You just gave Rudy Gay $80+ million.  Can’t fork out a few more thousand dollars to lock up the #12 overall pick in the most recent draft?

By Darren Heitner

Darren Adam Heitner, Esq., is a preeminent sports attorney and the founder of Heitner Legal, P.L.L.C., a Fort Lauderdale-based law firm specializing in sports law, contract negotiations, intellectual property, and arbitration. He earned his Juris Doctor from the University of Florida Levin College of Law in 2010 and a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science, magna cum laude, from the University of Florida in 2007, where he was named Valedictorian of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. Admitted to practice in the state bars of Florida, New York, and the District of Columbia, as well as multiple federal courts, Darren also serves as a certified arbitrator with the American Arbitration Association.

As an adjunct professor, Darren imparts his expertise through teaching Sports Law at the University of Florida Levin College of Law and Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL) at the University of Miami School of Law in the Entertainment, Arts, and Sports Law LL.M. program. His scholarly contributions include authoring several books published by the American Bar Association, such as How to Play the Game: What Every Sports Attorney Needs to Know, and numerous articles in prominent publications like Forbes, Inc. Magazine, and Above the Law. His thought leadership in NIL has earned him recognition as one of the foremost experts by The Wall Street Journal, USA TODAY, and On3, and he has been lauded as a “power player in NIL deals” by Action Network and a “top sports trademark attorney” by Sportico.

Darren’s passion for sports law led him to establish Sports Agent Blog on December 31, 2005, initially titled “I Want To Be A Sports Agent.” The platform, created as a New Year’s resolution, has grown into a cornerstone of the sports agency community, offering in-depth analysis of industry trends, legal disputes, and agent-player dynamics. His commitment to the field is further evidenced by his representation of numerous athletes and sports agents, as well as his prior role as an Adjunct Professor at Indiana University Bloomington, where he developed and taught a course on Sport Agency Management from 2011 to 2014.

Darren’s contributions have been recognized with prestigious honors, including the University of Florida’s 40 Under 40 Award, the University of Florida Levin College of Law’s Outstanding Young Alumnus Award, and designation as the best lawyer in Fort Lauderdale by Fort Lauderdale Magazine. He remains an active voice in the sports law community, sharing insights through his weekly NIL newsletter and his X posts, engaging a broad audience on legal developments in sports.