The Zach Lowe Show
The Zach Lowe Show

The 10 Most Interesting Extension Candidates With Grant Liffmann

July 23, 2026

AI Summary

5 min read

The NBA’s new collective bargaining agreement has created a strange new puzzle for front offices: which players to lock into long-term extensions, and at what number. On the Zach Lowe Show, former Hawks front office staffer and current NBC analyst Grant Liffmann joined Lowe to draft the ten most interesting extension-eligible players in the league, mixing rookie-scale dilemmas with veteran cases that could reshape contender rosters. The conversation surfaced a recurring tension: teams are increasingly trying to sign players below their perceived market value, while agents and players are weighing security against the chance to bet on themselves in a cap-constrained environment.

The Rookie Extension Puzzle: Keon Ellis and the Jazz’s Cap Math

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What you'll learn

  • 1 (02:18) **Welcome & LeBron Watch** - Zach and Grant commiserate about the agonizing wait for LeBron James' decision, with nobody in the league having any real intel.
  • 2 (05:39) **Draft Setup: The 10 Most Interesting Extension Candidates** - The hosts explain the premise: a draft combining rookie-scale and veteran extension cases, with the goal of finding the most fascinating negotiations.
  • 3 (07:05) **Pick 1 (Grant): Keonte George (Jazz)** - Grant breaks down the tricky valuation of George, who broke out just as Utah pivoted from tanking to contending.
  • 4 (13:35) **Pick 2 (Zach): Anthony Davis (Wizards)** - Zach highlights AD as the biggest mystery, given his $63M player option, availability concerns, and the Wizards' unclear direction.
  • 5 (19:43) **Pick 3 (Grant): Zion Williamson (Pelicans)** - Grant focuses on Zion's unique contract (weight/games-played clauses), his age (26), and the question of whether his ceiling has been reached.
  • 6 (23:10) **Pick 4 (Zach): Rudy Gobert (Timberwolves)** - Zach flags Gobert as a sneaky extension candidate due to his $38M player option and Minnesota's massive, tax-heavy payroll.
  • 7 (27:53) **Pick 5 (Grant): DeJounte Murray (Pelicans)** - Grant argues Murray, who has a player option, is a model of consistency but is now in a "sour spot" as an undersized, ball-dominant guard.

+ Full timestamped outline available in the app

Guests on this episode

Show Notes

Zach is joined by Grant Liffmann to once again ponder what is happening with LeBron James. Then, they draft the 10 most interesting extension candidates and share their honorable mentions.

(0:00) Welcome to The Zach Lowe Show!

(1:33) Grant Liffmann joins the show!

(2:11) Still on LeBron watch

(6:23) Keyonte George

(12:48) Anthony Davis

(18:56) Zion Williamson

(22:22) Rudy Gobert

(26:12) Dejounte Murray

(30:05) Michael Porter Jr.

(40:51) Ausar Thompson

(45:39) Pascal Siakam

(49:16) Brandin Podziemski

(54:45) Jaylen Wells

(57:44) Honorable mentions

Host: Zach Lowe

Guest: Grant Liffman

Producers: Jonathan Frias, Billy Gil, and Mike Wargon

Social: Keith Fujimoto and Michael Szokoli

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