His agent will obviously want him to take the highest bid. However, I think the opportunity to compete and be in a position to win, will be another key factor given his style of play. It is one thing to dive for loose balls and doing every other little thing, that helps his team win. However, it is something totally different if that same style of play is on a 25 win team. Over time, he would be less motivated to make those plays, which would lead to his value being severely diminished for that next contract. Also, let’s not forget that Marcus is averaging around 30 minutes a night as a backup, which may be around 3-4 minutes less than a starter. So he is basically playing starter minutes.
I heard Wyc doing an interview on the Felger and Mazz show recently. He stated that he is not concerned about paying the luxury tax, and has no issue paying any player that he feels has earned it. To me, Marcus fits that definition of someone ownership is willing to pay.
When it comes to the Smart v Rozier debate, I’m team Smart. Scoring should not be an issue next season with Irving and Hayward coming back, which is the one key attribute that Rozier has over Smart. I just think Marcus is better defensively, at running the team, has a greater impact of motivating the players around him, and has that immeasurable it factor that separates possible championship caliber teams from good teams.