How Much Are We Willing to Pay? Do We Have Enough?

[What Would Jesus Do?]

The new question in today's world is whether players like Ian and Drake make more money sticking with the college game for another year. Now that the mock drafts have cooled on our freshmen a bit, sticking around may be more appealing. Assuming, that is, that we have enough money to keep them and pick up 3-4 top targets in the portal.

Do we have $1-2 million each to keep Ian, Drake and don't forget Elliot on the roster?

Who else will we need to provide big bucks to keep? Seth, probably. Lubin? JWash?

Will we even try to keep Cade - and will he want to stay if we try? I still think he could do well somewhere - but I don't think it's here.

What about the lower rungs of our roster. Brown. High. Who am I forgetting?

Portal ~ $6 million
Returners ~ $6 million
TOTAL ~ $12 million

Plus all the salaries for the new GM and staff.

Is that in the right ball park? Or am I kidding myself that we can get off that easy?

Do we have that much to play with?

 

[Oak ridger]

The new question in today's world is whether players like Ian and Drake make more money sticking with the college game for another year. Now that the mock drafts have cooled on our freshmen a bit, sticking around may be more appealing. Assuming, that is, that we have enough money to keep them and pick up 3-4 top targets in the portal.

Do we have $1-2 million each to keep Ian, Drake and don't forget Elliot on the roster?

Who else will we need to provide big bucks to keep? Seth, probably. Lubin? JWash?

Will we even try to keep Cade - and will he want to stay if we try? I still think he could do well somewhere - but I don't think it's here.

What about the lower rungs of our roster. Brown. High. Who am I forgetting?

Portal ~ $6 million
Returners ~ $6 million
TOTAL ~ $12 million

Plus all the salaries for the new GM and staff.

Is that in the right ball park? Or am I kidding myself that we can get off that easy?

Do we have that much to play with?

Good question to ask. $12 million seems to be on the low side (mid-major).

 

[NorCalTarheel]

With the way NIL is today, if you are not a top five pick, financially it makes sense to stay in school. I will always rue Harrison Ingram leaving Carolina to go to the NBA. His salary this year is $578,577. According to who you listen to, and admittedly I have no facts, Cade Tyson makes more than him.

I think Drake and Ian would benefit dramatically, both financially and developmentally, to return to school. Whether that is at Carolina is another question. I think Drake is a no-brainer to stay at UNC. Ian seemed very checked out and hesitant to buy in defensively. I hope to be pleasantly surprised but I do not see him at Carolina next year.

If this season has shown us nothing else, it is that we MUST have a quality big or two. We HAVE to get a portal big. Give me Elliot, Ian, Drake, Caleb and a stud big and we will win plenty of games. I say we try our hardest to keep Seth and Lubin. Would love to have Brown stick around. I'd welcome High back. I think JWash needs to either transfer to a mid major or be ready for even less of a role then he has now (shoot, even DSouth has given up on him!).

I will be ecstatic if we get in the tournament. I do think we can win a few games if we make it. I'm not holding my breath and think that it is time to rebuild for next year and focus on portal and let our new GM make a splash or two.

 

[strummingram]

They're going to need twice as much... 20-30 million easy.

 

[What Would Jesus Do?]

According to SI, the last guy in the first round last year got $2.5 million. And then they said this about the 2nd round.

​

Jalen Pickett was picked No. 32 overall in the 2023 NBA draft and signed a four-year $8.2 million contract with the Denver Nuggets that came with $5.8 million guaranteed. Denver clearly thought highly of him. Conversely, the last pick in the second round of last year's draft, Chris Livingston, got a four-year deal from the Milwaukee Bucks worth $7.6 million in total and included $3.01 million guaranteed.​

How Much Do NBA Rookies Make? Breaking Down NBA Draft Pick Salary

The 2024 NBA draft will commence on Wednesday, June 26 at 8 p.m. ET. Much has been made of this draft's lack of top-end talent, but the perceived lack of upside

www.si.com

 

[WoadBlue]

THE issue with any discussion of spending on basketball must start with the need to fund football rightly, which UNC has NEVER done. The ACC and UNC choosing to elevate basketball is the reason that the ACC its now on the chopping block and easily could end up as dead as the SWC or else as permanently afterward irrelevant as the PAC.

 

[NorCalTarheel]

Harrison Ingram Salary - SalarySwish - NBA Salary Caps

Harrison Ingram salary, contract, stats including future, current, and historic NBA contract history

www.salaryswish.com

Again, I don't do H.I.'s taxes but he was 2nd round and multiple sites show his salary as $578,577 with $77,500 guaranteed.

The guy drafted one spot earlier by the Pelicans got $5.4M!!! Bad agent?

 

[What Would Jesus Do?]

THE issue with any discussion of spending on basketball must start with the need to fund football rightly, which UNC has NEVER done. The ACC and UNC choosing to elevate basketball is the reason that the ACC its now on the chopping block and easily could end up as dead as the SWC or else as permanently afterward irrelevant as the PAC.

How much are we expected to spend on football players?

Not that I think there ought to be any linkage; just curious.

 

[What Would Jesus Do?]

Harrison Ingram Salary - SalarySwish - NBA Salary Caps

Harrison Ingram salary, contract, stats including future, current, and historic NBA contract history

www.salaryswish.com

Again, I don't do H.I.'s taxes but he was 2nd round and multiple sites show his salary as $578,577 with $77,500 guaranteed.

The guy drafted one spot earlier by the Pelicans got $5.4M!!! Bad agent?

Please don't tell me Tanner was his agent.

 

[NorCalTarheel]

Please don't tell me Tanner was his agent.

I had to look that up because that would have been the irony of all ironies. Fortunately, Harrison is not represented by Tanner. He is represented by Klutch sports, LeBron's agent and friend.

 

[Quest4Seven]

People want Zayden High back? Do you guys ever learn?

 

[What Would Jesus Do?]

People want Zayden High back? Do you guys ever learn?

He's probably cheap or free at this stage. So why not? Is there any reason to think we'll run out of scholarships?

 

[Kool1234567]

They're going to need twice as much... 20-30 million easy.

😂😂😂😂That ain’t happening….

 

[lewisj008]

He's probably cheap or free at this stage. So why not? Is there any reason to think we'll run out of scholarships?

I also thought that next year, each school will now have 15 scholarships. So, if that's the case, why not bring him back, you cannot run out of scholarships if you have 15.

 

[Spaceytoyz]

People want Zayden High back? Do you guys ever learn?

He would have been productive on the boards this year

He’s limited offensively and he fouls a lot but he would have helped

 

[Quest4Seven]

He's probably cheap or free at this stage. So why not? Is there any reason to think we'll run out of scholarships?

We shouldnt take any of our bigs back other than VAL as a backup big in the Justin Knox role. No more of these tweeners like JWash and High that arent big enough or physical enough to actually play in the paint

 

[What Would Jesus Do?]

We shouldnt take any of our bigs back other than VAL as a backup big in the Justin Knox role. No more of these tweeners like JWash and High that arent big enough or physical enough to actually play in the paint

If High comes back having added 20 pounds of muscle, he'll be fine. Good motor. I worry a bit about his impulse control, but maybe he's addressed that. We'll see.

 

[superstar57]

If we are serious about retaining both Powell and Jackson at minimum your looking at 3 million divided two ways. Seth could cost you 1.5 himself. EC is a lifer, but that should still get him very high six figures. We already paid for Caleb. The rest of our scholarship players are going to want between 100k- 250k. Got to pay for a couple or if room allows 3 forwards/centers, that may cost 4million for 3 of them.

I'm thinking 18 million can build a solid squad.

 

[What Would Jesus Do?]

I also thought that next year, each school will now have 15 scholarships. So, if that's the case, why not bring him back, you cannot run out of scholarships if you have 15.

Looks like you're right about that.

NCAA Scholarship and Roster Limits: Key Changes Explained

Learn about the new NCAA scholarship and roster limits for the 2025-26 school year. Discover how these changes impact student-athletes and recruitment.

www.ncsasports.org

 

[gauchoheel]

With the way NIL is today, if you are not a top five pick, financially it makes sense to stay in school. I will always rue Harrison Ingram leaving Carolina to go to the NBA. His salary this year is $578,577. According to who you listen to, and admittedly I have no facts, Cade Tyson makes more than him.

I think Drake and Ian would benefit dramatically, both financially and developmentally, to return to school. Whether that is at Carolina is another question. I think Drake is a no-brainer to stay at UNC. Ian seemed very checked out and hesitant to buy in defensively. I hope to be pleasantly surprised but I do not see him at Carolina next year.

If this season has shown us nothing else, it is that we MUST have a quality big or two. We HAVE to get a portal big. Give me Elliot, Ian, Drake, Caleb and a stud big and we will win plenty of games. I say we try our hardest to keep Seth and Lubin. Would love to have Brown stick around. I'd welcome High back. I think JWash needs to either transfer to a mid major or be ready for even less of a role then he has now (shoot, even DSouth has given up on him!).

I will be ecstatic if we get in the tournament. I do think we can win a few games if we make it. I'm not holding my breath and think that it is time to rebuild for next year and focus on portal and let our new GM make a splash or two.

Sorry, but your first paragraph is a silly take. The #6 overall pick gets essentially $26M guaranteed; a 4 year contract for $6.5M a year. The last two years are technically not guaranteed as they're options, but in practice they almost always are exercised as long as there's not a devastating injury. This is oodles more than any college player is getting. And what's more, it gets the clock started on free agency, where even a good starter (forget All-Star status) can make $20M+ a season. It makes very little sense for any lotto pick to stay in college ever.

The LAST pick of the first round (pick #30) gets a 4 year contract for about $9M ($2.25M a year). If my 19 year-old son could get that offer... well he'd need a mighty compelling college package to turn that down. Especially considering the aforementioned accelerated free agency timeline and the ability to fully focus on basketball. I don't think a similar annual salary ($2.25M) in college would cut it. You have some additional upside with the college route via a higher draft spot, but $9M locked in is plenty to make it not worth risking ending up not making the league later on.

Frankly, I think anyone that can get drafted in the first round should probably leave, and the top 5-10 second round picks often get paid large amounts too (e.g., Kyle Filipowski signed a 2 year contract for $6M at pick #32; Johnny Furphy signed a 3 year contract for $6.5M at pick #35). It's only once you're at the mid-2nd round where college starts being much more comparable or even potentially better.

 

[gauchoheel]

The new question in today's world is whether players like Ian and Drake make more money sticking with the college game for another year. Now that the mock drafts have cooled on our freshmen a bit, sticking around may be more appealing. Assuming, that is, that we have enough money to keep them and pick up 3-4 top targets in the portal.

Do we have $1-2 million each to keep Ian, Drake and don't forget Elliot on the roster?

Who else will we need to provide big bucks to keep? Seth, probably. Lubin? JWash?

Will we even try to keep Cade - and will he want to stay if we try? I still think he could do well somewhere - but I don't think it's here.

What about the lower rungs of our roster. Brown. High. Who am I forgetting?

Portal ~ $6 million
Returners ~ $6 million
TOTAL ~ $12 million

Plus all the salaries for the new GM and staff.

Is that in the right ball park? Or am I kidding myself that we can get off that easy?

Do we have that much to play with?

I doubt we're keeping both Ian and Drake. Wouldn't be shocked if both leave for the NBA, but I think retaining one would be a good outcome.

Lubin and especially Washington wouldn't crack the rotation on the best Carolina teams. I could see giving Lubin a little money to have a solid backup but there's something terribly wrong if either of them are close to "big bucks". And I don't even think Cade is worth discussing; hopefully whatever contract he signed didn't include any guaranteed money for a 2nd year, and he can try his luck elsewhere.

Cadeau and Seth are both worth keeping in a vacuum, but Hubert (I'm assuming he stays?) needs to think very deeply about the construction of the team. This year's squad was plenty talented enough to be a top ~15 team on paper, but the pieces fit horribly together. Cadeau/RJ/Seth are way too small, and taking the only shooter out of that trio makes for an even worse offensive fit. We need to get bigger in both the backcourt and the frontcourt, and so far next year looks terribly light on shooting. A starting 5 including Cadeau, Trimble, Wilson, and a non-shooting center is a horrible offensive fit. And if Trimble isn't starting, he probably doesn't really deserve "big bucks". So I think it might be tough to make a team that includes both Cadeau and Trimble if we're trying to maximize winning games, which should be the point rather than just blindly retaining previous players.

Personally, were it me I'd try for 1) Cadeau, 2) a SG transfer with plus size and shooting, 3) Drake, 4) Wilson, and 5) a high-end rim protecting transfer center. Then given that group you definitely need 6) a combo guard and 7) a big wing, at least one of whom needs to be a great shooter given the rest of the roster. If #6 is Trimble, #7 needs to be a big athletic guy who can shoot, which is pretty difficult to find (the NBA tends to like that mix of traits...), but maybe.

If you can do all that and still afford to keep Lubin as the 8th man, great. If not, find another capable backup center, but I'd prioritize those seven spots.