Rose Clause: The toughest "young star" rule in NBA history!

When mentioning the "Rose Clause", the first thing most fans think of is not the cold salary ratio, but the 22-year-old boy who led the Bulls to 62 wins in 2011 - Derrick Rose. When he averaged 25 points and 7.7 assists per game to win the youngest MVP trophy in history, no one expected that this rose would directly rewrite the league's labor rules. During the 149-day NBA lockout in 2011, labor and management finally relented after more than 20 negotiations. The new agreement specifically added a clause for young superstars: if the rookie contract has won an MVP, two All-Star starts or two All-NBA teams in the first four years of the contract, the maximum salary of 30% of the salary cap can be earned by renewing the contract, which is 5 percentage points more than the old rule. At that time, the only player in the league who met the standard was Rose, and this clause became his exclusive title.

However, the first person to really reap the benefits of Rose's terms was not Rose himself, but Durant. The Thunder negotiated a contract extension with Durant before the lockout in 2011. As a result, Rose's clause came into effect during the lockout, and Durant just met the conditions for the best team for two consecutive years. The Thunder did not want to pay more and appealed to the league. In the end, the league paid the difference. On the other hand, Rose himself, the five-year, 94.3 million contract he got in 2012 looked promising, but it became a footnote to his injury tragedy - he suffered a torn anterior cruciate ligament not long after signing the contract, and suffered three serious injuries in the next four years. He went from being a "Windy City Rose" to being a homeless man who bounced around many teams. It was not until he scored 50 points in a single game with the Timberwolves in 2018 that fans remembered that he was supposed to dominate the league.

The best thing about this clause is that it reflects the fate of different stars like a mirror. Westbrook triggered the clause for two consecutive All-NBA teams, but for some reason gave up the rights and later won the MVP; Griffin raised his contract to 94.3 million by starting in the All-Stars in 2012 and 2013, but he did not escape the curse of injuries during his peak period; Doncic relied on two All-NBA teams in 2021 to directly sign a five-year super contract of 207 million, becoming the biggest winner after the revision of the terms. Speaking of revisions, we have to mention the later "designated rookie clause", which is an evolved version of Rose's clause - the All-Star starting option is cancelled, DPOY trigger conditions are added, and the salary can also fluctuate according to the best team level, such as 26% for the third team and 30% for the first team. This wave of upgrades is much more refined than the first version.

After so many years, the Ross Clause is no longer the imprint of one person. Lillard earned an extra 20 million with two All-Star appearances, Trae Young unlocked the maximum salary with two All-Star starts, and Paul George sat in the core of the Pacers with two seasons and three teams. This clause is like a "superstar filter", completely widening the gap between those talents who showed their fangs as rookies and ordinary players. But every time I see rookie talents holding billion-dollar contracts, I always think of the boy who wore the No. 1 jersey in 2011. He used his short-term peak to pave a shortcut for those who came after him, but he struggled with injuries for ten years. The league even has a "designated veteran clause" at the back of the league, but no player can carve his name into the league with one season of glory like Rose.