10 Contract-Year Players Entering Critical NBA Season in 2013-14

All NBA contracts must come to an end.

It doesn't matter who you are; no player is above the CBA. Lifetime pacts don't exist, and fans of impulsive teams should be thankful they don't.

For certain players, impending free agency is a cinch. Some have control over their own destiny, regardless of how poorly they play. Player and Early Termination Options afford them all the power.

Then there are superstars who are still in their prime, those who will be paid handsomely because they're not going to fail. After them, things change.

Not all players have the luxury of job security; not all stars are facing an easy decision. Plenty spend contract years playing for their jobs, for their reputation and for the right to finish out deals on their own terms.

*Those with Player and Early Termination Options will not be considered. They have more control over their future since they can opt in or remain with their team for another season. Only those with expiring contracts or who could enter restricted free agency were considered.

Pau Gasol, Los Angeles Lakers

Age: 33

Contract Status: Expiring

2012-13 Per-Game Stats: 13.7 points, 8.6 rebounds, 4.1 assists, 0.5 steals and 1.2 blocks on 46.6 percent shooting

Let's call an NBA geezer an NBA geezer—Pau Gasol is old.

Injuries limited him to just 49 games last season, and when he was on the floor, he struggled to coexist with Dwight Howard and wound up having the worst statistical year of his career.

Next summer he will turn 34, at which point he'll be an unrestricted free agent. Loaded with cap space, the Los Angeles Lakers will be zeroing in on superstars in their prime (also known as LeBron James).

Bringing back Gasol doesn't figure to be a top priority, though the Lakers will have a gaping hole in the middle if he leaves. That is, unless they consider Robert Sacre the next Superman.

If Gasol's willing to come back at a steep discount, to where he can be re-signed after the Lakers land another star or two, remaining in Tinseltown is a distinct possibility. Otherwise, expect Ricky Rubio to send trucks of chocolate to Flip Saunders' house in hopes he ditches whomever he has to in favor of Gasol.

Derrick Williams, Minnesota Timberwolves

Age: 22

Contract Status: Team option

2012-13 Per-Game Stats: 12.0 points, 5.5 rebounds, 0.6 assists, 0.6 steals and 0.5 blocks on 43 percent shooting

Once upon a time, Derrick Williams could've been drafted before Kyrie Irving. Two years later, it's clear the Cleveland Cavaliers made the right decision.

Williams is still trying to live up to his No. 2 draft status with the Minnesota Timberwolves. Were there ever a time for him to breakout, it was last season when Kevin Love went down. Now the Timberwolves plan to use him as more of a tweener, playing him at the 3 and 4.

Like always, Williams is bound to end up in trade rumors. It wouldn't feel right if he didn't. He's still at the point of his career where he's underachieved but is the perfect project for a team enticed by untapped potential.

Minny would be more likely to trade Williams before it turns him loose, but either way, he's approaching a crossroads with his team. 

Can he thrive as more of a stretch 4 or actual 3? Or will his efficiency and consistency issues continue?

After spending boatloads of money this summer, the Timberwolves are thinking playoffs. Unless Williams starts yielding better results, they may soon want to part ways with him for real this time. 

Danny Granger, Indiana Pacers

Age: 30

Contract Status: Expiring

2012-13 Per-Game Stats: 5.4 points, 1.8 rebounds, 0.6 assists, 0.4 steals and 0.2 blocks on 28.6 percent shooting

In a perfect world, Danny Granger would return to the Indiana Pacers and render them the greatest threat to the Miami Heat's reign of supremacy. 

However, reintegrating a former leading scorer into a rotation that came one victory away from a finals appearance figures to be difficult. On the one hand, Granger posted 18-plus points a night before he missed all but five games last season. Inserting his scoring into a lineup that was challenged offensively (I'm being kind) should make the Pacers a tougher out.

On the other hand, Granger is on the wrong side of 30 coming off a serious knee injury. He's also returning to a team that's no longer his. He could find himself behind both Paul George and Roy Hibbert. And if the Pacers bench him in favor of Lance Stephenson, yikes.

No matter the role Indy gives Granger, he has the opportunity to prove he can still be a valuable scorer on a contender. Whether his campaign serves as an audition for his next gig or a performance that keeps him in Indiana remains to be seen.

Kyle Lowry, Toronto Raptors

Age: 27

Contract Status: Expiring

2012-13 Per-Game Stats: 11.6 points, 4.7 rebounds, 6.4 assists, 1.4 steals and 0.4 blocks on 40.1 percent shooting

Kyle Lowry was supposed to be a star, but there's still time to salvage his potential. Strings of injuries and puzzling stat lines haven't prevented him from becoming a starting point guard. Efficiency and health have always been issues, but when he's on the floor, he's typically valuable as a playmaker and scoring threat.

Entering the last year of his contract, Lowry finds himself immersed in uncertainty once again. I doubt the Toronto Raptors trade him since Masai Ujiri hoards expiring contracts like the Milwaukee Bucks do mediocre talent and second-round draft picks. So there's that. But with a constantly scheming Ujiri at the helm, there's no guarantee he comes back next year.

Toronto is rebuilding, and if it doesn't see Lowry as its point guard of the future, the buck stops here. Either he remains healthy and productive enough to land a sizable contract from the Raptors or a competing suitor, or he finds himself being heralded as the Devin Harris of 2014.

Andrew Bogut, Golden State Warriors

Age: 28

Contract Status: Expiring

2012-13 Per-Game Stats: 5.8 points, 7.7 rebounds, 2.1 assists, 0.6 steals and 1.7 blocks on 45.1 percent shooting

Bogut is always likely to be dealing with an ankle injury of some kind. 

The Golden State Warriors big man appeared in just 32 regular-season contests last year, keeping in theme with the whole "I refuse to play 70 or more games" narrative that's dominated his career since 2008.

During the playoffs, however, he was a valuable asset on defense and cleaned up the boards in David Lee's absence. His 9.5 points and 14.4 rebounds per 36 minutes were one of the many driving forces behind Golden State's Cinderella-esque postseason run.

Set to become a free agent after next season, the Australian has some questions to answer, none more urgent than whether he can stay healthy for an entire season?

Remaining effective has never been the problem for Bogut. His 12.2 points and 9.2 rebounds a night for his career aren't indicative of a former No. 1 draft pick, but he's never failed to rebound, alter shots and play defense in general. Throw him in the fray with the Gasol brothers (Marc and Pau) and Joakim Noah as one of the best passing bigs in the league too.

Staying healthy has been his downfall. He's appeared in under 40 games in three of the last five years. Failure to kick the injury bug that's inhabiting the lower half of his body will play a major role in shaping the market for him next summer. It will also likely determine whether the Warriors make a serious push to re-sign him.

No pressure, though.

Luol Deng, Chicago Bulls

Age: 28

Contract Status: Expiring

2012-13 Per-Game Stats: 16.5 points, 6.3 rebounds, 3.0 assists, 1.1 steals and 0.4 blocks on 42.6 percent shooting

Luol Deng is a warrior. Not in the sense he's fated to follow Andre Iguodala and join Stephen Curry in Oakland, but rather, he's an actual warrior, impervious to external pain.

Coach Tom Thibodeau has spent the last four years running him ragged. He's averaged 38.8 minutes per regular-season game and 41.9 per playoff game in that time. A life-threatening illness limited him to just five postseason contests last year, but the Derrick Rose-less Chicago Bulls don't make it as far as they do without their leading scorer.

Heralded as an incredible perimeter defender and having already been selected to two All-Star Games, Deng doesn't carry the entourage of supporters most stars do. Though he's been Rose's sidekick for years, he hangs out in the shadows. Think of him like that new kid in high school who ate lunch by himself but was incredibly gifted at what he did, be it tests, sports or sliding down staircase banisters. 

This summer, it seemed the Bulls were prepared to reward him for all his hard work. In June, Yahoo! Sports' Adrian Wojnarowski reported he and the team were working on a contract extension. Now, CSN Chicago's Aggrey Sam says talks have stalled.

It seems more likely the Bulls will let Deng set his own market next summer, which is dangerous for both sides. He could price himself out of Chicago's range, or Thibs could steer his body into the ground yet again, severely depreciating any and all offers he receives.

The best medicine for any uncertainty is having a strong contract year. Let's see if the always-subtle Deng is up to the challenge.

Paul Pierce, Brooklyn Nets

Age: 35

Contract Status: Expiring

2012-13 Per-Game Stats: 18.6 points, 6.3 rebounds, 4.8 assists, 1.1 steals and 0.4 blocks on 43.6 percent shooting.

Paul Pierce has nothing to prove. He can still score, so he's done his job. But as he prepares for another contract year, his reputation is about the only thing not on the line.

Unless the Brooklyn Nets win a title, the issue of retirement is moot; let's just establish that right now. Brooklyn isn't winning a championship next season.

Once it loses—and it will lose—Pierce has some decisions to make. The Nets won't have any cap space to work with once again, and the chances of them pulling off another humdinger of a trade are slim to none. 

At that point, Pierce will have to decide whether the Nets are fit to contend for a title as is or if he should go elsewhere. Loyalty really isn't an issue considering Pierce just arrived in Brooklyn. Other factors, however, will come into play—like the future of Kevin Garnett.

Garnett said he would have retired had he not been traded with Pierce. Similar terms will likely apply next summer if Pierce decides to leave. The two could try and orchestrate their removal together, perhaps finally landing with the Los Angeles Clippers, but David Stern's protege, Adam Silver, will monitor any potential moves like a hawk.

Winning a title simplifies the process, making it that much easier for Pierce to stay in Brooklyn or retire. Falling short complicates things, which means we're headed for another dramatic conclusion to the "Where will Paul Pierce be suiting up next season?" game we've been playing for the past few years.

DeMarcus Cousins, Sacramento Kings

Age: 23

Contract Status: Qualifying offer

2012-13 Per-Game Stats: 17.1 points, 9.9 rebounds, 2.7 assists, 1.4 steals and 0.7 blocks on 46.5 percent shooting

All hell is going to break loose between DeMarcus Cousins and the Sacramento Kings. You just know it. He's not going to get a max extension, the regular season will serve as a forum of utter confusion, and he'll hit the restricted free-agent market where some team will paint the Kings into a corner.

Sacramento could end this now and pay Boogie his money, but we know better. Questions remain about his ability to lead a team. Before fitting his wallet for tens of millions of dollars, the Kings probably want to see him block more shots instead of racking up technicals. 

Cousins' ceiling is obvious. Very few big men have his range, quick feet and passing acumen. If he put an end to the temper tantrums, he'd be the ideal building block.

That's what next season's about, even if he signs a lucrative extension—escaping his reputation. There's no doubt in my mind some of the criticism is unwarranted, but not all of it. Boogie's lack of guidance has been apparent for quite some time, and it's on him to reinvent his image.

Of course, this could all be a clever ruse, a plot four years in the making. Maybe Cousins has acted brashly hoping the Kings wouldn't extend him so he could exit left in 2014. 

I'll assume that's not the case, because no one's that good of an actor. 

Kobe Bryant, Los Angeles Lakers

Age: 35

Contract Status: Expiring

2012-13 Per-Game: 27.3 points, 5.6 rebounds, 6.0 assists, 1.4 steals and 0.3 blocks on 46.3 percent shooting

Finding out that Kobe Bryant wasn't invincible was the equivalent of the Harry Potter book series reaching its end—the foundation of my childhood imploded.

It's not just that Kobe will become a free agent, it's that he will do so after returning from a career-threatening injury. Most of us want so badly to see the same old Black Mamba, who thwarted Father Time like Gilbert Arenas does traffic tickets. Now on the wrong side of 35, there's no telling what happens next.

Kobe's work ethic is endless. That's not the problem. It's not like we fear he'll leave the Lakers either. He may refuse to take a pay cut now, but when it's the difference between landing LeBron, Carmelo Anthony and/or another superstar not named Dwight Howard, he will step aside.

Mostly, Kobe is facing a campaign in which he'll attempt to do the implausible again. And we expect him to be successful, because we've watched him do just that for 17 years. The reality is, he may not. We have to accept that.

Dirk Nowitzki, Dallas Mavericks

Age: 35

Contract Status: Expiring

2012-13 Per-Game Stats: 17.3 points, 6.8 rebounds, 2.5 assists, 0.7 steals and 0.7 blocks on 47.1 percent shooting

How many failed attempts at landing a superstar will it take for Dirk Nowitzki's loyalty to break? 

The Dallas Mavericks have already whiffed twice—three times if you count dismantling a championship team in 2011, which I do. Fiercely loyal players can only stomach so much mediocrity in the twilight of their careers. Even Dirk has his limits.

Those limits will be tested once more as the Mavs will throw a bow on Jose Calderon, Monta Ellis and Samuel Dalembert, and call them a playoff-caliber supporting cast. Mark Cuban will wax poetic about their potential, and Nowitizki himself will reiterate his desire to say. 

Meanwhile, Dallas will miss the playoffs entirely or sneak in as a seventh or eighth seed. Neither road will lead to a championship, which is the only thing Dirk should be seeking at this point.

Clad with a no-trade clause, the only way Nowitzki leaves before next season is at his own behest. He'll have to demand a trade. Already 15 years deep into his tenure with Dallas, I don't see him issuing that type of command. Come free agency, all bets are off.

We know Dirk can still play at a high level, and if he feels the Mavs are beyond saving before his senior citizen discount kicks in, he could leave.

Next year will determine everything.

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