James Harden, Stephen Curry, DeMar DeRozan, Taj Gibson, Jrue Holiday get new contracts

Clearly, we need a rulebook for general managers facing decisions on early extension for players in the final year of their rookie deals. Clearly, we need to acquire a time machine, set it for yesterday and deliver a copy of said rulebook to Toronto.

Seven players ended up with extensions. Blake Griffin (back in July) and James Harden scared up max extensions worth $78 million or so over five years. Stephen Curry signed for four years, $44 million. DeMar DeRozan signed for something around $38-42 million over four. Jrue Holiday signed for $41 million over four. Taj Gibson signed for $38 million over four. Ty Lawson landed a four-year, $48 million deal.

USA Today’s Sam Amick reports that incentives could allow Holiday to make up to $46 million.

Holiday has developed into one of the NBA’s best young point guards under 76ers coach Doug Collins. Last season, the 22-year-old Holiday averaged 14.4 points and 4.8 assists per game. He is also one of the league’s best defensive point guards, and the hope is that he can make another jump over the duration of his new contract.

Marc Spears added that the deal is incentive-based, and could be worth nearly $42 million.

DeRozan averaged 16.7 points, 3.3 rebounds and 2.0 assists in 35 minutes per game last season, a slight dip from his averages in his 2010-11 campaign. For his career, DeRozan has averages of 14.1 points and 3.4 rebounds per game over three seasons with the Raptors.

The fourth-year big man shot a career-high 49.5 percent from the field last season for the Bulls, and has been especially eager to work out a new deal with the organization as his contract is set to expire this summer. The two sides still have until midnight to reach a new agreement, but as Wojnarowski points out, it would take a significant amount of momentum for something to materialize.

Chicago’s front office has expressed interest in keeping its promising big man around for the long haul, and Gibson himself has also publicly stated that he wants to retire in a Bulls uniform. The Bulls will be able to match any offer that Gibson receives as a restricted free agent this summer, however, and may not be too worried about locking him up right now for that very reason.

With Wednesday being the deadline to sign an extension, Houston gave Harden the maximum allowable five-year, $80 million contract, according to a report from Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports.

It was significantly more money than the last offer that was reportedly on the table from Oklahoma City, which was rumored to be somewhere around 4-years $52 million.

DeRozan has started all 145 games in which he as has played for the Raptors in the past two seasons. In 2011-12, DeRozan averaged 16.7 points and 3.3 rebounds on 42.2 percent shooting from the field.

In 222 career games with the Raptors, DeRozan has averaged 14.1 points and 3.4 rebounds in 30.3 minutes per game.

Currently in the final year of his rookie-scale contract, Jennings would need to agree to an extension with the Bucks before the CBA’s Wednesday night deadline, but multiple sources are telling Gardner that Milwaukee won’t extend his deal right now.

That means the 10th overall pick from the 2009 draft will hit restricted free agency next summer, at which point the Bucks will retain the right to match any contract offer given to the guard. After three years of intriguing performance, the Bucks are likely curious to see whether Jennings can make a big jump in his fourth NBA season.

This signing is a big raise for Lawson, who was still playing on his rookie contract. The deal also helps Denver, as it locks up an important member of their core players.

Rubio finished second in last year’s Rookie of the Year voting and averaged 10.6 points, 4.2 rebounds and 8.2 assists in 41 games for the Wolves during the 2011-12 season. The 22-year-old point guard is working his way back from reconstructive knee surgery and is expected to miss the first week or two of the 2012-13 season.

Prior to the injury, Maynor appeared in nine games, averaging 15.2 minutes per game in which he tallied 4.2 points, 2.4 assists and 1.4 rebounds per game.

Maynor will become a restricted free agent in the summer and be allowed to sign offer sheets from teams that the Thunder will have the option to match.

If a deal is not reached by the deadline, Lawson would become a restricted free agent during the 2013 summer and be able sign offer sheets from other teams that the Nuggets would be allowed to match.

His 16.4 points per game led the team while he also added 6.6 assists, 3.7 rebounds and 1.3 steals.

Wednesday is the deadline for teams to extend players who were drafted in 2009, but Holiday’s agent says that the Sixers don’t seem interested in reaching a deal with the 22-year-old point guard, Sam Amick of USA Today reported.

Holiday has been a pleasant surprise for the Sixers since they drafted him with the No. 17 pick in 2009, as he’s become a legitimate starting point guard averaging 13.5 points and 4.5 assists last season. However, it appears Holiday’s asking price will be too much for the team to extend him.